Health & Safety Officer - Transform Lives With Bury

Join our Health & Safety Team and help shape the future for our local residents.

Salary: £39,152 - £40,777 | Permanent | 37 hours per week, Monday - Friday | Bradley Fold, Bury Town Hall & operational sites across the Borough

YOUR SAFETY MATTERS. SO DOES THEIRS. COME HELP US MAKE BURY SAFER FOR EVERYONE.

Are you a passionate Health & Safety professional ready to make a real difference on the ground?

Bury Council is excited to announce a brand-new opportunity to join our dedicated Health & Safety Team and we're looking for someone who thrives in a dynamic, hands-on environment where no two days are the same. This isn't a desk-bound compliance role. This is a chance to get out there, build relationships, and genuinely shape safety culture across some of the most operationally diverse and essential services our borough depends on every day.

About Your Role

Supporting our Place Directorate, you'll work alongside the teams that keep Bury running waste collection crews, street cleaners, grounds maintenance teams, pest control operatives, vehicle workshop engineers, and more.

You'll have the autonomy to develop real solutions to real challenges, championing a positive, proactive safety culture where people feel supported, informed, and protected. As a newly created role, you'll have the exciting opportunity to shape what this position looks like and leave a legacy within the organisation.

What You'll Be Doing:

  • Advising and supporting managers and frontline teams with practical, timely health & safety guidance.
  • Developing and reviewing H&S policies, procedures, and risk assessments that work in the real world.
  • Delivering audits and inspections, producing clear action plans, and tracking meaningful improvements.
  • Investigating incidents and ill-health cases (including RIDDOR), identifying root causes and preventative measures.
  • Planning and delivering training, toolbox talks, and briefings that engage and inspire teams to work safely.
  • Monitoring contractors and working partners, ensuring safe practices are upheld at every level.
  • Championing best practice and embedding a culture where safety is everyone's responsibility

Who We're Looking For:

You'll be a confident, credible Health & Safety professional who is as comfortable chatting with a waste crew at the depot at 6am as you are presenting to senior managers at the Town Hall.

Essential:

  • Level 5 Health & Safety qualification (or working towards it), or strong equivalent practical experience.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills you can influence, persuade, and inspire at all levels.
  • Strong organisational skills with confidence using Microsoft 365 and reporting systems
  • A collaborative team player who builds trust quickly and works well across diverse services.

Desirable:

  • NEBOSH qualification and/or IOSH membership
  • Knowledge of or experience within local authority or similar public sector operational services
  • A full UK driving licence (given the travel across Borough sites, this is a real advantage)

Why Bury Council

At Bury Council, we are committed to improving lives and helping our communities thrive. Guided by our “Let’s Do It” strategy, we work collaboratively with residents and partners to reduce inequalities, support economic growth and ensure everyone can live well in Bury.

Our Benefits

  • Generous leave up to 26 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising to 31 days after five years, with the option to purchase additional leave
  • Local Government Pension Scheme including life cover of three times your salary
  • Enhanced familyfriendly policies parental and carers leave to support worklife balance
  • Employee perks discounts, cycle to work scheme, free flu jabs and eye tests
  • Learning and development wideranging training, qualifications and structured onboarding
  • Good Employment Charter employer secure, flexible work, annual pay review, wellbeing support and paid volunteering leave

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive workplace where everyone feels valued and respected. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and actively encourage candidates from underrepresented groups. Our recruitment processes are fair, transparent and accessible.

Disability Confident Employer

We offer workplace adjustments, access to staff networks and accessible recruitment processes to ensure every candidate can perform at their best. Support is available throughout the recruitment process via HROperations@bury.gov.uk.

Guaranteed Assessment Scheme

We guarantee an assessment for applicants who meet the minimum criteria and identify as:

  • A member of the Armed Forces community
  • A current or former care leaver
  • An individual with a disability or longterm health condition

Working Your Way:

We understand that great work happens in different ways. Hybrid working is supported, though given the hands-on nature of this role, you'll regularly be out with teams at operational sites and that's where the magic happens.

You'll need to be flexible for occasional early starts, evenings, or weekends (our vehicle workshop operates 24/7 and several services begin well before the typical office day), as well as availability for emergency response situations. In return, you'll be part of a supportive team that values your contribution.

About Bury

The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. Appointment may be subject to a satisfactory disclosure at the appropriate level under the Disclosure and Barring Service.
In line with safer recruitment, please ensure that your application/CV covers your full employment history and there is a reason noted for any gaps in employment. Successful candidates will be asked to provide relevant references for the past ten years and character references will not be accepted.

Please note we are unable to support with sponsorship at this time.

As a Corporate Parent, ensure that the work and services you deliver considers our care experienced young people, promotes their life chances empowers them to influence the policies, services, and decisions that affect them, champions their rights, and ensure they grow up in the best possible way.

Benefits of working for Bury Council

To hear about the benefits for working with Bury Council, please visit Bury - Home | greater.jobs
We support employees to work with agility, where appropriate for the post and service requirements.
We are committed to Bury being an equal society that recognises values and embraces all people, regardless of any difference, for the skills, abilities and experiences they bring into the workforce and the wider community. Therefore we guarantee an interview for disabled people, looked after children/ care leavers, armed forces personnel (including reservists and veterans) and carers of adults or disabled children if they meet the essential criteria.

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme, please indicate this within the ‘About You’ or ‘Supporting Statement’ section of your application.

Ready to Apply?

If you're ready to take on a genuinely exciting challenge in a role where you can see and feel the difference you're making, we'd love to hear from you. For any questions about the role, contact the team directly at: HSS@Bury.gov.uk

Supporting Documents

↗ Privacy Notice
↗ HS Officer JD
↗ Benefits

Ready to apply?

Location

Radcliffe Moor Road, Radcliffe, Bury, BL2 6RT, United Kingdom

Job ID

12134

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