Health & Safety Officer / Manager Job description

PART I: ROLE AND RESPONSIBLITIES

Main Purpose

Health and Safety is taken very seriously by the school and the postholder is responsible for ensuring the safety of pupils, staff and visitors to the school. This will be through the continual review, development and implementation of health and safety related processes and systems. The postholder is also responsible for ensuring wider technical compliance and record keeping across the school in respect of all appropriate legislation and ISI regulations. This post reports directly to the Estate Bursar with some direct input to the Bursar.

Key Responsibilities

The following summary of duties is intended to assist the successful applicant in their respective responsibilities:

Policy writing and reviewing

• Coordinate the day-to-day implementation of all agreed school safety policies and arrangements.
• Review and revise health and safety arrangements on a regular basis and ensure that, once approved by the Health and Safety Committee, all the arrangement documents are available for any employee to access.
• Liaise with external agencies, including the College's safety consultant, Health and Safety Executive Inspectors, local Environmental Health Officers (for non-food related safety issues), local Fire Officers; and
• Support the school’s senior management in preparing for and take part in, from a Health and Safety perspective, ISI inspections.

Support

• Review and maintain current agreement with consultant firm to provide matter expert advice in support of Health & Safety Managers duties and engage in 3 years external high-level audit of the same.
• Produce and review with Estates Bursar regularly 3 years Health and Safety action plan arising from audit.

Auditing

• Meet with all Heads of Department (HODs) and Housemasters at least once annually, to review safety measures and paperwork within their area of control. Follow up each meeting with a written report advising on any improvements required to maintain overall compliance with both the legal framework and the school inspectors.

Acting as the approved competent person at Winchester College

• With the support of the engaged external consultant, ensure the School is kept abreast of changes in Health and Safety legislation and implications of the same on its working environment and practices, polices etc.
• Maintain regular contact with colleagues and departments, providing guidance on Health and Safety, promoting awareness and good practices.
• Lead health and safety initiatives.
• As and when required, give advice and information on health and safety matters to employees at all levels. Keep up to date with changes in legislation to ensure the advice given is accurate. Offer advice in a constructive manner in order for employees to apply it effectively to their area.

Health and Safety Committee

• Act as Secretary of the Health and Safety Committee. Liaise with the Estates Bursar and the Bursar as Chairman to approve the agenda and subsequent minutes. Prepare all proposals and reports to be presented to the Committee as well as any other relevant paperwork.
• Meet termly with the Estates Bursar and a member of the Governing Body responsible for safety, who will in turn report onwards to the Governing Body.

Investigations and safety reports

• Notify any serious accidents, incidents and cases of industrial diseases, to the enforcing authority, in accordance with the requirements of the Reporting Injuries Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 2013.
• Carry out any required investigations and seek advice from a relevant professional as and when required.

Training

Arrange and provide relevant safety training to all employees across the campus. Some training will be generic ‘in house’ training delivered by the postholder; other training will be delivered by a professional in their field.  (Training that is specific to an individual department will be arranged by themselves, e.g. Tower Scaffold training).

First aid cover

Ensure that arrangements for adequate and appropriate first aid cover are in place throughout the campus at all times. This is to include training and refresher training of employees in first aid to meet their contractual requirements.

School trips

Review all school trip risk assessments and advise on any essential amendments to be put into action before the trip departs.

Health & Safety Budget

Draw up in conjunction with the Estates Bursar an annual budget proposal for approval and justify any new expenditure.

Communications

Prepare and keep up to date communications and all record keeping templates for managers to access from the Health & Safety staff portal page in order to maintain their records are accurate and compliant. Ensure all other documents on the page are current.

Promote the use of the Health &Safety portal page.

Bursary safety

Carry out the Bursary Fire Risk Assessment, Code of Practice (to share with Bursary HoDs), risk assessments and routine compliance checks.

Record keeping

Maintain own tidy records and Health & Safety designated drive (depository for all information). Maintain the SMARTLOG record keeping platform and champion roll out to full school use.

Events

Assist in establishing a system that allows for the review of companies/contractors’ statutory documentation including but not strictly limited to Risk Assessments, Method Statements, event site plans, emergency procedures and security detail.

Establish a system to ensure compliance checks are completed during leave out periods.

Fire

Assist with the review of Fire Risk Assessments.

Review and assist with fire evacuation plans.

Ensure that arrangements for adequate fire warden coverage are in place at all times. This is to include training and refresher training of employees in order to meet college requirements.

PART II: PERSON SPECIFICATION AND KEY QUALITIES

Qualifications and experience

The successful applicant will have/be:

Tech IOSH or Cert IOSH, preferred but not essential.

Proven ability to translate Health and Safety legislation into practical and applicable working solutions.

