Environmental Health and Safety Officer

SUMMARY:
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POSITION INFO:

The EHS Safety Officer is responsible for ensuring a safe and legally compliant workplace through proactive risk management, compliance monitoring, employee training, and incident prevention. The role supports the implementation, coordination, and continuous improvement of the company’s Occupational Health and Safety and Environmental (OHSE) management systems.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Matric/Grade 12
• Safety-related certificate (SAMTRAC, NEBOSH, OHS Certificate, or equivalent).
• First Aid Level 1, 2, or 3.
• Firefighting certificate.
• Incident Investigation training (e.g., ICAM, SHEREP).
• 2–5 years’ experience in safety, preferably in manufacturing, construction, mining, logistics, or industrial environments.
• Strong knowledge of OHS and basic environmental legislation
• Excellent communication and coaching skills.
• High attention to detail and strong observational ability.
• Ability to identify hazards and implement solutions.
• Strong reporting and documentation skills.
• Ability to stop (“Stop work Authority”) unsafe work and communicate assertively.
• Problem-solving and analytical thinking.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Compliance & Legal Requirements
  
  • Ensure compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHS Act) and other applicable regulations.
  • Ensure compliance with relevant environmental legislation, including the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA).
  • Maintain mandatory safety and environmental documentation, registers, legal appointments, and permits.
  • Assist with internal and external safety audits.
  • Ensure contractors meet safety requirements before and during site work.
• Risk Management
  
  • Conduct regular workplace inspections and safety walks, and environmental inspections.
  • Identify hazards and evaluate risks associated with tasks, processes, and equipment and environmental aspects.
  • Develop, implement, and monitor risk assessments and safe operating procedures (SOPs) and environmental controls.
  • Recommend and track corrective and preventive actions to reduce risk.
• Safety Training & Awareness
  
  • Conduct safety inductions for employees, contractors, and visitors.
  • Deliver toolbox talks, awareness sessions, and refresher training.
  • Ensure employees are trained and competent for their tasks.
  • Promote a positive safety and environmental culture across all sites.
• Incident Management
  
  • Respond to injuries, near-misses, and incidents, and environmental events (e.g. spills)
  • Assist in conducting investigations and root cause analysis.
  • Compile incident reports and track corrective actions.
  • Maintain injury, incident, and near miss statistics, and environmental statistics.
• Contractor & Visitor Management
  
  • Review and approve contractor safety files prior to work commencement.
  • Monitor contractor compliance and enforce corrective actions where required.
  • Ensure visitor compliance with site safety and PPE requirements.
  • Authority to stop contractor work where safety or environmental non-compliance is identified.
• Emergency Preparedness
  
  • Support the development and maintenance of emergency procedures.
  • Conduct drills (fire, evacuation, chemical spill, medical).
  • Ensure emergency equipment is inspected and functional.
  • Train emergency response teams (first aid, firefighting, evacuation marshals).
• Monitoring & Reporting
  
  • Maintain safety performance data and prepare monthly reports.
  • Track leading and lagging indicators (e.g. incidents, near-misses, training completion).
  • Track leading and lagging indicators.
  • Ensure compliance with PPE requirements through monitoring and coaching.
  • Communicate trends, risks, and improvement opportunities to management.
• Continuous Improvement
  
  • Participate in safety meetings and committees.
  • Encourage reporting of hazards and near misses.
  • Support implementation of new safety initiatives and projects.
  • Support business in complying with OHS and NEMA ACT to ensure continuous improvement.
  • Benchmark best practices and recommend improvement.