Health & Safety Manager – Heavy Civil Groundworks

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced and highly organised Health & Safety Manager to join a growing heavy civil groundworks business.

This is a hands-on management position requiring someone who is equally confident on site and behind the desk.

We need an individual who understands the practical realities of heavy groundworks and civil engineering, but who is also exceptionally strong on the paperwork, systems, reporting and compliance side of the role.

You will work closely with our senior management, project managers, site managers and supervisors to ensure that our projects are delivered safely, efficiently and in accordance with current legislation, client requirements and company procedures.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage health and safety across a heavy civil and groundworks project..
• Carry out detailed site inspections, audits and compliance checks.
• Provide practical health and safety advice to site management and operatives.
• Ensure health and safety documentation is completed to a consistently high standard.
• Prepare, review and maintain Risk Assessments, Method Statements and COSHH Assessments.
• Ensure site documentation, registers, inspections and records are properly maintained.
• Monitor compliance with company procedures and client requirements.
• Review and approve RAMS and ensure they are properly briefed and understood by site teams.
• Maintain the company's health and safety management systems.
• Investigate accidents, incidents and near misses and produce detailed reports.
• Monitor and close out corrective actions.
• Produce regular health and safety reports and management information.
• Maintain training, competency and certification records.
• Manage health and safety audits and inspections.
• Support external audits and maintain relevant accreditations.
• Deliver toolbox talks, briefings and training where required.
• Keep up to date with relevant legislation and industry guidance.
• Challenge unsafe working practices and have the confidence to stop work where necessary.

Site Experience

The successful candidate must be comfortable working in a heavy civil groundworks environment and have a good understanding of the risks associated with:

• Excavations and deep excavations
• Earthworks and bulk excavation
• Heavy plant and machinery
• Deep drainage
• Utilities and underground services
• Temporary works
• Lifting operations
• Reinforced concrete
• Site logistics and traffic management
• Confined spaces
• Working around existing infrastructure
• Plant/person interface
• Ground stability and collapse risks

You will be expected to get out on site, speak to the workforce, inspect the work and understand what is actually happening rather than simply managing safety from behind a desk.

Paperwork & Compliance

A major part of this role will be ensuring that our health and safety paperwork and systems are first class.

You will need to be highly organised and comfortable managing:

• RAMS
• Risk assessments
• COSHH
• Inspection and audit reports
• Accident and incident investigations
• Site inspection records
• Corrective action trackers
• Health & safety KPIs
• Audits and accreditation requirements
• Company policies and procedures

Attention to detail is essential. We need someone who can identify gaps in documentation and compliance and make sure they are followed through to completion.

About You

We are looking for someone who is:

• Experienced within heavy civil engineering, groundworks or construction.
• Confident and respected on construction sites.
• Highly organised and strong on documentation and administration.
• Comfortable dealing with senior management, clients, site managers and operatives.
• Able to challenge poor standards professionally and confidently.
• Practical rather than purely theoretical.
• Strong in written communication and report writing.
• Able to manage multiple projects and priorities.
• Proactive in identifying problems and finding solutions.
• Detail-focused without losing sight of the bigger picture.
• Confident using Microsoft Office and health & safety management systems.
• Willing to spend significant time visiting and supporting sites.

Qualifications

Essential:

• NEBOSH General Certificate or equivalent.
• Previous Health & Safety experience within construction, civil engineering or groundworks.
• Strong understanding of UK construction health and safety legislation.
• Full UK driving licence.

Desirable:

• NEBOSH Construction Certificate.
• TechIOSH / GradIOSH / CMIOSH.
• SMSTS.
• Temporary Works experience.
• ISO 45001 experience.
• Experience with CHAS, SafeContractor, Achilles, Constructionline or similar.
• Experience working with major clients and principal contractors.

What We Are Looking For

The ideal candidate will be equally strong in two areas:

On Site:
Someone who understands heavy groundworks, can identify risks, communicate with the workforce, challenge unsafe practices and provide practical solutions.

On Paper:
Someone who is highly organised, understands compliance, produces quality documentation, maintains accurate records and can demonstrate that the business is managing health and safety properly.

If you are someone who can walk onto a busy groundworks site in the morning and then sit down in the afternoon and produce a high-quality audit, RAMS review, investigation or management report, this could be the role for you.

Apply Now

If you are an experienced Health & Safety professional with a strong site-based and compliance background, we would like to hear from you.