Experience in schools is helpful, but not essential.

Experience of delivering Health and Safety training.

Experience in construction would be helpful, but not essential.

Would be considering or be working towards the NEBOSH Diploma.

Additional qualities and skills

Understanding and awareness of compliance systems.

Understanding and awareness of current and proposed Health and Safety legislation.

Ability to prepare Fire Risk Assessments, reports and spreadsheets.

Strong interpersonal skills/negotiator.

Good and effective communication and administration skills.

Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Must be able to work without supervision and take responsibility for own work.

Logical approach with great attention to detail.

Ability to work to deadlines and to prioritise work accordingly.

A flexible and adaptable approach to duties undertaken.

Proactive and will take initiative to resolve issues.

High levels of energy, enthusiasm and reliability.

IT literate.

Be committed to the safety and welfare of children is essential, as well as equality of opportunity.

 

 

PART III: BENEFITS, TERMS AND CONDITIONS, AND APPLICATION

Start date To start as soon as possible.

Hours of Work

This position is 37.5 hours per week.

Salary

£35,000 - £50,000 (gross) per annum, dependent on qualifications and experience.

Salary is paid monthly, in arrears, to a nominated bank account in 12 equal payments. Salary levels are reviewed on 1 September annually and this appointment will be next reviewed in September 2025.

Probation, Notice Periods

The first six months of employment will be a probationary period. Regular reviews with the Health & Safety Officer / Manager’s line manager will take place over the probationary period with the opportunity to review conduct and performance, discuss progress, identify any areas for action and ensure that there is appropriate guidance and support in place to enable successful completion of the probationary period.

During the probationary period, the notice required by either party to terminate employment will be one month. Once employment is confirmed, the notice period will increase to three months.

Induction and Continuous Training and Development

The school is fully committed to the induction, training and development of all our staff, with staff supported to grow and reach their full potential.

We deliver a range of training, run by both our own staff and external providers, varying from highly practical First Aid courses to seminars and learning lunches.

There is an annual cycle of appraisal offering the opportunity to reflect on professional practice and development opportunities.

The school also offers a wide range of apprenticeships supporting staff development and progression.

Pension and Life Cover

On employment, employees will be auto-enrolled into the College’s pension scheme according to legislative thresholds. Those who are not eligible for auto-enrolment may still elect to join the College’s pension scheme.

Initially, when joining the College’s pension scheme, employees will become a member of the College’s Group Personal Pension Plan (GPP). For this Plan, known as Tier 1, the employee contributes 4% and the employer 3%.

After 9 month’s membership of the Tier 1 plan, employees may opt to join Tier 2, which is also a GPP, where the employee contributes 5% and the employer 9%.

Employees in Tier 1 automatically qualify for a Life Cover of 2 times salary. On entry to Tier 2, Life Cover changes to 4 times salary.

Annual Leave

The College leave year runs from 1 September to 31 August. This position will be entitled to the statutory holiday requirements. These are presently 28 days. Any Public Bank Holiday occurring during term time is deemed to be a normal working day. All leave must be taken by prior arrangement and must be taken outside of the school’s term times.

Subject to the discretion of the school’s Bursar, a gift may also be given of extra time off during the Christmas period.

Wider Benefits

• Free staff lunches during term time.
• Access to Staff Counsellor.
• Use of sports facilities, including gym membership, tennis courts and in 2025, a new 25m swimming pool. Exercise classes, including spinning and circuits are also available.
• Tour of the College, with discounted rates available for booking venues within the school’s grounds for hospitality events.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Free access to an ongoing cycle of cultural, musical, theatrical and sporting talks and events.
• Employee Referral Scheme, with a reward of up to £250 for staff (subject to scheme conditions).
• Free Library membership with access to a range of online journals and magazines.

Disclosure Check

As Winchester College is an educational establishment, a condition of employment will be that the successful candidate must consent to the school obtaining an Enhanced Level Disclosure check through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). This will reveal all spent and unspent convictions, warnings, cautions and bind-overs. A policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders is available on the school’s website.

Safeguarding is one of the primary responsibilities of this role. The jobholder will be responsible for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young persons for whom they are responsible, or with whom they come into contact with, and will be required to adhere to and ensure compliance with the school’s Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy at all times. The postholder should be conversant with the responsibilities and procedures detailed in this policy and with the Department for Education’s Keeping Children Safe in Education. If, in the course of carrying out the duties of the post, the Health & Safety Officer / Manager becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety or welfare of children in the school, they must report any concerns to the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead or in their absence the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead.

