Health and Safety Officer - County Westmeath

Health and Safety Officer - County Westmeath.

This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated individual to support and drive health and safety standards across the organisation. The successful candidate will provide practical guidance and support to the Health and Safety Manager and leadership team onsite. The role will focus on proactively identifying risks promoting and driving continuous improvement initiatives. You will also be instrumental in fostering and maintaining a positive safety culture throughout the organisation.

Key Responsibilities:
• Ongoing collaboration with the Health and Safety Manager and Leadership team to ensure health and safety best practices are consistently achieved and maintained each and every day.
• Drive and support the development of a proactive and positive safety culture across the organisation, emphasising that everyone is responsible for their own safety.
• Work in collaboration with the health and safety manager to investigate incidents, identify root causes and implement appropriate corrective actions.
• Lead and support the development, review, and implementation of risk assessments to ensure hazards are identified and risks are effectively controlled.
• Conduct daily safety audits/ inspections to ensure compliance with standard procedures and legal requirements, identifying and addressing any non-conformances with follow-ups to resolve any issues immediately.
• Support the planning and coordination of fire drills and emergency response activities as part of the site fire team, ensuring compliance and effective incident control.
• Support the establishment and ongoing work of the safety committee.
• Deliver site inductions to ensure all employees and visitors are fully aware of health and safety requirements before commencing work.
• Prepare and issue monthly reports and customer updates in line with departmental and organisational requirements, ensuring accuracy and timely communication.
• Track and follow up on actions arising from meetings to ensure timely completion and effective closure.
• Coordinate and support departmental, group, wellness and committee meetings, include the preparation of agendas and recording of minutes.
• Record, distribute and track meeting outputs and action items.
• Develop and maintain Toolbox Topics Plan, ensuring relevant and scheduled delivery.
• Maintain and update ISO 45001– related information and documentation (e.g. procedures, records).
• Ensure all documentation is audit ready and aligned with ISO standards.
• Support preparation activities for ISO audits, including document control and evidence gathering.
• Maintain and update training records and competency matrices, ensuring all employee training is tracked, compliant with requirements, and regularly reported on including identifying gaps.


Interested applicants should have:

• Third level qualification in occupational health and safety or related field along with minimum of 2 years’ experience working in health and safety, in a safety officer position, ideally in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong Knowledge of health and safety legislation and ISO standards including ISO 45001
• Excellent communication skills both verbal and written
• Strong organisational & critical thinking skills are required for the role.
• Proven ability to drive continuous improvement in health and safety standards.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, including Outlook, Word Excel, and PowerPoint.