Process Safety Specialist

• Background
• About the role
• Person requirements
• How to apply

Background

The post holder will be a member of the Process Safety discipline specialist pool in HSE's Hazardous Installations Directorate. You will be part of a team offering process safety support across HSE. You will be responsible for inspection, assessment, investigation and enforcement of process safety issues, mainly on chemical process plant, but also in some non-chemical industrial premises where fire and explosion hazards may exist predominantly across South Wales and the South West of England.

About the role

You will give advice on industrial process safety issues and where appropriate disseminate information to a wider audience within and outside HSE. Your technical advice should provide a sound basis of employers to set and maintain their own appropriate process safety standards.

• Carrying out inspections of process safety matters as part of the team work plan.
• Investigating process safety related accidents and incidents involving fires, explosions, loss of containment of toxic materials, exothermic runaway reactions etc.
• Assessing the adequacy of chemical process safety documentation, for example Safety Reports submitted under the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) regulations regime.
• Providing expert advice on process safety matters, and verifying compliance with the requirements of COMAH and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act.
• Providing technical support for legal enforcement action, including the preparation of technical reports and the provision of expert evidence in legal proceedings.
• Representing HSE at meetings with duty-holders, trade associations, professional bodies promoting good practice in process safety.

Person requirements

• A degree or equivalent in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry or other relevant subject.
• Corporate membership of a relevant professional institution or the qualifications and experience to apply for membership and registration.
• A good working knowledge and experience of the chemical industry and application of industrial chemistry / chemical engineering skills and experience to controlling risks in the chemical industry.
• A practical understanding of design and operation of chemical process plant, including experience of applying the principles of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering to industrial scale processes.
• Experience of applying the principles of safety as applied to the manufacture, storage and handling of hazardous chemicals.
• Experience of hazard identification and risk assessment techniques, for example HAZOPs, in the safe design and operation of plant.
• Effective communication and influencing skills, including the ability to write effective technical reports and to present complex technical information in a clear and concise way for a non-technical audience.
• A full driving licence that permits you to drive in the UK, unless reasonable adjustments can be made under the Equality Act 2010.

For further information about this post please contact janet.etchells@hse.gsi.gov.uk.

How to apply

Apply for this role via the Civil Service on-line recruitment system, Civil Service Jobs. If you have a disability and you need an application form in an alternative format or you would like to know more about our recruitment process please contact: Angela Coulton on 0151 951 4430 or email Angela.coulton@hse.gsi.gov.uk.

Please ensure you include your CV and a covering letter with your application. Your cover letter must include:

• Your level of responsibility;
• The breadth and depth of your experience;
• The technical quality and standard of your work.

This should be no more than two sides of A4 paper (font size 10).