Job Description

Job Title: Senior HSE Officer 

Location : Kigali Rwanda 

Job Summary:

The Senior HSE Officer is responsible for ensuring health, safety, and environmental requirements are understood and complied by client employees and contractors, all the employees and casuals of the agriculture implementing companies (in the feedstock supply chain activities) within the assigned field locations and the improved cooking stoves project. This role involves helping all concerned in implementing health, safety and environmental protocols through conducting training, monitoring visits, inspections, investigating incidents, and promoting a culture of health, safety and environmental consciousness.

Main Accountabilities and Responsibilities:

Safety Program Implementation and Compliance:

• Assist in the planning, development, and implementation of comprehensive safety policies and procedures in compliance with Client HSE standards, international bodies, local and state regulations, including OSHA, specifically tailored to agricultural feedstock supply chain activities, seed handling and environments and the improved stoves project.
• Ensure that all field operations adhere to safety standards and regulations, including those related to the handling and application of agricultural chemicals, operation of tools, machinery, equipment, and working in outdoor environments including the improved cooking stoves distribution network.
• Provide HSE training, awareness programs, and induction sessions to regional coordinators, field officers, contractors (aggregators, suppliers etc.), farmers, and vendors on topics relevant to agricultural feedstock supply chain activities, such as safe handling of chemicals, pesticides, seeds and fertilisers, heat stress prevention, and emergency response
• Conduct regular safety meetings and toolbox talks to reinforce health, safety and environmental protocols and address site-specific hazards.
• Perform regular health, safety, environmental audits and inspections of field locations, farms, vendor facilities, together with all field activities to identify potential hazards and help in implementing control measures thereby ensuring a healthy, safe and environmentally friendlier workplace ensuring compliance with health safety and environment regulations.
• Prepare detailed written reports of findings, including recommendations for corrective or preventive measures, and follow up to ensure timely implementation.
• Take the lead in investigating incidents, accidents, and near-misses involving employees, contractors, farmers, or vendors in the field.
• Conduct thorough root cause analyses, prepare incident reports, and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
• Maintain accurate records of all incidents, accidents, and near-misses.

Risk Assessment and Management:

• Conduct and help Contractors in conduct of risk assessments for various field activities, considering the unique hazards associated with agriculture feedstock supply chain activities and improved cooking stoves distribution network, such as exposure to chemicals, pesticides, working with farm produce, and operating tools, machinery and equipment in varying terrains.
• Develop and help implementing risk mitigation strategies to minimize potential hazards and ensure the health, safety of all personnel and other stakeholders.
• Help Contractors e.g. all the employees and casuals of the agriculture implementing companies and the improved cooking stoves project etc in developing and implementing Emergency Response Plan for field locations, ensuring that emergency response plans are practiced and regularly reviewed.
• Help in Conducting emergency drills and training exercises to prepare contractor personnel able for handling and managing various emergency scenarios.
• Monitor environmental impacts of field agriculture feedstock supply chain operations and improved cooking stoves distribution network, including the proper handling and disposal of agricultural waste, and ensure compliance with environmental regulations. This includes impact of activities on Biodiversity and Eco System services.
• Promote sustainable agricultural feedstock supply chain practices and raise awareness about environmental conservation among aggregators, suppliers, farmers and all concerned vendors.
• Collaborate effectively with agriculture implementing companies and project implementors, and other stakeholders to promote a shared commitment to health, safety and environmental protection.
• Communicate regularly with the Project Managers, Client and WTS HSE Manager and Lead and HSE team to provide updates on field health, safety environmental performance and identify areas for improvement.
• Ensure attendance in weekly meetings (WTS HSE Weekly review, Client Weekly address, Weekly review meetings) to present what has been achieved and what is planned as look ahead.
• Maintain accurate HSE records, including incident reports, inspection reports, training records, and environmental monitoring data etc.
• Prepare and submit regular HSE reports to the – Client Branch Manager, Client HSE Manager and WTS HSE lead summarising key performance indicators and highlighting areas of concern.
• Stay abreast of industry best practices and regulatory updates related to agricultural health and safety.
• Proactively identify opportunities to improve safety performance and environmental sustainability in field operations.
• Ensure development of health safety and environmental Checklists of all relevant activities of feedstock supply chain and improved cooking stoves distribution network
• Make all aggregators, suppliers and other relevant stakeholders able to utilize the checklist in an effective manner
• Continuously improve these checklists by capturing lesson learning.
• Other duties as assigned by the immediate supervisor

Qualifications & Experience:

• University Degree in HSE or Sciences preferably Environmental Sciences.
• Must be Fluent in English and Kinyarwanda
• 2-3 years of experience as HSE Officer preferably vegetable oil extraction industry and/or field services
• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with HSE management systems in an industrial setting
• Knowledge of ISO 45001, ISO 14001, ISO 9001(safety, quality and environmental standards (preferred)
• Management skills basic courses (preferred)
• Firefighting & HSE basic courses (preferred)
• Auditing and Root Cause investigation technique
• Project management
• Certified risk assessor would be an advantage
• OHS certification e.g. NEBOSH or equivalent is an added advantage.

Tagged as: Office, Onsite