Health and Safety Officer

Role overview

This position supports health and safety across four operating sites in Ireland, with the base in East Cork. The role exists to help create and sustain a strong safety-first culture, ensure legal compliance, and improve workplace safety through audits, training, investigations, and practical site support.

What you will do

• Plan and deliver engaging health and safety training for employees and managers across all Irish sites.
• Partner with site leaders to reinforce safe working practices in every location.
• Carry out inspections, audits, and compliance checks to keep workplaces safe.
• Review operational processes and Safe Systems of Work so they stay workable, compliant, and properly followed.
• Investigate accidents, incidents, and near misses using recognised root-cause methods, then identify corrective and preventive actions.
• Work with site managers to spot risks and training gaps that could affect safety performance.
• Keep accurate records for training, incidents, near misses, inspections, risk assessments, and audit outcomes.
• Help build and sustain a positive health and safety culture across all sites.
• Introduce initiatives that drive ongoing improvement in health and safety performance.
• Support internal, customer, and third-party audits.
• Help ensure compliance with current Irish health and safety law and accepted industry standards.
• Manage priorities effectively while supporting several operational sites.
• Track health and safety KPIs and prepare management reports.
• Assist with emergency planning, business continuity, and crisis response when needed.

Health and safety duties for all employees

• Take reasonable care for your own safety and the safety of others, in line with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005.
• Follow all company health and safety policies, procedures, and Safe Systems of Work.
• Use equipment, machinery, materials, and safety devices properly and never misuse safety equipment.
• Work according to approved procedures, training, and site standards.
• Wear the required PPE and make proper use of safety controls.
• Report accidents, incidents, near misses, and unsafe conditions immediately, whether or not injury occurred.
• Cooperate with investigations into incidents and accidents.
• Suggest practical improvements that strengthen safety performance.
• Know emergency procedures, including evacuation and incident response.
• Maintain good housekeeping and tidy workplace organisation to reduce risk.
• Take part in all mandatory health and safety training.

Skills and experience needed

• Membership of IOSH is preferred, with training and development support available for the right person.
• Train-the-Trainer qualification is an advantage.
• Working knowledge of Irish health and safety law, including the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and related regulations, is preferred or should be something you are willing to build.
• Experience in BRCGS, ISO, or other accredited management systems, along with knowledge of risk assessment principles and HACCP.
• Background in multi-site logistics, warehousing, cold storage, or food distribution.
• Experience supporting or introducing behavioural safety programmes is desirable.
• Experience handling internal and external audits, including BRCGS, ISO, and customer audits.
• Ability to interpret legislation and compliance rules and apply them in day-to-day operations.
• Experience creating and maintaining compliance frameworks and audit schedules.
• Ability to review and interpret health and safety data.
• Experience producing KPI dashboards and trend reports is helpful, with support and training available where needed.
• Experience designing and delivering structured training programmes is desirable.
• Ability to assess training effectiveness and employee competence.
• Experience encouraging continuous learning and ongoing safety improvement.
• Strong influencing ability and confidence to challenge unsafe behaviours constructively at all levels.
• Comfortable delivering presentations, inductions, training sessions, and toolbox talks.
• Experience working across departments while balancing competing priorities.
• Self-driven, proactive, and able to work independently across multiple sites.
• High attention to detail with a practical, solution-oriented mindset.
• Full clean Category B driving licence and willingness to travel regularly between sites.

Authority and limitations

• No authority to approve capital expenditure.
• The role must stay within company policies, procedures, and delegated authority levels.
• Any major policy changes or operational departures require senior management approval.
• The role provides guidance and recommendations but does not make operational decisions outside delegated authority.

Additional information

This is a full-time onsite role based in Cork, County Cork, Ireland. The position supports multiple operational sites and requires regular travel between them.