Health and Safety Advisor

Health and Safety Advisor

Location: Sidcup, Kent, with hybrid working
Salary: £33,000 per annum + benefits
Hours: 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday
Contract: Permanent - fulltime

Closing date: 9 September 2026
Planned interviews: this will be confirmed with suitable applicants

Make a real difference through safer, better services

At Avenues Group, health and safety is about much more than policies, paperwork and compliance. It is about creating environments where people feel safe, supported and able to live and work with dignity, independence and choice.

We are looking for an experienced and confident Health and Safety Advisor to join our team and play a key role in making that happen.

This is an exciting opportunity for a health and safety professional who is ready to step into the role and make an immediate impact.

You will provide practical, proportionate advice across our services and offices, working closely with managers and teams to identify risks, improve standards and embed a positive, proactive safety culture.

You will be trusted to use your professional judgement, challenge where necessary and find solutions that balance effective risk management with the needs of the people we support and the realities of operational delivery.

What will you be doing?

No two days will be the same. You will work across our services, supported living environments and offices, providing advice and assurance across a broad range of health and safety matters.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Providing competent, timely and practical health and safety advice to managers, colleagues and stakeholders.
• Undertaking health and safety inspections, service visits and audits, identifying hazards and areas for improvement.
• Producing clear, proportionate reports and ensuring actions are followed through to completion.
• Supporting and, where appropriate, leading investigations into accidents, incidents, near misses and health and safety concerns.
• Advising managers on incident reporting, including potential RIDDOR requirements.
• Reviewing and developing risk assessments, safe systems of work, policies and procedures.
• Supporting managers to understand and take ownership of their health and safety responsibilities.
• Identifying trends and emerging risks through audit findings, incident data and compliance information.
• Designing and delivering health and safety briefings and practical learning sessions.
• Building strong relationships across operational and corporate teams, while confidently providing challenge where standards or practices need to improve.
• Preparing clear reports and information for governance, audits, inspections and regulatory reviews.
• Supporting continuous improvement and sharing learning across Avenues.

You will also have the opportunity to develop your expertise across areas such as fire safety, premises compliance, incident investigation, contractor management, risk assessment and health and safety governance.

Are you someone who can make a difference?

We are looking for someone who can hit the ground running and who is comfortable operating as a trusted health and safety professional.

You will need:

• A NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety, equivalent qualification, or a demonstrable commitment to achieving this within an agreed timeframe.
• Practical experience of providing health and safety advice, support or compliance monitoring within a care, health, housing, facilities, property, social care or other people-focused environment.
• A good working knowledge of UK health and safety legislation, risk assessment principles and the hierarchy of control.
• Experience of carrying out inspections, audits, risk assessment reviews and/or incident investigations.
• An understanding of the health and safety risks associated with care and support environments, including lone working, moving and handling, infection prevention, fire safety, premises safety and contractor activity.
• The confidence to provide advice, influence others and constructively challenge managers and colleagues when required.
• Strong analytical and reporting skills, with the ability to turn findings into clear, practical recommendations.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to adapt your approach to different audiences.
• The organisation and resilience to manage competing priorities, site visits, deadlines and follow-up actions.
• The confidence to work independently, while recognising when issues need to be escalated or specialist support sought.
• The willingness and ability to travel between our services and sites as required

Why Avenues?

This is a role where your advice will have a genuine impact.

You will not simply be identifying risks and writing reports. You will be working alongside the people who deliver our services, helping them understand risk, improve practice and create safer environments for the people we support and our colleagues.

What we offer

In return, you'll join a supportive team where your contribution is valued and your development is encouraged. We offer:

• Hybrid working to support a healthy work-life balance.
• Generous paid annual leave.
• Learning and development opportunities to help you grow your career.
• Access to wellbeing support and employee initiatives.
• A collaborative and inclusive working environment where continuous improvement