Health And Safety Manager

Location: Mitcham

About Us

We're an established, family-run civil engineering contractor with over 40 years' experience, specialising in sewer connections, excavation works, and site drainage. Operating across London and the South East, we deliver projects ranging from £3k to £3m for commercial and domestic clients, with a strong focus on quality and client loyalty.

As a close-knit, fast-paced team, we're looking for a dedicated Health & Safety Manager to join us and play a pivotal role in maintaining our excellent safety record while supporting our continued growth.

The Role

This is a hands-on HSE leadership position with real impact. You'll be responsible for developing and enforcing all health, safety, and environmental policies across multiple live construction sites, with a specialist focus on:

✅ Excavation & tunnelling (shaft and heading, open cut/trench works)

✅ Confined spaces (manhole entry, live sewer connections)

✅ Lifting operations and heavy plant/machinery

You'll split your time between office-based work and regular site visits, working closely with our Contracts Manager, Scheduling Manager, site operatives, and clients.

This role offers genuine scope for development within a growing family business.

Key Responsibilities

🔹 Safety Systems & Compliance

* Ensure full compliance with construction safety regulations and confined spaces/excavation standards

* Create, review and maintain site-specific RAMS for high-risk activities

* Develop and continuously improve company-wide HSE Management Systems

* Manage plant, equipment and vehicle fleet testing/calibration records

🔹 Risk Assessment & Site Inspections

* Conduct proactive safety audits across all active projects

* Identify and mitigate hazards including trench collapse, toxic gases, traffic management, and biological risks

* Monitor on-site compliance and enforce safety standards

🔹 Training & Culture

* Deliver effective H&S training (inductions, confined spaces, excavation safety, PPE protocols)

* Lead toolbox talks and safety briefings

* Champion a positive, preventative safety culture across the organisation

* Maintain training records and qualification tracking

🔹 Incident Management

* Investigate all accidents, near-misses and incidents to determine root causes

* Manage RIDDOR reporting and regulatory compliance

* Develop corrective action plans and compile safety performance reports

🔹 Stakeholder Liaison

* Liaise with clients, principal contractors, utility companies and regulatory bodies (HSE, water authorities)

* Lead H&S accreditations (CHAS, Construction line Gold)

* Support tender submissions with pre-qualification documentation

* Stay current with legislation and industry best practices

What We're Looking For

Essential:

* 4+ years in a dedicated H&S role within civils/groundworks

* Specific experience in sewer construction, excavation, confined spaces, tunnelling and lifting operations

* NEBOSH Diploma (or equivalent professional safety qualification)

* CSCS card

* UK Driving Licence

* Strong IT skills (Microsoft Office suite)

Desirable:

* Degree in Health & Safety or related field

* Grad IOSH

* Confined Space Certificate

* TWSTC (Temporary Works Supervisor Course)

* Lifting AP (Appointed Person)

Your Profile

You're a self-motivated, proactive professional who can hit the ground running with minimal supervision. You demonstrate:

✔ Perseverance in maintaining zero H&S stoppages

✔ Quick thinking and ability to make an impact from day one

✔ Calm under pressure with excellent judgement (including authority to stop unsafe work)

✔ Strong communication and coaching skills to drive cultural change

✔ Methodical organisation and exceptional attention to detail

✔ Flexibility and adaptability in a fast-paced, small team environment

✔ Genuine interest in process improvement and leveraging technology