Health and Safety Officer

Reporting Structure: Reports directly to the HR Manager (who holds department oversight) with a strong, direct operational reporting line to the Factory Operations Manager and General Manager (GM). Works on the floor alongside the Factory Supervisors and Shift In-Charge teams.

1. Job Purpose

The Health and Safety Officer is the primary custodian of workplace safety, health compliance, and environmental risk mitigation on the factory floor. Operating in a high-risk, heavy heavy-industrial environment—characterized by molten metal hazards, high-voltage potlines, heavy scrap transport vehicles, and high-heat furnaces—this role ensures that the plant functions in absolute compliance with the South African Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA, Act 85 of 1993) and its associated regulations.

The Health and Safety Officer translates corporate safety policies into daily field execution, auditing compliance, leading incident investigations, verifying equipment inspections, and preparing the plant for unannounced Department of Employment and Labour (DoL) inspections.

2. Key Performance Areas (KPAs) & Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

KPA 1: Daily Factory Walkabouts, Risk Assessments & Hazard Identification

· Conduct rigorous, documented daily factory walkabouts across the smelting plant, casting lines, sorting areas, and logistics yard to identify immediate hazards and unsafe behaviours.

· Lead the development, implementation, and review of baseline and issue-based Hazard Identification and Risk Assessments (HIRA) for all smelting and maintenance tasks.

· Enforce 100% compliance regarding specialized thermal and respiratory Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required for molten aluminium handling.

· KPIs:

o 100% completion and filing of scheduled daily safety walkabout checklists.

o Zero unmitigated "High-Risk" hazards left unaddressed within 24 hours of identification.

o 100% of operational tasks covered by an up-to-date, signed-off HIRA.

KPA 2: Machinery, Equipment & Statutory Inspections

· Audit and verify that Factory Supervisors and the Maintenance Team execute their mandatory pre-use and routine machinery and equipment inspections (e.g., overhead cranes, forklifts, holding furnaces, pressure vessels).

· Maintain the statutory legal registers for all load-testing and pressurized equipment, ensuring scheduling stays aligned with Department of Employment and Labour directives.

· Review and sign off on all Permits to Work (PTW) for high-risk operations (e.g., hot work, confined space entry, or working at heights).

· KPIs:

o 100% of statutory lifting equipment and pressure vessels load-tested and certified on schedule.

o Zero non-conformance findings during random audits of shift Permit to Work logs.

KPA 3: Incident Investigation, Reporting & COIDA Administration

· Lead the investigation of all near-misses, first-aid cases, and Lost Time Injuries (LTIs) using root-cause analysis (RCA) techniques.

· Compile detailed incident investigation reports for the Factory Operations Manager, HR Manager, and General Manager.

· Manage the administrative processing of Section 24 reportable incidents to the DoL and coordinate with HR to file claims under the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA) and RMA.

· KPIs:

o All incident investigations finalized and reported within 24 hours of occurrence.

o Zero delays or compliance penalties incurred when logging Section 24 incidents with the DoL.

KPA 4: Committee Governance, Meetings & RACI Compliance

· Organize and drive the monthly Statutory Health and Safety Committee Meetings, ensuring legal representation across all shifts and departments.

· Compile accurate meeting minutes and collaborate with the HR Manager to integrate safety actions into the central RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) matrix.

· Follow up rigorously with designated managers and supervisors to ensure action items are completed.

· KPIs:

o Statutory safety committee meetings held every calendar month with $100\%$ quorum.

o 95% on-time closure of safety tasks assigned via the monthly RACI framework.

KPA 5: Training, Emergency Preparedness & Contractor Management

· Develop and facilitate daily safety toolbox talk topics, onboarding safety inductions for new hires, and specialized safety training modules.

· Maintain, review, and test the factory’s Emergency Response Plan (including furnace run-out protocols, gas leaks, and fire evacuations).

· Audit external contractors working on-site to ensure they submit a compliant safety file and adhere to plant safety rules.

· KPIs:

o 100% of on-site workers (including contractors) successfully vetted via safety inductions.

o Bi-annual emergency evacuation drills completed with an evaluation report submitted to the GM.

KPA 6: DoL Inspection Readiness & Environmental Audits

· Maintain all safety documentation, training records, medical surveillance logs, and inspection sheets in a state of total Audit Readiness for unannounced DoL inspections.

· Monitor environmental safety controls, including emissions tracking datasets, dross storage management, and hazardous chemical substance controls.

· KPIs:

o Zero compliance notices or "Prohibition Orders" issued during internal or external DoL audits.

o 100% compliance with the site’s Atmospheric Emission License tracking parameters.

3. Minimum Requirements

· Education: National Diploma in Safety Management (e.g., SAMTRAC, NEBOSH Diploma, or NADSAM). Registration with professional bodies like SACPCMP (as a Construction/Industrial Safety Officer) or SAIOSH is highly preferred.

· Experience: 5+ years of dedicated safety officer experience inside a heavy-industrial manufacturing plant, metallurgy facility, foundry, or refinery running 24/7 continuous shifts.

· Skills: In-depth working mastery of the South African OHS Act (Act 85 of 1993) and COIDA; proven capability in conducting root-cause incident investigations (e.g., ICAM, Fishbone); advanced capability in drafting safety procedures and maintaining digital safety data logs.

Pay: R9 441,78 - R14 000,00 per month

Education:

• Diploma (Preferred)

Experience:

• safety officer manufacturing: 5 years (Preferred)
• South African OHS Act : 5 years (Preferred)

Language:

• English (Required)

Work Location: In person