Laboratory Safety Adviser

Job id: 083046. Salary: £40,386 – £47,414 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance.

Posted: 23 January 2024. Closing date: 18 February 2024.

Business unit: Health & Safety Services. Department: Health & Safety Services.

Contact details:Saccha Johnson. [email protected]

Location: Guy’s Campus. Category: Professional & Support Services.

An important new Health & Safety professional role has been created in King’s Health & Safety Services.  This role will provide health and safety advice, and develop and implement assurance processes across the university, focusing on laboratory type activities.  

Our directorate is responsible for developing the university’s health and safety management system and provides advice and assurance to all areas and levels of the university.  We are looking for a professional, personable and highly engaged experienced individual who can bring energy, ideas and a systematic approach to their work.   

You will be confident in your use of MS Office apps, have experience of using IT tools for data analysis and authoring documentation relating to health and safety in a research and teaching environment.  You will be comfortable with handling and reviewing data and have experience of implementing laboratory and technical related UK occupational health safety requirements in a large, complex environment. 

Reporting to the Director of Health & Safety Services (or their Deputy), you will cultivate close working relationships with H&SS colleagues, Faculty/ Directorate health and safety advisers, and laboratory-based health and safety role holders (e.g. Local Safety Officers, Radiation Protection Supervisors, Laser Protection Supervisors etc). You will be highly self-motivated, take ownership of the role and be able and willing to collaborate to identify areas for improvement without significant oversight.  You will be willing to embrace change and participate in the process of shaping that change. 

You will be willing to learn to develop yourself to meet the needs of the directorate. You will be expected, and supported, to undertake study towards a Postgraduate Certificate in Occupational Health & Safety and maintain your competence through membership of relevant professional health and safety bodies (e.g. IOSH, IIRSM etc), attendance at relevant conferences and other learning events.   

Although this post will be hybrid working, due to the nature of this role the expectation is that the role holder would spend a minimum 40% of their working week on site visiting and engaging with faculties and directorates over their workplace inspection and health and safety management arrangements. 

This post will be offered on an indefinite contract. 

This is a full-time post - 100% full time equivalent

• To provide advice on research and teaching science, technology and engineering (STE) related health and safety matters 
• To develop and undertake a rolling risk-based annual programme of visits and inspections of research and teaching STE activities to evaluate local understanding of, and compliance with, the university’s health and safety management system. Using this programme to develop a mutually beneficial working relationship with local managers and safety officers, and to identify opportunities for improvement in both local and H&SS written arrangements.  
• In consultation and collaboration with relevant specialist H&SS colleagues, to undertake termly inspections of higher hazard laboratory areas and areas of specific interest to regulators.   
• To answer queries (within their knowledge and expertise) with respect to research and teaching STE activities. 
• With H&SS Adviser colleagues, to monitor investigation status of incidents and liaise with Faculty/Directorate and local Investigators as necessary to ensure incidents are properly investigated in a timely manner. 
• To work closely with the H&SS Systems Analyst to ensure databases and dashboards are available to monitor health surveillance fitness outcome forms, trends in incidents and ill-health notifications arising from STE activities across King’s, inspection findings and progress against agreed actions, and other H&S trends related to laboratory safety. 
• To work with the H&SS Business Support Manager to maintain and develop information and guidance published on webpages, SharePoint and in King’s Essentials Articles etc, related to their remit. 
• To contribute to the development of university health and safety management system documents relating to science, technology and engineering (STE) research and teaching laboratory activities 
• To author reports and monitor progress against actions arising from visits and inspections and other H&SS assurance activities, and to contribute significant findings in H&SS termly and annual assurance reports. 
• To represent H&SS at local health and safety committees and other meetings as required 
• To attend relevant health and safety risk management training, conferences, seminars and workshops to develop and maintain professional competence. 

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.  

Skills, knowledge, and experience 

The role holder will be able to form strong positive relationships with immediate colleagues, customers and 3rd parties using King’s Principles in Action - Connecting, Supporting, Challenging and Including at all times. 

Essential criteria  

Applicants are expected to provide evidence of the following: 

Desirable criteria