Health and Safety Specialist

BASIC FUNCTION

The Health and Safety Specialist, under the leadership of the Manager of Health and Safety, is responsible for the development of the County’s Health and Safety programme and associated implementation plan. This involves collaboration with various stakeholders to develop County policies and consult and advise on department-specific standard operating procedures and guidelines to ensure the County meets all Health and Safety legislative and industry standards. This position is key in assisting the County of Wellington to foster a physically and psychologically safe workplace through the continuous improvement of Health and Safety and related initiatives.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Play a key role in the design and implementation of the health and safety programme and be a resource to the County’s employees, leadership, employee groups, and Joint Health and Safety Committees with the objective of ensuring legislative compliance, prevailing best practice, minimizing the risk of occupational injury/illness, and supporting a positive safety culture.
• Develop, implement and maintain the County’s Health and Safety policies, procedures, training programmes in a manner that adheres to applicable legislation and best practice.
• Provide guidance to divisions in their development and/or improvement of safe work procedures (e.g., standard operating procedures).
• Deliver expert advice and guidance to supervisors on matters relating to workplace physical and psychological health and safety, and related employee supports to ensure a healthy and safe workplace and compliance with the occupational health and safety act and applicable regulations.
• Lead the execution of Health and Safety projects and initiatives as assigned on various topics from planning to implementation.
• Assist in the development of Health, Safety training programming, identifying training needs, developing, facilitating various training programs and coordinating with qualified external training providers.
• Conduct corporate health and safety training as needed.
• Develop and implement an internal assessment programme for monitoring the execution of the health and safety programme within the County of Wellington departments. 
• Receive County of Wellington incident reports, ensure timely distribution to stakeholders, and conduct follow up as required.
• Reports accidents to WSIB and refers applicable cases to Disability Management for the coordination of early and safe return to work.
• Oversees the tracking of WSIB statistics and prepares required reports for management and the JHSC’s.
• Conduct site audits/inspections, risk assessments and job safety analysis in collaboration with the County departments to minimize health and safety risks in a manner consistent with legislation and best practice.
• Supports and provides expert direction on work refusals, critical injury/fatality investigations, inspections, and Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) orders in conjunction with management and joint health and safety representatives.
• Provide support and guidance to the County’s Joint Health and Safety Committee by ensuring terms of references are followed in alignment with legislation, attending meetings and providing advice and legislative updates as needed.
• Work cross functionally across the County of Wellington departments with various stakeholders and divisions to build the safety programme.
• Provide timely updates to the Human Resources Management Team regarding complex and/or challenging situations.
• Track and report on required health and safety metrics. 
• Responsible for working with employees and managers on developing and individualized safety plans, as required.
• Conduct research and provide recommendations to support the County’s compliance with legislation and initiatives from applicable external regulators (e.g., Ministry of Labour Immigration, Training and Skills Development; Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, Ministry of Transportation etc.).
• Responsible for ensuring Workplace Risk Assessments are maintained, reviewed and up to date.
• Lead the coordination and tracking of annual emergency drills.
• Plan/coordinate health and safety led or supported events.
• Support the County’s disability management processes and provide back up support as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Two-year college diploma in human resources, health sciences or a related area.
• Certificate in Health and Safety or a related area or willingness to obtain.
• A Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP) designation, Canadian Registered Safety Technician (CRST) or Certified Disability Management Professional (CDMP) designation is considered an asset.
• Minimum four years of experience or equivalent in Health and Safety with public sector experience preferred.
• Experience with WSIB claim submission and management is an asset.
• Experience providing Human Resources services in a municipal setting is considered an asset. 
• Comprehensive knowledge of relevant legislation including the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations, Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, WSIB Policies/processes, Employment Standards Act and Ontario Human Rights Code
• Knowledge of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act is considered an asset.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent team-work skills combined with a willingness to learn and a continuous growth mindset.
• Excellent facilitation skills.
• Excellent organizational skills with ability to perform administrative tasks with high degree of accuracy. 
• Ability to maintain excellent and detailed records, and communicate effectively with internal staff, employee associations, community, and provincial agencies, elected officials, and the public.
• A valid driver’s licence (minimum G2 Class) and access to a reliable vehicle.