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    Summary

    HSE wants its workforce to represent modern Britain in all of its diversity

    We want all our employees to feel that they can be themselves at work and to know that they are valued for the distinct perspective and experience that they bring.

    We take the broadest possible view of equality, diversity and inclusion

    We value the qualities that make you who you are

    We believe that every member of the community has the right to work safely

    We commit to nurturing and empowering our staff, so that they can progress their career as far as their talent takes them

    We welcome applications from anyone who holds these same values and meets our personal specification for skills. We look forward to hearing from you.

    The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

    The Health and Safety Executive exists to help prevent work-related death, injury and ill health. Our inspectors play a critical role on the frontline in the workplace; protecting people by preventing and investigating incidents and enforcing the law.

    Working across a wide geographic area, you will begin your career in a robust training programme involving a combination of field and classroom based training culminating in a post-graduate level qualification and promotion to the career grade for an Inspector. In training you will build a technical understanding of the law, safety technology and health matters as well as learning to analyse how companies manage these issue and deal with people at every level in a wide range of organisations.

    It’s a hugely varied and rewarding opportunity that offers the scope for continuous personal and professional development, as well as the chance to make a positive impact on people’s lives. Getting the perfect match between our culture, our work and you is incredibly important for both of us.

    For a full description of the role and further details regarding the Regulators' Training Programme, please ensure you read the attached Candidate Pack before submitting your application.

    Job description

    Key Responsibilities

    As an inspector you will be involved in a range of activities, notably inspections and investigations. Where appropriate, you will use various legal processes such as enforcement notices and prosecutions to secure health and safety compliance.

    Inspections involve proactively assessing the ability of employers to effectively manage risks to their employees and others (such as contractors or members of the public). Investigations cover accidents, dangerous occurrences, ill health and concerns about workplace conditions and your role will be to uncover what has happened and why. You will have to be prepared to tell people that there is a breach of the law (you will be given lots of training to help you identify and understand this), what action needs to be taken as a result and ensure that this action is taken.

    You will have the opportunity to work off site or outdoors at workplaces spread across the region surrounding your base office; occasionally outside of normal working hours.

    Not everyone will appreciate what you will be trying to achieve and sometimes it might be a struggle to change attitudes and convince others about what is required. Very occasionally you may encounter some hostility to your visit. Your training and the support you receive from us will give you the confidence to deal with a wide range of duty holders and difficult situations.

    The investigation of fatalities and serious accidents may mean visiting places where there is evidence of what has happened and, in some rare instances, the deceased person may still be on site. You will work with other agencies such as the Police in such circumstances as well pulling from the valuable experience and expertise of colleagues and managers. At times, you may need to speak with the bereaved families and witnesses. You will need to be able to do this in a professional, but empathetic manner, communicating effectively with people at every level in an organisation and in the public arena.

    Your aim will be to identify where there are breaches of the law and take the action required to get these corrected, and to help duty holders understand what they need to do to sustain compliance with the law. This might require you to take formal enforcement action. It might require persuasion and influencing skills. Often, it will require elements of both. You will always need to gather the right information and evidence to support your decisions. You therefore need a logical and analytical mind and good organisational skills.

    With our training and support, you will conduct cases in the Magistrates' Court (except in Scotland, where the legal system differs) and you may need to appear as a witness in court or at an Employment Tribunal.

    We operate a cost recovery scheme known as Fee for Intervention (FFI). Whilst you won't be involved in the collection of the fee, you will need to notify the workplace duty holder at the time of their inspection and/or investigation if that visit is going to be cost recoverable and why. You may also need to become familiar with other cost recovery regimes.

    In addition to the above, in CEMHD you will be:

    • Providing assurance that major accident risks are being properly managed
    • Writing site strategies and carrying out intervention planning
    • Focussing interventions on improvements to operator safety management systems and control of risk, including carrying out leadership interventions.

    As you might expect, this role can take you to all sorts of workplaces and conditions, and you may need to access various parts of the workplace, including at height. You therefore need to be reasonably fit. Obviously, your health and safety is paramount to us and we will provide you with a range of personal protective clothing depending on the workplace you are visiting. When you are in the office, you will be dealing with the follow-up to investigations and inspections using HSE's information and recording systems. You can expect to have a challenging, but realistic workload.

