Health and Safety Officer - Harris Federation : Job Details

The founder and sponsor of the Harris Federation, Lord Harris of Peckham, opened our first school in 1990. We have, over the past thirty years, implemented ideas and initiatives that have transformed the opportunities of pupils from working class and disadvantaged backgrounds. Harris academies are widely recognised as a force for social mobility. We are immensely proud of the role that our alumni are now beginning to play in the world and of what we believe our current generation of pupils will go on to achieve.

We now have over 50 schools educating more than 40,000 young people across London and Essex, and employ over 5,000 staff across our academies and head office. With the majority of our academies located in areas of high socioeconomic disadvantage, a high-quality education is key to the futures of the pupils we serve.

As a provider of employment and education, we value the diversity of our staff and students, and all our staff are equally valued and respected. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment for our students and staff.

Our work will impact many generations to come, and our staff come from all backgrounds and walks of life, coming together to inspire young minds. We promote an inclusive culture that embraces the valuable and enriching contribution that all of our community make. We continue to be proactive in uplifting and supporting all voices at Harris.

To discover more about our culture, ethos and what it is like to work here, visit the Why Work For Us page to learn more.

In your role, you will: 

• Support a portfolio of schools and federation sites across the estate.
• Assist the head of health and safety to ensure health and safety policies and procedures are implemented across the estate.
• Work directly with academies and other federation locales to improve health and compliance.
• Engender a positive health and safety culture across the federation.
• Attend health and safety committee meetings as necessary.
• Provide guidance and support to staff with health and safety responsibilities to implement local health and safety arrangements, policies, procedures, legislation, guidance, and best practice.
• Review external reports and fire risk assessments provided by the Federation appointed external providers, working with academies to close arising actions.
• Work with academies to develop their Health and Safety Management Systems in line with Federation policy.
• Carry out internal reviews as required, auditing against academy policies and procedures, legislation, and best practice, preparing summary reports for follow up and review by various stakeholders.
• Provide support to academies with First Aid protocol, medical care policies, and educational visits.
• Conduct risk assessments where required.
• Review risk assessments, to ensure they are suitable and sufficient and provide feedback as required.
• Escalate key risks arising from academy visits, reports or external consultants to the Head of Health and Safety
• Maintain spreadsheets and records of key statutory compliance documentation, extracting key data as required.
• Prepare statutory compliance documentation, guidance notes and templates.
• Complete internal reviews of health and safety compliance.
• Alongside colleagues, provide advice, guidance, and support to academies with regards to the online medical tracking system.
• Support the Head of Health and Safety with the collation of estate-wide risks for reporting to Directors and CEO.
• Keep abreast of current and pending health and safety legislation working with the head of health and safety to adapt policies and protocols.
• Work to achieve personal objectives set at appraisal and/or those set through the academic year
• Deliver training as required

We would like to hear from you if you have:

• Good theoretical and practical knowledge of health and safety, fire safety, and other associated legislation.
• Good IT skills, including with MS Office
• Demonstrable Health and Safety experience within the Education Sector
• Demonstrable experience of conducting audits and risk assessments
• Experience of working with key stakeholders at all levels

For a full job description and person specification, please download the Job Pack.

If you would like to discuss the opportunity further, or if you have any questions, please contact us via email to arrange a conversation.

Before applying please ensure you download the job pack from our careers website, this will help with completing your application. Please note that we only accept applications submitted online before the closing date.

When applying, you will have the option to import your CV or use a LinkedIn profile which will auto populate the online application.

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