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Dear Sir/Madam
Thank you for your interest in the post of Health and Safety Advisor at Abbotts Hall Farm, Essex Wildlife Trust.
The successful applicant will work 37.5 hours per week, mainly Monday – Friday although flexibility will be needed outside this period to fulfil the requirements of the role.
Please find enclosed with this letter a copy of the following information about the post and the Essex Wildlife Trust:
· A Job Description for the post of Health and Safety Adviser
· Terms and Conditions of Employment
· Our current staff structure
Essex Wildlife Trust is the county’s leading conservation charity. It has more than 33,000 members, manages and protects over 8,200 acres of land on 87 nature reserves, 2 nature parks and runs 11 visitor centres. The aim of Essex Wildlife Trust is to Protect Wildlife for the Future and for the people of Essex. It is supported financially by members, local businesses and grant making organisations. It is one of the largest of the 47 county wildlife trusts that work together throughout the British Isles as The Wildlife Trusts.
To apply for the post please return the application form together with your CV and a covering letter explaining why you think you are suited to the job. Your application must reach the above address by 2 p.m. on 25 November 2016.
Interviews will be held on Thursday 8 December 2016 at Abbotts Hall Farm, Great Wigborough.
For further information please contact 01621 862950 or visit www.essexwt.org.uk
Thank you for your interest in the work of the Trust and I look forward to receiving your application.
Yours faithfully
Michelle Harrison
HR Manager
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title: Health and Safety Advisor
Location: Abbotts Hall Farm, Great Wigborough with travel throughout Essex
Reports to: HR Manager
Responsible for: Volunteers
Job Purpose:
To deliver health, safety and risk management across Essex Wildlife Trust sites
Responsibility Areas and Key Activities
1 To review and evaluate the Trust’s current Health and Safety policies, procedures, processes, guidance and risk assessments and to make necessary changes, implementing any new processes as required.
2 To support the delivery of health and safety management across the Trust.
3 To ensure that health and safety is integrated fully into day to day work, working with all staff, guiding them to develop a safe and healthy working environment and culture.
4 To provide clear and concise Health and Safety advice and offer practical solutions on matters that need to be addressed.
5 To review all current sites across Essex ensuring that they are H&S compliant and assessing current Risk Assessments with the site manager and associated staff group.
6 To implement a thorough and clear Risk Management strategy, ensure all events are effectively assessed and ensure risk assessments are implemented.
7 To monitor all incidents and ensure they are appropriately reported, ensuring legal compliance, reviewing all accident/incident forms. Review all RIDDORs before submission to HSE.
8 To recommend improvements across sites where necessary.
9 To implement a Health & Safety audit system.
10 To produce papers for meetings and for Board as and when required.
11 To deliver all associated Health and Safety training to the staff and volunteers and ensure that all mandatory linked training is undertaken.
12 To hold all Health and Safety files and records, ensuring confidentiality.
13 To assess any health and safety considerations for new sites/projects/events.
14 To help with the investigation of accidents and near misses and liaise with HSE whenever necessary.
15 To ensure timebound health and safety checks (ie PAT testing) are scheduled and undertaken.
16 To ensure the organisation is aware of its statutory requirements with regard to Fire Safety, Asbestos, PUWER, LOLER, COSHH, Electricity, Gas, First Aid, Vehicles, Waste, Lone Working, Tree Safety, Manual Handling and HASAW and Food Safety.
17 To ensure all staff are aware of their responsibilities with regard to Health and Safety.
18 To set up and maintain Health and Safety databases as required.
19 To update and monitor inspection and fire risk assessment reports.
20 To attend and participate in health and safety committee meetings.
21 To undertake spot checks.
22 To undertake Fire Risk Assessments.
23 Ability to undertake desktop assessments would be an advantage.
Person specification
Specialist knowledge and experience:
Health and Safety qualified
IOSH accredited
NEBOSH General Certificate
NEBOSH Fire Certificate
Detailed knowledge of current H&S legislation and case law
Knowledge of developing and maintaining procedures and systems for investigating, reporting and analysing risks, accidents, incidents and other safety matters
Advising on preventative and remedial actions where appropriate to minimise/eliminate hazards
Full UK driving licence
Team working:
Makes positive contributions to the team, supporting colleagues in their work
Able to work as part of a team but must be self motivated and willing to take the lead in their area of specialism
Problem solving and analysis
Identifies potential risks and is able to present ways to counteract these
Generates workable solutions and makes rational judgements
Professionalism
Produces accurate and high quality results, with excellent attention to detail
Seeks out feedback from colleagues and managers, taking the learning and development points on board and modifying own practice
Considers how best to add value and ensures own expertise is sufficiently developed to do so
Excellent IT skills
Determination
Demonstrates commitment to the organisation and task completion
Able to remain calm and self-controlled under pressure
Keeps track of own progress, completing work to deadlines or informing others when targets can’t be met
Able to manage time and workload well
Able to manage change
Persuasive communication
Able to write clearly and concisely
Excellent verbal communication
Identifies the key points to communicate on any interaction, selecting the right channel for the message and audience
Customer focus
Puts the customer first and is eager to please them
Works hard to meet customer needs and protect their interests
Relates well to different types of customers, listens and gets on with them
People management
Is able to delegate where necessary
Manages relationships well, allowing for lack of understanding
Enjoys working with others
Other relevant factors:
Must be prepared to travel throughout Essex and will require own vehicle. On occasion, this travel will require short boat trips to island reserves.
Will need to work outside normal office hours. Evening and weekend work will be required to fulfil the needs of this job role.
Must understand and exercise the need for confidentiality
TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT
Name of Employer: Essex Wildlife Trust
Title of Post: Health and Safety Advisor
A detailed job description is available but this does not form part of the terms of employment.
