Health & Safety Manager

Ornua is a dairy co-operative which sells dairy products on behalf of its members, Ireland’s dairy processors and, in turn, Irish dairy farmers. It is Ireland’s largest exporter of Irish dairy products, exporting to 110 countries worldwide. Headquartered in Dublin, Ornua has annualised sales of over €3.5 billion and a global team of 3,000 employees.

Ornua is structured across two divisions: Ornua Foods and Ornua Ingredients. We operate from 10 business units worldwide, including 16 production facilities, and have sales and marketing teams working in-market across the globe in Africa, Asia, Germany, Ireland, the Middle East, Spain, the UK, and the US.

You may know us by our brands Kerrygold, Dubliner, Pilgrim’s Choice, Avantage, Forto, and BEO.

Ornua’s Values

At Ornua, our Values lie at the core of everything that we do and how we behave both individually and as a business. Our five values, and their underlying behaviours, encourage us to Seek and Embrace New Ideas, Make It Happen, Be Our True Selves, Show You Care and Achieve Great Things Together.

Ornua’s Growth

At Ornua, our co-operative ethos lies at the heart of how we do business. We care passionately about driving sustainable, profitable growth, underpinned by our ambitious ‘Path to Prosper’ strategy. We have delivered significant growth in our core business, and we have ambitious plans for continued growth over the next five years.

WHY THIS ROLE IS VALUABLE
 

The role is a member of the Kerrygold Park Operations Leadership Team and is responsible for driving the H&S strategy for the business. 

Key Areas of Responsibility:
 

• Ensure that the OH&S management system conforms to the requirements set out in the ISO standard.
• Review and maintain the OH&S manual for the site according to requirements set out in ISO standard Ornua Group requirements, legislation, and best practice.
• Lead the risk assessment programme for the site including the review and maintaining of the risk register.
• Review and maintain the legal register for the site including the communication and documenting of any change.
• Ensure plans are appropriate and relevant for the different working environments across the site.
• Work with the line managers to coach, encourage and support a positive and proactive culture of Health & Safety – including developing and enforcing appropriate policies
• Evaluate practices, procedures, and facilities to assess risk and adherence to the Ornua Group requirements and applicable legislation.
• Conduct training and presentations for health & safety matters and accident prevention.
• Monitor compliance to policies and legislation through personal inspection of operations and working practices.
• Inspect equipment and machinery to highlight possible unsafe conditions.
• Investigate accidents or incidents to discover causes and manage the follow up activities as required.
• Establish and report on KPIs to track performance in safety awareness & issues.

Key Requirements & Attributes:
 

• Min. 5 years’ experience as a Health and Safety Manager
• Proven experience in leading the Health & Safety agenda in manufacturing and/or FMG environment
• Deep understanding of H&S legislation
• Excellent organisation and motivational skills
• Outstanding attention to detail and observation ability
• Exceptional communication skills and the ability to influence at all levels of the organisation
• A background in a technical discipline (for example chemistry, physics, engineering) would be an advantage
• A clearly defined strategic thought process and a continuous improvement mind-set
• Manufacturing industry experience
• Excellent project management skills
• Relevant  degree together with a diploma or equivalent in EHS&S qualification.
• Chartered membership of IOSH is desirable.
• RIGOUR: Ensure excellence in own work applies effective professional skill, analysis and decision making, and planning and reviewing.
• FORWARD LOOKING: Leads others through change and contributes to competitive challenges and functional strategy plans.
• EXPERTISE:  For complex challenges or new areas, applies effective professional skill, analysis, problem solving, decision making, prioritising, planning, and reviewing.
• CURIOSITY:  Creates an environment for innovative thinking; rewards and recognises creative thinking and continuous improvement.