Health and Safety Adviser

Health and Safety Adviser

Together we are Trusted to Serve Scotland.

It’s not every job where you make a difference for the people of Scotland. But it’s what’s behind every job here. Our work keeps Scotland’s water flowing, from reservoir to tap – and from sink to sea via our treatment plants.

If Health & Safety is something you are passionate about; this is the job for you. You will be based in the North of Scotland; therefore, applicants should be within easy travelling distance of areas including Inverness, Fort William, Aberdeen, and Elgin, however, you may be asked to support other regions when required so possession of a full clean driving license is essential.

Working arrangements will be of a hybrid nature, with elements on site and working from home or at one or more of Scottish Water’s strategic Health & Safety hubs. 

What you’ll do 

To fulfil the legal requirements placed on Scottish Water, you will provide comprehensive health and safety advice and support regionally, at all levels within the business. You will assist with the systematic identification, evaluation, control, and monitoring of risks; contribute to and champion the development and implementation of Scottish Water health and safety standards to ensure compliance with legislation and strategic business objectives and build an organisational culture for Health and Safety.  Core duties include but are not restricted to:

• Research, develop, implement, and continuously review health and safety standards, procedures, and arrangements (e.g., Energy Isolations, Working at Height, Lifting Operations, COSHH, DSEAR, Confined Spaces, Lone Working, etc.) to assist in promoting safe working practices alongside other business priorities.

• Ensures all business functions use the single corporate SW H&S Systems

• To provide competent, cost effective, influential, specialist and practical H&S advice, guidance and support to the business based on interpretation of legislation, codes of practice and an understanding of industry best practice.

• Advise Management on the development of health and safety plans for the whole of Scottish Water and for specific customers within Scottish Water (e.g., action and project plans to mitigate risks from risk profiling exercises)

• Promote a positive health and safety culture within Scottish Water by enabling managers and employees to understand and action their responsibilities through the design and delivery of training.

What you’ll bring 

We'll get you fully up to speed on the technical aspects of the job where necessary. You’ll bring strong communication skills and should be confident working on your own, at times remotely given the geographical area. You should be comfortable working with computer packages – we like to move with the times.

Attention to detail is vital, you will actively monitor activities across Scottish Water’s operations including, suppliers, contractors and partners which promote the identification and avoidance of systems failures.

An ability for spotting trends and solving a problem are helpful, both on your own initiative and with help from colleagues.

A commitment to build on existing operational experience and willingness to develop an understanding of Scottish Water processes and practices.

You will have a NEBOSH General Certificate or equivalent as a minimum and will have experience of engaging and influencing key stakeholders at all organisational levels to achieve positive outcomes.

Knowledge of working in the utility industry, particularly around Working at Height, Confined Spaces and Energy Isolations would be desirable but not essential.

What you’ll get

While the work we do is important, we know it’s not the only thing that matters. That’s why we make sure you have everything you need to find a good work-life balance.

You’ll get plenty of time to recharge with 38 days of holiday every year (including 6 public holidays). And you can even buy five more if you need a little extra time. You can also take time off to volunteer in your community.

When it comes to major life events, we have family-friendly policies around adoption, maternity, and parental leave. And for the everyday? We embrace flexible working.

For your future, there’s our pension (the ‘know-what-you’ll-get-when-you-retire’ kind), and life assurance.

As for some nice extras? You can expect an annual company bonus. Not to mention access to SW Splash – handy rewards that can save you money on holidays, bills, and shopping.

The not-so-small print 

This role will be a Grade 6. If you’re new to Scottish Water, you’ll join us on a starting salary of £33,560 . Performance-driven pay progression would then allow you to move through the range to a maximum of £44,140 .

If you’re interested in this role – or know someone else who might be - we’ll be accepting applications until midnight on the 8th of May 2024.

A few final things worth knowing…

Research shows that some people avoid applying for jobs unless they can meet every single criteria. If you’re interested in this job, but don’t tick all the boxes, apply anyway! We hardly ever hire people who can do every part of a job from Day One. Everyone has a learning curve. So don’t rule yourself out!

Let us know if there are any changes we can make to our recruitment process to help you perform at your best. Lots of our people have disabilities or neurodiverse conditions (including some of our recruiters!). We're also aware that some people might be experiencing temporary challenges because of life events, like menopause. We’re very used to making adjustments, so please don’t be afraid to ask.

As part of our commitment to developing a flourishing Scotland, it’s important that all our employees are Scottish taxpayers. If you join us, your home address will need to be in Scotland. If you don’t already live here, you'll need to commit to moving here within your first three months.

Finally (finally!), candidates who haven’t submitted an application in the last 12 months will have their records removed from our recruitment database. You won’t need to do anything. Your data will be automatically deleted. 

We’re here to help. Ask us anything at SWRecruitment@ScottishWater.co.uk