The Opportunity
Our client, an established M&E engineering specialist based in Warrington, is looking for a Health & Safety Manager to take overall responsibility for safety across the business.
The first dedicated Health & Safety Manager the business has appointed, reporting to the Managing Director. The systems, the standards and the approach are yours to set rather than yours to maintain.
Much of the work happens inside other companies’ operating plants. A permit has to account for hygiene zoning as well as isolation, a shutdown window is measured in hours the client is not producing, and several contractors are often working around live machinery at once. Poor planning in that setting does not stop at the safety risk: it reaches the client’s production line. Holding that standard while the pressure to compress a programme never lets up is the substance of the job.
The work is delivered nationwide, so this is a role spent on site rather than behind a desk, with regular travel to projects across the UK. It is a permanent position based in Warrington, £65,000 to £75,000 depending on experience, plus a full benefits package.
About the Business
Working directly for end-user manufacturers and alongside main contractors means being judged on safety from two directions at once. The client’s own H&S team is on site watching how the work is done, and the main contractor’s standards apply on top of the company’s own. Repeat orders depend on both, which is a large part of why this appointment reports to the Managing Director rather than sitting inside operations.
The function being new cuts both ways. There is no established system to inherit and no predecessor’s habits to undo, but equally nothing to stand behind in the first six months. The business has been clear that it wants someone to build the approach rather than administer one, and that scope is the substantial part of what is on offer here.
What You'll Be Doing
Taking overall responsibility for health and safety across the business
Developing the H&S strategy, policies and procedures, and establishing a consistent, proactive approach across projects, maintenance and operational activity
Carrying out regular site visits, inspections and audits across a nationwide project portfolio
Reviewing and challenging RAMS, risk assessments, permits and safe systems of work, and making sure control measures suit the high-risk activities they cover
Providing practical support to project managers and site teams, so work can be done safely and still be delivered
Managing subcontractor safety performance, and working alongside main contractors and other project stakeholders
Working with client H&S teams so standards meet their specific requirements
Investigating accidents, incidents and near misses, seeing corrective actions through, and reporting trends to the senior management team
Delivering training, briefings and toolbox talks, and supporting the ISO 45001 and wider integrated management systems
Providing safety input during project planning, mobilisation and delivery
What We're Looking For
Proven health and safety experience within M&E, building services, construction or a related engineering environment
Experience holding overall responsibility for safety across multiple projects or sites
A strong understanding of construction and engineering health and safety requirements
Sound knowledge of RAMS, risk assessments, permits and safe systems of work
Experience managing subcontractors, and working with clients and their own H&S teams
Confident carrying out site inspections, audits and investigations
The confidence to challenge poor standards, and the communication skills to be listened to when you do
A full UK driving licence, and comfortable with regular travel across the UK
Experience in food, FMCG, pharmaceutical, manufacturing or other live production environments is a strong advantage. So is a NEBOSH qualification or equivalent, IOSH or another relevant professional membership, and experience of ISO 45001 within an integrated management system. None of these is essential.
•Overall responsibility for safety across projects, maintenance and operations
•Building the systems, standards and approach from the ground up
•On site regularly, across a nationwide portfolio
•Direct access to the Managing Director and the senior operational team
•Inheriting an established system and keeping it running
•A desk-based compliance role, producing policies and completing paperwork
•Warrington-based, with travel only when something has gone wrong
•Enforcement without practical solutions the site teams can work to
What's on Offer
Work with some of the UK’s best-known food, FMCG and pharmaceutical manufacturers, and alongside renowned main contractors on major projects
A varied portfolio across M&E projects, maintenance and operational activity, rather than one site type repeating
A business whose client relationships are built on consistently high standards, so safety performance is commercially visible rather than a back-office concern
How to Apply
Apply using the button below, or contact Mike Halliwell directly for a discreet conversation.