Responsible to: Michelle Harrison, HR Manager
Place of Work: Abbotts Hall Farm, Great Wigborough, Essex with travel throughout Essex
Hours of Work: 37.5 hours per week, normally 7.5 per day. Normal office hours are 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, however, work will be required outside these hours, including work at evenings and Bank Holidays for which time may be taken off in lieu. Guidance and procedures on claiming time off in lieu are included in the Staff Handbook, located on SharePoint.
Itinerary: You must complete a staff itinerary in advance for each week for your Line Manager to read, this must show the days you are working, the hours you intend to work and indicate key jobs you are undertaking. This is held on Microsoft Outlook Calendar. Instructions are in the Staff Handbook.
Salary: Starting at £27,000 per annum rising to £27,500 per annum upon successful completion of probation. Salary is paid monthly in arrears. If for some reason it is clear that the Trust has over paid or under paid on one month it will adjust this by deduction or addition on the next month. Rates of pay are reviewed in November each year. Details of salary during Probationary period will be set out in your letter of appointment.
Travelling: When using your own vehicle on Trust business (excluding ordinary commuting) a mileage allowance may be payable (full details and current rates are available in the Staff Handbook). When you make a travel claim you will be asked to confirm that your private vehicle is appropriately insured, taxed and has an MOT (where applicable).
Travel at the beginning or end of the working day to/from your normal place of work is within your own time. It is not classed as working time and you are therefore not entitled to record time off in lieu for these journeys. If an employee travels from their place of work to another work related location or temporary place of work, this is normally in work time. If an employee’s role requires them to travel from home to a temporary place of work at the start of the day it would be reasonable for an employee to spend the first 30 minutes of the journey in their own time. The same would apply at the end of the day if an employee travels from a temporary place of work to home in that it would be reasonable for 30 minutes of that journey to be in their own time. Full guidance can be found in the Staff Handbook on SharePoint. Specific exceptions to this can be agreed by your Line Manager for going on a particular visit or training outside of Essex, where the length of the journey is more than a normal journey time you would do within Essex.
Annual Leave: Our holiday year runs from 1st January to 31st December. For a complete holiday year full-time staff are entitled to 23 working days in addition to days in lieu of statutory bank holidays rising to 25 days after 5 years’ service.
Holidays must be taken in consultation with other staff and with the agreement of your Line Manager. If you commence work part way through the holiday year, you need to base your entitlement on the remaining complete months in that holiday year.
You will not normally be able to take more than 3 consecutive weeks as holiday and at least three working days must be taken between November 1st and March 1st. Annual leave must normally be taken in the calendar year it is due, but some days can be carried over with agreement of the Line Manager providing they are taken by 31st March of the following year.
If you leave your employment your holiday entitlement will need to be recalculated for the completed months that you have worked in that holiday year. Discuss any over taken holidays with your Line Manager.
Probationary Period: 6 months during which time the employer or the employee may terminate the employment upon one week's notice.
Length of Contract: Permanent
Other Expenses: Other legitimate claims for expenses on Trust business can be made on the appropriate claim form providing these have been agreed in advance by the appropriate Budget Head.
Pension: The Trust or its subsidiaries will offer a pension contribution of 4% to a pension scheme approved by Essex Wildlife Trust and which meets the criteria for auto-enrolment, providing that the member of staff also contributes 3% into that same pension scheme.
Notice: After the probationary period, one month's notice of termination of employment is required by either side. The Employer is required to give one additional week of notice for each completed year of continuous employment exceeding 4 completed years to a maximum of 12 weeks’ notice. The Trust may direct a staff member to take any outstanding holiday during the period of notice.
Disciplinary, Grievance and Appeals Procedures: Clear procedures for dealing with any Disciplinary matter or Grievance or Appeal are set out in a separate document as part of the Staff Handbook that may need to be updated from time to time and does not, therefore, form part of these terms of employment.
An employee should take any Grievance or Appeal in the first instance to the Line Manager to whom he/she is responsible. Any Disciplinary matter will, in the first instance, be raised by an Employee's Line Manager.
Retirement Age: The Trust does not operate a compulsory retirement age for its employees.
Sickness and Sick Pay:
A member of staff who is not able to attend work must notify their Line Manager as soon as possible on the first day of the absence. This notification should be before 10.00 a.m. except in exceptional circumstances.
A friend or relative may make contact on behalf of the member of staff, but the member of staff retains responsibility and must personally make contact with her/his Line Manager as soon as s/he is able.
The Line Manager must be informed of the reason for absence, the possible length and likely return date and any medical advice that has been given which relates to the return to work.
If it is not possible to give a return date, the member of staff should make contact at least every three days and must submit any relevant documentation as soon as possible.
Failure to follow the notification procedure given above may result in the absence being recorded as unauthorised.
On return to work the individual should participate with the Line Manager in a conversation to discuss the absence and the reason for it. One of the purposes of this conversation will be to establish whether the Line Manager can provide any support to the employee which could facilitate attendance at work in the future.
The individual should agree on request to be interviewed and/or examined by an occupational doctor nominated by the Trust, and the Trust will meet all related expenses.
If a member of staff is absent for 1 – 3 calendar days inclusive they should complete Part A of the Appendix 2 Form Statement of Sick Absence and forward this to their Line Manager and the CEO’s PA for confidential filing. Appendix 2 Statement of Sick Absence Form is available from Trust Main Offices, from the Computer U Drive under Staff Information – Forms, or Sharepoint.
If a member of staff is absent for 4 - 7 calendar days inclusive, they should complete and submit both part A and part B of Appendix 2 Form Statement of Sick Absence as a self-certification form to their Line Manager on return to work. The form will then be forwarded to the CEO’s PA for confidential filing.