    Becoming a Health and Safety inspector is hugely varied and rewarding, and you’ll be challenged in ways you won’t expect. The variety means that it is never dull. And you have an incredible opportunity to make a very positive impact on peoples lives.

    For a full description of the role and further details regarding the Regulators’ Training Programme, please ensure you read the attached Candidate Pack before submitting your application.

    On 2nd September from 11am to 12.15pm there will a virtual information event for you to learn more about the role.

    Please be aware that this event may be recorded and that unless you are asking a question, you need to ensure that your mic is muted and video switched off throughout the call.

    The link to the webinar is below:

    Responsibilities

    Person Specification

    Regardless of your background or qualification, you need to be committed to improving health and safety in the workplace.

    We are looking for high calibre individuals with:

    • Strong communication skills, enabling you to give direction, collaborate and partner with others as well as to influence change at all levels, occasionally you may come across an unreceptive or confrontational audience
    • Sound analytical skills to include being able to critically review numerous pieces of information, identify significant findings, draw conclusions with reference to relevant benchmarks, make recommendations and articulate them in a written report.
    • The ability to plan, change and adapt and have the determination to progress multiple workstreams at the same time and deliver at pace
    • Initiative and decisiveness, supporting your ability to make effective decisions
    • Confidence to take charge of situations, people and decisions
    • Resilience, having inner composure, the ability to recover quickly from setbacks and learn from them
    • Commitment to your learning and development to achieve the Regulators' Training programme, with the ability to proactively manage your own learning needs, continually seeking and acting on feedback to evaluate and improve your own and the organisations performance

    Licences

    A full driving licence that enables you to drive in the UK is essential.

    Qualifications

    For posts in our Field Operations, Construction, Energy and Chemicals, Explosives and Microbiological Hazards Divisions a minimum of a 2:2 degree in any subject or a higher qualification (e.g. Masters).

    Candidates who pass the sift will be contacted to provide verification of their qualifications prior to the Assessment Event.

    Behaviours

    We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

    • Changing and Improving
    • Communicating and Influencing
    • Delivering at Pace
    • Making Effective Decisions
    • Working Together

    Benefits

    We invest in our people with;

    • Competitive rates of pay.
    • Access to the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme to which HSE contribute around 27.1%, far more than in the private sector.
    • Family friendly policies and working hours to help balance your home life and career.
    • 25 days annual holiday increasing to 30 days after 5 years' service, plus bank holidays and 1-day Civil Service privilege leave.
    • Parental leave benefits: Maternity, adoption or shared parental leave of up to 26 weeks full pay followed by 13 weeks statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid, and paternity leave of 2 weeks full pay.
    • Learning and development tailored to your role.
    • An environment with flexible working options.
    • A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.

    Things you need to know

    Security

    • Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.
    • People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.

    Medical

    • Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.

    Selection process details

    This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Ability and Experience.

    Stage 1 - Civil Service Verbal Test and Civil Service Judgement Test

    Please note Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), you must complete the Full application form and the online tests by 11:55pm on Monday 20/09/2021. If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.

    After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Verbal Test and Civil Service Judgement Test. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application.

    Please note: A review of application numbers will be undertaken once the tests have closed. In this instance, we reserve the right to alter the pass mark in order to manage numbers.

    Stage 2 - Application form including a CV & Motivational Questions

    As part of your application form you will be asked to complete a CV; this will not form part of the selection process and will be used to gather information on qualifications only.

    You will also be asked 3 Motivational Questions; details will be provided on the Application Form.

    Stage 3 – Assessment of motivational questions

    If you score above the pass mark for the online tests your answers for the motivational questions will be sifted. Candidates who reach the required standard following sift on the first motivational question will then have their second motivational question sifted. Candidates that reach the standard for their second motivational question will then be sifted on their third motivational question. If you do not reach the required standard for any of the motivational questions, your application will not be taken any further.

    Stage 4 - HSE Assessment Centres

    The assessment centre will test the following behaviours:

    • Changing and Improving
    • Communicating and Influencing
    • Delivering at Pace
    • Making Effective Decisions
    • Working Together

    The behaviours will be tested via four exercises and more detail will be provided when you receive your invitation to the online assessment centre. These will take place from the week commencing 18/10/2021.