Apprentice Health and Safety Assistant
Service: Personnel Services
Grade scale: Grade 1 level 1-3
Reports to: Health, Safety and Wellbeing Manager
Purpose of the job
To help create and promote a safe and healthy working environment through the implementation of policies and procedures, and provision of professional knowledge, advice and guidance to services and the council.
Key tasks and responsibilities
To help develop and implement health and safety policies and procedures which reflect legal, corporate and/or service objectives and which comply with best practice in a way that they are fully understood and implemented.
To undertake health and safety audits and inspections in low-risk environments and accompany and support health and safety officers on site visits and accident and incident investigations.
To help promote risk assessments and the use of safe systems of work across the council.
To support services and local managers to instil a culture of safe working practices and compliance. This will include administering/monitoring corrective actions integrated within the council’s safety management software.
To evaluate and help determine the next appropriate step for accident and incidents reports made on the council’s accident reporting system.
To provide current and appropriate professional advice and guidance on day-to-day issues affecting the council and reflecting best practice for the sector.
To provide current information, guidance and, where necessary, training on specific health and safety matters to the council, services and individual employees.
Person specification
|
Criteria |
Essential |
Desirable |
|---|---|---|
|
Education, qualification and training |
Hold 4 Standard grade / national 5 qualifications, including English and Maths at general level 3/grade C or above (or equivalents) |
Certificated qualification in some key health and safety topic areas; for example, DSE assessment or manual handling assessment Standard grade / national 5 qualifications (general level 3/grade C or above (or equivalents) in a science subject Higher Maths and English (or equivalent) |
|
Skills, knowledge and experience |
The ability to organise and schedule given tasks into diaries Ability to demonstrate flexibility and innovation in approach to work Experience in using Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, and Outlook, and able to produce standard documents, organise information, and communicate appropriately. A demonstrable interest in occupational health and safety |
Some Local Authority experience A working knowledge of health and safety software systems Work experience that shows involvement in an organisation’s health and safety management process |
|
Personal qualities |
Self-motivated with the ability to work effectively as part of a team Professional and courteous manner when dealing with colleagues and customers Ability to follow instructions and procedures accurately A positive and proactive approach to work |
This role may require work to take place at height, such as scaffolds and/or in confined spaces, such as boiler rooms/basements). Applicants need to be comfortable working in such locations |
|
Other |
Ability to move around South Lanarkshire in order to attend locations and undertake inspection work/investigations Willing to undertake other professional learning as required |
Driving licence |
Safer recruitment checks
As part of our approach to good practice and safer recruitment we carry out a number of pre-employment checks
- Asylum and Immigration right to work in the UK.
- Reference check: external candidates require 2 references, one of which must be from present or most recent employer; Internal candidates require 1 reference from current line manager.
- Candidate Disclosure Scotland check, where applicable.
Behaviour framework
The council’s behaviour framework is a set of core behaviours that defines how employees approach work to enable the delivery of key tasks for the role. The expected behaviours for this role are:
Efficient
- Punctual and conscientious in your approach to work.
- Use council resources efficiently, avoiding waste and unnecessary expense.
- Identify inefficiency in processes and communicate this to your manager.
- Meet deadlines and targets in your day-to-day work.
- Understand the impact of wasteful behaviours on the environment and you act to minimise this impact.
Flexible
- Willing to learn new tasks and accept new ways of working.
- Willing to be flexible in your approach to work to meet changing service delivery needs, deadlines, and urgent priorities.
- Help team members when they have urgent deadlines and prioritise your work accordingly.
- Understand the need for change and are open to this across your working life.
Performing
- Is polite, professional and friendly to customers and apply customer care standards and attitudes at all times.
- Works safely to maintain the safety of yourself and other raising concerns about unsafe working practices.
- Meets standards of work required in your role in terms of quality and output.
- Uses initiative to solve problems and raise potential issues.
- Acknowledges when mistakes are made and learns from them.
- Seeks feedback on your performance to learn and improve.
Working with others
- Works alongside internal and external colleagues to meet common objectives.
- Has professional relationships with colleagues and is aware of dignity at work standards.
- Actively and respectfully listens to people in order to understand them and their views.
- Contributes appropriately in team and other meetings and discussions.
- Presents words and views clearly in a way that other people find meaningful.
- Respect diversity and promote equality of opportunity when working with colleagues and members of the public.
Leading
- Role models the standards of behaviours expected of a South Lanarkshire Council employee.
- Displays and enables leadership through sharing knowledge and skills, seeking guidance and providing support to your colleagues, team and the wider community.
- Is aware of and adheres to professional codes of practice and the council’s code of conduct and understand how these impact on employment with the council and public perception of council employees.