Occupational Health and Safety Officer
PASS Grade 5 $80, 983 to $91, 147 (under review)
Reporting to the Manager of Occupational Health and Safety, the incumbent will support schools and departments with managing compliance with safety related legislation. The successful candidate will be a subject matter expert in developing policies, procedures, and safety training. The incumbent will actively work to reduce risks by anticipating, recognizing, evaluating and controlling hazards and advise supervisory officials on safety related matters.
Duties include but are not limited to:
- Take timely and appropriate actions in the circumstance to address immediate worker safety issues including work stoppages and refusals, critical injuries, emergencies and other dangerous circumstances inline with legislative requirements
- Provide policy, program and procedure recommendations to the Manager and ensure implementation to align and support HWDSB’s strategic directions and priorities
- Advise Supervisors with respect to legislative requirements and Board procedures to provide a safe work environment
- Work with the Occupational Health and Safety team to build a positive safety culture by guiding Board stakeholders including superintendents, school administrators, supervisors, program consultants, health and safety committees and other division staff to ensure that worker safety is integrated into Board processes
- Oversee Board injury prevention process and provide recommendations to management to address incident trends at the local school level and system wide
- Prepare and analyze incident reporting data to support the Board’s goals for injury prevention and reduction
- Provide direct oversight over Board OHS programs pertaining to Workplace Violence, Medical Surveillance, Ergonomics, Chemical Safety, and others as required
- Oversee all aspects of employee safety training including planning, development and delivery to support the Board’s commitment to providing an inclusive and safe work environment
- Represent HWDSB interests when dealing with third parties such as regulatory enforcement officers, City of Hamilton Emergency Preparedness Committee, and contractors
- Establish and maintain collaborative working relationships with a variety of internal and external stakeholders including union partners
- Advise principals and supervisors on appropriate response to challenging safety issues identified in areas under their supervision guided by legislation and Board safety procedures
- Research and interpret legislation and case law, in order to recommend strategies and initiatives to management to prevent or reduce risks based on regulatory requirements, industry standards, and organizational need
- Support Board stakeholders by assisting them in integrating safe work practices into their initiatives
- Support the functions of the Central and Site Joint Health and Safety Committees (JHSCs) and sub-committees in maintaining a safe workplace
- Available to respond to immediate safety concerns outside of the scheduled work day to ensure operational continuity during emergencies or to respond to dangerous circumstances
- Actively investigate the circumstances surrounding reported work refusals on behalf of the board and provide recommendations to control reported health and safety hazard
- Investigate critical injuries on behalf of the board, provide recommendations to prevent a reoccurrence, and ensure adherence to reporting requirements to the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development
- Support managers in conducting effective employee incident investigations to determine root cause and prevent a reoccurrence, collaborating with internal and external supports where necessary
- Develop individualized employee safety plans for staff in the workplace
- Plan, conduct, review and analyze occupational hygiene testing, prepare reports, and implement appropriate measures to ensure compliance with regulations and standards
- In the absence of the Manager, oversee department operations.
Qualifications:
- Degree in Occupational Health and Safety; or a degree in a related discipline along with a diploma or certificate in Occupational Health and Safety
- Professional designation or ability to qualify for certification as a CRSP, CIH, ROH or other OHS designation
- Four years of experience in a role with significant responsibilities for worker health and safety
- Hands-on experience in OHS including OHS safety system audits and risk management, occupational hygiene, accident investigation and program development and implementation
- Extensive knowledge and experience with the application of health and safety legislation (OHSA, Environmental and Public Health Legislation, WSIA, Ontario Human Rights Code and other pertinent legislation) and industry best practices, interpreting technical documents, communication and computer skills
- Ability to effectively manage conflict
- Experience providing training to adult learners
- Excellent organizational, written and interpersonal communication skills to clearly communicate on complex and sensitive matters
- Ability to manage multiple priorities
- Knowledge of potentially hazardous materials or practices
- Familiarity with conducting data analysis and reporting statistics
- Working knowledge of health and safety management information systems
- Diligent with great attention to detail
- Working knowledge of software applications including e-learning authoring tools, Learning Management Systems, eBASE, Microsoft Office and database applications
- Demonstrated commitment to working in a diverse school community and/or work environment
- Requirement to work after hours when required and to respond to after-hour emergencies.
- Some requirement to work evening hours when required based on system needs.
- Some requirement to be on call.
- A valid driver’s license and use of a personal vehicle required.
Deadline for submission is 4:00 p.m. on June 14 , 2023.
Interviews will be held on June 21, 2023.
Employment Equity Statement
Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) is committed to building inclusive learning and working environments where students see themselves reflected in the curriculum, staff population, physical surroundings and the broader community.
HWDSB’s mission is to empower students to learn and grow to their full potential in a diverse world. Guided by this mission, HWDSB strives to build a workforce that embodies the values of human rights, equity, diversity and inclusion, while reflecting and welcoming the diverse and distinct identities, experiences and needs of our students and our communities.
HWDSB seeks qualified candidates who share our commitment to equity and inclusion, and who will contribute to the vision of creating inclusive and equitable outcomes. HWDSB especially invites and welcomes applications from:
- Indigenous Peoples (e.g. First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples);
- Members of groups that commonly experience discrimination due to race, ancestry, colour, religion and/or spiritual beliefs, or place of origin; (e.g. Black and racialized communities, immigrant communities, etc.)
- Persons with visible and/or invisible (physical and/or mental) disabilities;
- Persons who identify as women; and
- Persons of marginalized sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. (i.e. Two-Spirit and LGBTQIA+)
As part of HWDSB’s commitment to employment equity and removing barriers to groups that have faced and continue to face barriers in employment, we invite all applicants to complete a voluntary question(s) that collects identity-based information. The voluntary question(s) is on the Apply to Education applicant profile page.
HWDSB is committed to providing accommodation throughout the recruitment and selection process, based on any human rights protected grounds. If you require accommodation, please notify us in advance and we will work with you to meet your needs.
Land Acknowledgement
HWDSB is located on ancestral Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee Confederacy land as determined by the Dish with One Spoon treaty. The Dish with One Spoon wampum belt represents the treaty relationship between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and Anishinaabe with respect to sharing the land and resources thereon. The intent of this agreement is for all nations sharing this territory to do so responsibly, respectfully and sustainably in perpetuity. We respect the longstanding relationships with the local Indigenous communities, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the Six Nations of the Grand River.
Applicant Self-Identification Form
The information collected on this form is used to monitor HWDSB’s progress toward our equity goals including our commitment to diversity in HWDSB recruitment and hiring practices.
We are committed to the security and confidentiality of information under our control, and to the protection of privacy with respect to personal and confidential information that is collected, used, disclosed and retained in the system (Policy 1.6 - Privacy). Information on this form is collected pursuant to Ontario’s Education Equity Action Plan (Ministry of Education) and in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA). Access to this form is restricted to specific individuals in Human Resources. The Research and Analytics Department will use aggregate data from all the forms (not individual data) for internal reporting. Their access and use of the data is governed by MFIPPA and ethical research practices. Applicant Self-Identification Forms will be maintained in the Human Resources job competition file and securely destroyed 1 year after the job posting for candidates not selected for an interview and 6 years after the job posting for candidates interviewed, in accordance with general records retention principles.
If you prefer not to answer any of the questions, you can select “prefer not to answer”. This in no way affects your application or the applicant selection process. If you have questions or concerns about this form please contact [email protected].
