CVS provide high-quality joined-up veterinary care and are one of Europe’s largest veterinary providers. Having recently entered the Australian veterinary market we are currently recruiting for a Workplace H&S Officer to cover our rapidly growing Australian veterinary practice operations. The position offers a opportunity to design, implement, and lead a WHS framework across Australia, supporting veterinary clinics while making a real impact as well as actively managing and driving the CVS Workers Compensation Agenda.

You will work closely with passionate teams to drive safer and healthier outcomes, ensuring compliance with relevant health and safety legislation across all States and promoting our proactive safety culture.

Key Duties and Responsibilities include:

Work with practices to ensure all safety legislation is adhered to and that policies and practices are adopted;

Help to plan, implement, monitor and review protective and preventative measures in order to minimise operational losses, occupational health problems, accidents and injuries;

Carry out Health and Safety Support Visits, accident investigations and audits as required to check policies and procedures are being properly implemented and to assist with safety related issues raised;

Develop and oversee the CVS Australia Health and Safety committee, ensure minutes of discussions are kept;

Conduct and review risk assessments and consider how risks could be reduced;

Review Fire Risk Assessments and work with sites to implement controls;

Work with sites to define and document safe operational procedures which identify and take account of all relevant hazards;

To develop, monitor and provide regular reports on all performance trends, incidents and issues associated with WHS across the CVS Australia businesses

Create, conduct and lead training with managers and employees concerning health and safety issues and risks;

Act and advise on issues raised by State authorities, taking appropriate action and escalating to senior operational or clinical management as deemed necessary;

Actively manage and drive CVS Australia workers compensation agenda with our insurer’s and other external parties providing advice to the business with regards to workers compensation costs, forecasting, insurer management and financial outcomes.

Assist with the provision of advice and guidance to functional heads, managers, supervisors and workers on workers compensation and Injury or illness processes, including non-work-related injuries or illnesses.

Develop and monitor return to work programs in conjunction with the injured worker, line manager, treating doctor/s and other stakeholders.

Providing National and State-based workers’ compensation claims and injury management support and advice

Workers compensation and injury management data collection, analysis and reporting to assist in strategic premium management.

Relationship management with insurance brokers and insurers/agents.

Annual review of CVS’s Group Workers Compensation insurance arrangements.

About you:

Tertiary qualification in Workplace Health and Safety or equivalent.

Minimum 3 - 5 years’ experience working in a relevant WHS or HSE role.

Knowledge of and ability to interpret relevant health and safety legislation (including applicable acts, regulations, standards and codes of practice, policies and procedures).

A working knowledge of how the workers compensation system works so as to be able to manage this function within the business.

Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to effectively communicate in a confident and positive manner in both a written and verbal capacity.

Ability to travel domestically.