Store Safety Officer

Role overview

This position is responsible for maintaining strong health, safety, fire safety, food safety, and environmental standards across the store. The successful candidate will help ensure that store operations meet applicable legislation, internal procedures, quality expectations, and cost controls.

People with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Employment equity requirements may apply to this role.

Key responsibilities

• Deliver safety awareness sessions so employees understand the importance and impact of safety legislation.
• Coordinate emergency preparedness training and make sure evacuations happen quickly and in an orderly way.
• Train employees on evacuation steps and store emergency procedures.
• Prepare the managers’ lock/unlock duty roster and circulate it to the relevant team members by the 28th of each month.
• Run daily Plan-Do-Review discussions with the Risk Manager or Administration Manager, as well as with staff.
• Ensure that required checklists are completed consistently and on time, including lifting machinery, health and safety inspections, racking and stacking, fire equipment registers, and fire safety checks.
• Take part in monthly health and safety, emergency committee, first aid, and firefighting meetings.
• Confirm that all staff appointments comply with Risk Division requirements and that meeting minutes are recorded and signed by the Store Manager.
• Manage the issuing and control of protective clothing and related safety gear.
• Ensure hazardous chemicals such as paraffin and methylated spirits are recorded in the Hazardous Chemical Handbook.
• Train employees in incident and accident investigation, first aid, firefighting, and racking and stacking practices.
• Create, circulate, review, and update the emergency plan, and display it in the required store locations.
• Organize evacuation drills at least every six months, review the outcomes, and implement corrective actions where needed.
• Carry out regular audits and assessments of procedures and controls, including follow-up checks and feedback to store management.
• Enforce store rules and procedures and report suspicious customers to security or management when necessary.
• Keep health and safety spending within budget, or justify any overspend where required.
• Raise expense orders before making any expenditure.
• Verify that lifting machinery operators have valid licenses and that drivers hold valid, endorsement-free driver’s licenses.

Requirements

• Matric plus a tertiary qualification.
• Certificates in the safety, health, and environmental field.
• Strong working knowledge of health and safety standards, food safety requirements, and relevant legislation.
• Solid understanding of site environments, workflow needs, store operations, and related policies and procedures.
• 2 to 3 years of experience preferred in a similar role within the same industry.
• Knowledge of fire safety standards and legislation.
• Knowledge of environmental standards and the applicable regulations.

Skills and competencies

• Clear verbal and written communication
• Strong people and stakeholder handling skills
• Sound judgment and decision-making
• Planning and continuous improvement mindset
• Results-driven execution
• Ethical conduct and compliance focus
• Adaptability and willingness to learn
• Audit and inspection capability
• Training and facilitation
• Risk awareness
• Emergency preparedness
• Record keeping and reporting

Additional information

The role requires compliance with internal store rules and procedures at all times. The successful candidate must also help ensure that safe working practices are followed across the store. Applicants should note that if no response is received within 14 days, the application should be treated as unsuccessful.

For applications, the CV should include only the following: contact details, full name, date of birth, race, gender, disability status, current location, qualifications and training, work experience, memberships if any, and personal/technical skills including computer literacy.

By applying, candidates give consent for the company and its affiliates to process personal information for recruitment purposes in line with applicable privacy requirements.

Massmart is committed to a workplace where employees are respected, protected from discrimination and harassment, and supported through a culture of accountability. Employees are encouraged to speak up if they feel unsafe or observe behaviour that does not align with company values.

Contact details for concerns: ethics@walmart.com and 0800 20 32 46.