Administrative Assistant – Interior Design Firm

The Work Avenue Foundation; Hendon; On-site; CAD 75,000 - 104,000; Full time

Job summary

Work Avenue is seeking a Health and Safety Officer to lead the organisation’s compliance strategy across three sites. You will identify opportunities for improvement, coordinate risk management, and ensure safe systems of work are followed.

You will review policies, conduct risk assessments and audits, train staff and volunteers, manage budgets, and report to the board. Strong communication, problem-solving, and organisational skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Excellent communication and relationship-building abilities.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Organised, proactive and results-driven with good time management.
• Ability to train and advise across multiple sites.
• Experience engaging with volunteers and staff on safety issues.

Responsibilities

• Review, develop and implement comprehensive health and safety policies and procedures to ensure compliance.
• Conduct risk assessments and site visits; address hazards and foster a safety culture across offices.
• Collaborate with departments and volunteers to align safety objectives organization-wide.
• Monitor contractor activities and use permits to work where required.
• Provide timely health and safety advice to managers and staff on risk management.
• Investigate incidents and prepare reports with recommendations to prevent recurrence.
• Develop and maintain training frameworks, including inductions and refresher courses.
• Oversee health and safety budgets and coordinate with finance for transparency.
• Attend board meetings to report on safety performance and improvements.
• Coordinate audits and assurance reviews to drive continual improvement.

Skills

Communication skills

Problem solving

Organisational skills

Proactive mindset

Time management

Job description

• Permanent
• Full time
• Permanent
• Hours
• Full time
• Location
• NW London/Manchester
• Sector
• Health & Social Care
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis
• Job reference
• J-7079
• Health and Safety Officer

Health and Safety Officer – Community Organisation

As a Health and Safety Officer your key focus will be to execute and develop the organisation’s Health and Safety Compliance Strategy. You will be expected to take the initiative to identify areas for Health and Safety improvement and implement and coordinate risk management programmes for each of the community organisation’s offices. An additional focus will be to manage and review the Health and Safety management systems, ensuring legal compliance and safe systems of work are adhered to. You will also advise, consult or train on operational and strategic Health and Safety issues. You will have the ability to understand the terminology and definition used in Health and Safety legislation of “so far as is reasonably practicable” and apply this appropriately when communicating and advising both key stakeholders and colleagues. You will be responsible for overseeing health and safety across three sites, managing budgets and actively participating in board committee meetings.

Your key responsibilities for this role are as follows:

• Assisting with health and safety and engaging across the sites, review, develop and implement comprehensive health and safety policies and procedures, and ensure compliance with health and safety legislation.
• Manage safe working environments for office spaces, staff and volunteers by conducting risk assessments and method statements, as well as carrying out quarterly site visits to identify and address potential hazards. Collaborate with site managers to promote a culture of safety and compliance.
• Establish working partnerships with personnel in other departments, as well as volunteers, to pursue common Health and Safety objectives and ensure best health and safety practice across the organisation.
• Undertake proactive monitoring and auditing of outsourced contractors, utilising permits to work when required.
• Provide timely professional advice to managers and staff regarding their policies and plans for the management of health, safety and areas of risk associated with their activities.
• Investigate accidents and, where appropriate, compile adequate reports on such occurrences to ensure legal requirements are met with regard to reporting, and make recommendations to prevent reoccurrence.
• Develop and maintain the community organisation’s health and safety training framework, including induction, refresher and specialist training requirements. Monitor completion and effectiveness of training and support managers in identifying health and safety competence requirements.
• Oversee and manage the health and safety budget effectively. Identify cost effective solutions to enhance safety measures without compromising quality. Work closely with finance teams to ensure budgetary alignment and transparency.
• Attend and actively contribute to board committee meetings focused on health and safety. Provide expert advice and insights to assist in decision making processes. Collaborate with board members to align health and safety initiatives with organisational goals.
• Prepare detailed and accurate board reports on health and safety performance. Maintain thorough records of incidents, inspections and corrective actions taken. Communicate safety updates and recommendations to relevant stakeholders.
• Coordinate internal and external health and safety audits and assurance reviews where required. Monitor findings and corrective actions, and use audit results, incident trends and other performance information to identify opportunities for continual improvement.
• Ensure all relevant areas of the organisation are kept up to date with new or changed Health and Safety legislation.
• Promote Health and Safety awareness and improved risk control in the workplace through the implementation of eLearning courses and Health and Safety awareness campaigns.

About you:

• Ability to demonstrate understanding of current Health and Safety legislation, with a proven ability to influence and develop relationships at all levels within the business.
• Excellent communication skills with a natural ability to build strong relationships.
• Exceptional problem solving skills with a persistence to see issues resolved.
• Superb organiser with a professional and mature manner.
• Proactive and results orientated, with the determination to see projects through from start to finish.
• Customer orientated and understands the urgency of replying to requests in a timely fashion.
• Ability to manage changing workloads and conflicting priorities at short notice.

In this role you should have the following technical knowledge:

• Fire Safety Awareness
• Contractor management