References and Other Pre-employment Checks

The appointment will be dependent upon the receipt of a successful medical check and satisfactory references. The College will usually seek references from shortlisted candidates before interview and may approach previous employers for information to verify particular experience or qualifications. At least one referee must be the current or most recent employer. Where applicants are not currently working with children but have done so in the past, one referee must be the person by whom they were most recently employed when working with children.

HOW TO APPLY

Only applications completed on the school website will be accepted.

Please note that applications will be dealt with as they arrive. Winchester College reserves the right to appoint prior to the closing date.

Those wishing for an informal conversation about this role are invited to contact Simeon Cox, Estates Bursar sjc@wincoll.ac.uk.

If you have any questions about this vacancy or the recruitment process, please email recruitment@wincoll.ac.uk.

Data Protection

Winchester College collects and processes relevant personal data as part of its everyday operations and is obliged to process it in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation and Data Act 2018. The school is the Data Controller of this data under the Act and is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office. Its registration number is Z5751669.

If you have any queries or comments about this policy or how personal data is processed by the school, please contact the Bursar and his team by emailing: dataprotection@wincoll.ac.uk or by writing to: Data Protection, The Bursary, Winchester College, College Street, Winchester, SO23 9NA.

PART IV: ABOUT WINCHESTER COLLEGE

On February 2021, Winchester announced a bold new vision and a significant programme of change. ‘Winchester College in the 21^st Century’ describes the School’s ambitions for its future and heralds the start of an exciting new phase in Winchester’s development.

Winchester was a pioneering institution when it was founded in 1382 and this new vision will ensure the School continues to be a leader and influencer of great education on the modern global stage. The commitment to provide an intellectual education of exceptional quality and breadth remains unaltered, as do the values which have underpinned Winchester since its foundation. ‘Winchester College in the 21^st Century’ will build on these strengths and bring multiple benefits to current and future generations of Wykehamists.

Winchester currently has over 700 pupils. In September 2022, the College welcomed 40 day pupils, including 17 girls, into the Sixth Form and will continue to do so, over time expanding the entry each year to include girl boarders in due course.

Academically, Winchester is among the very best schools in the country and is sought after for its combination of superb teaching, pastoral care, sports and activities.

At all levels Winchester encourages pupils to look beyond the curriculum. Div is our unique programme of general cultural studies and offers an excellent preparation for university study. In these lessons, pupils engage with a wide range of subjects, from English Literature to Ancient History to the History of Science.

Pupils in the Sixth Form study linear A-level courses and will ordinarily study three A-level subjects and an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) alongside Div. Linear A-levels are complemented by the flexibility of the EPQ where pupils are able to more deeply explore their cross-curricular research interests. The EPQ encourages pupils to develop first-class research skills, to synthesise information from a variety of differing sources, and to become accustomed to the demands of independent study.

Music has been central to life at Winchester ever since its foundation, and the school is unique in having maintained its Choral Foundation to the present day. The Music Department is now one of the leading departments in the country, and offers outstanding opportunities to all.

Sport is a major part of Winchester life. There are many fixtures against other schools, and in 2024 the redevelopment of the sports facilities will see a state-of-the-art complex open that will allow all pupils to enjoy and participate in a variety of sports, whilst simultaneously enabling the most talented and driven pupils to train and compete at the highest level.

Much energy is also invested in the Combined Cadet Force, the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, Community Service, and in links with local primary and secondary maintained schools. This commitment provides pupils with many opportunities to work for the benefit of others, inside and outside the classroom, developing the knowledge and skills, and the rights and responsibilities, which will enable them to grow into valuable and productive members of society.

Pupils eat all meals in their boarding houses, talking with their Housemaster/mistress, and interacting with friends, visitors and teachers. We believe that conversational ability, developed both inside and outside the community, equips pupils to talk to anyone, about anything, in practically any situation.

This unparalleled combination attracts pupils from across the world, making Winchester a truly international and diverse community which celebrates every pupil’s individuality, passions and potential.

Winchester College is committed to maintaining the founder’s original intention of offering an outstanding education to any pupil who would benefit from it, regardless of their financial circumstances, and many of the pupils in the College are being helped financially through the school with substantial bursaries.

Diversity and Inclusion

Winchester College is a truly international community that celebrates everyone’s individuality, talents and potential and offers regular training and career development opportunities. We embrace diversity and inclusion in the workplace and are committed to promoting a fair and supportive environment for all our employees. We work hard to create a culture where different perspectives are valued and our staff feel valued for their individuality, and share a sense of belonging. Our aim is to reflect the diverse nature of society and of our pupil body.

Sustainability

Both staff and pupils at Winchester College are committed to being the most sustainable school possible. You can learn more about our goal of creating a more sustainable school here.

Full details about the school may be found at www.winchestercollege.org.