Health, Safety and Disability Management Advisor

The Municipality of North Cowichan (population 31,900) is located in the beautiful Cowichan Valley on Southern Vancouver Island, between Nanaimo and Victoria. Our communities of Chemainus, Crofton, Maple Bay and the South End, including University Village, are home to a multitude of artistic, cultural and outdoor recreational activities. The Municipality provides a stable and varied work environment, competitive pay and benefits.

Reporting to the Director of Human Resources and Health & Safety, this position will take a lead role in facilitating a culture of workplace health and safety and driving positive outcomes through the maintenance of a compliant and prevention-focused employee health and safety program, as well as management of a proactive and supportive early intervention and return to work program for ill and/or injured employees. Core responsibilities for this position include but are not limited to:

- Reviewing and leading the adherence to safe work procedures in the workplace and generally promoting a safe work environment.
- Leading occupational health and safety programs and initiatives to ensure a safe work environment for all employees, in collaboration with the management team and the human resources team.
- Providing direction and advice to all levels of management, the union and employees in the following areas:

- Employee health and safety, and the development of appropriate training, records management and programs to support employee safety;
- Compliance with WorkSafeBC legislation, regulations and guidelines;
- Management of joint occupational health and safety committees.
- Liaising with WorkSafeBC and the union to maintain an ongoing positive working relationship in relation to workplace safety.
- Overseeing the management of WorkSafeBC incident claims management, including: reviewing claims and analyzing incidents to determine if there are preventative measures to implement, and working in collaboration with human resources staff to advise departments on return-to-work and accommodation matters were appropriate.
- Representing the municipality in WorkSafeBC claims appeals and review board hearings, Worker's Compensation Act Tribunal hearings, and occupational health and safety hearings, including preparing submissions to WorkSafeBC regarding notices of compliance and responding to inspection orders under review or appeal.
- Overseeing disability claims and related insurance provider requirements including support of return-to -work plans.
- Developing and managing the corporate records management system for safety related training, incident investigations, and disability management to identify trends, provide corporate statistics and make recommendations to improve safety performance.
- Keeping current on changes to safety related regulations and legislation and advises on necessary adjustments to the municipal safety management programs and policies. Communicates changes and ensures new guidelines are implemented and understood by all relevant parties.
- Building relationships with municipal, public sector and private sector health and safety specialists to further knowledge of best practices, and participates on relevant committees and associations such as the BC Municipal Safety Association.
- Supporting, in an emergency situation, activation of the municipal Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), and may be called upon and assigned a role and/or tasks to support the EOC.
- Providing internal leadership to management on health and safety strategy, taking a lead role in internal occupational health and safety reviews and audits and leading change management to enhance a safety-first culture.
- Performing other related duties as directed.

Required Skills, Qualifications and Abilities:

- Designation or eligibility for immediate designation as a Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP).
- Proven ability to think analytically and provide advice in alignment with applicable legislation, case law, collective agreements, employer policies and benefit programs.
- Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with internal and external contacts under circumstances that may be highly sensitive and adversarial; expert relationship building skills; excellent critical thinking and decision-making skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to provide leadership skills to recommend and implement change are essential.

A competitive salary and comprehensive benefit package is offered. This position is excluded from union membership.

The Municipality supports employee training and development opportunities. Upon approval, and under the employer's current policy, fees covered may include tuition, registration, and other applicable fees related to the training. The Municipality also supports reimbursement for professional fees that are directly related to the position, such as professional designation or membership fees.