Senior Health

Oxitec has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Health & Safety Advisor to join our team at our Abingdon site. You will be passionate about creating a safe work environment and for raising the profile of Health and Safety within the business and be deeply committed to its employees' growth and well-being.

You will have previous Health & Safety experience, ideally within a laboratory environment, and be a highly motivated and proactive professional, that can confidently provide health and safety advice to support employees and key stakeholders in line with business strategy, and compliance with statutory obligations.

We have a culture that's open, friendly, and collaborative and are committed to being a diverse and inclusive organisation, so, whatever your background if you're excited about the role we'd love to hear from you

**About Us**
We are a team of passionate individuals, developing ground-breaking biological technologies designed to sustainably, and safely control pests that transmit disease, destroy crops and harm livestock. We do this work to improve lives and livelihoods around the world in the face of the growing threats that pests pose to human health and the global food supply.

Whilst what we do relates to developing pest control technologies, Oxitec is about people and is in service to people.

We are strongly committed to a set of values, principles, and behaviours, and foster a culture of trust, respect, creativity, and accountability. Click here to learn more, and here to read our CEO’s blog about trust and our culture.

**Purpose of the Job**

The Senior H&S Advisor will be responsible for promoting and working with department managers in determining safe working practices, ensuring that all service areas meet with suitable and sufficient risk assessments for their operations and activities, and that effective risk control measures are captured and documented in line with HSE guidelines.

This role will also have responsibility for developing the business’s safety policies and processes to ensure the safety of all employees and visitors, carrying out routine internal safety audits to ensure all employees comply and meet safety compliance standards, COSHH assessments, investigating and reporting accidents including near-miss events, and if required reporting to RIDDOR and to provide guidance to leaders on how to comply with the H&S legislation to promote and drive a positive H&S culture at Oxitec.

**Responsibilities**
- Promote and strengthen Oxitec’s H&S culture.
- Identify an evaluate potential hazards, and record findings.
- Provide H&S guidance, solutions and advise to minimise risks.
- Work with managers and department leads to prepare risk assessments, COSHH assessments and standard operating procedures.
- Manage and maintain the procedure for emergency evacuation and ensuring that any employees or visitors requiring special assistance are supported.
- Investigate accidents and near-miss reports and reporting of RIDDORs if required and defining and implementing corrective actions to prevent accidents from repeating.
- Co-ordinate Occupational Health Assessments for employees and liaise with HR on long term absence cases.
- Manage annual occupational health surveillance for employees. Perform workplace assessments for employees whose health status has changed with the potential to impact their safety in the workplace and ensure any reasonable adjustments are made.
- Monitor any implemented improvement actions.
- Create and implement policies and procedures to prevent accidents, illness and injuries.
- Provide H&S training to employees on safety practices and ensure refresher trainings are scheduled.
- Ensure that training requirements are met, including refresher training.
- Ensure that the workplace complies with UK H&S regulations.
- Maintain records of all H&S matters and ensure that documentation can be viewed at any time.
- Ensure that H&S critical equipment is maintained and serviced on time.
- Conduct internal H&S audits.
- Lead regular Health and Safety meetings with Health and Safety champions.
- Lead Quarterly H&S committee meetings for the UK.
- Provide H&S mentoring and coaching to H&S Champions.
- Ensure agreed KPI’s are monitored and actioned within agreed timeframes, and update reports of closed KPI’s are submitted to the Head of Department.

**Skills, Experience, and Education Requirements**
- (E) Essential
- A BSc in Biological Sciences or similar is desirable but not essential.
- Previous H&S experience, a minimum of 3 years. (E)
- IOSH, NEBOSH of NVQ qualified in H&S. (E)
- Strong knowledge and understanding of HSE guidelines and legislations. (E)
- Previous experience of working in laboratories is desirable but not essential.
- Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build and develop relationships at all levels of the business. (E)
- Strong attention to detail, and ability to accurately record data. (E)
- Demonstrate flexibility with the