Safety Manager

Unique Personnel boasts over 50 years (established in 1970) of personnel and staffing experience, so it's not surprising that even though our main focus has been providing on South African Staffing Solutions, we now recruit internationally for over 5000 clients

Duties & Responsibilities

Position Purpose

  • The Safety Manager is responsible for providing strategic leadership and operational management of company' Safety, Health, Environmental, Quality (SHEQ) and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Management Systems across all operations.
  • The position ensures that company maintains full compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, Mine Health and Safety Act, Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA), client-specific standards and all applicable legal requirements.
  • The Safety Manager serves as the custodian of the company's Occupational Health & Safety Management System through the My Compliance platform while overseeing contractor compliance on client systems including Passport360, ESS (company Group), TEBA and other client contractor management platforms.
  • Responsible for leading the Safety Department, managing Safety Officers, supporting Safety Representatives on site, ensuring that all personnel remain medically fit, legally compliant and approved for mobilisation, and maintaining a proactive safety culture throughout the organisation.
  • The Safety Manager works closely with the HR & Compliance Manager to ensure that employee training and compliance records remain current while reporting operationally to the General Manager and Operations Manager to support safe and efficient project execution.

 

Key Responsibilities

SHEQ Leadership & Department Management

Lead and manage the Safety Department by:

  • Supervising and mentoring Safety Officers.
  • Providing guidance and support to Site Safety Representatives.
  • Monitoring Safety Officer performance and compliance.
  • Conducting regular coaching and performance reviews.
  • Standardising SHE practices across all operational sites.
  • Driving continuous improvement within the SHE Management System.
  • The Safety Manager shall provide leadership that promotes a positive safety culture throughout company.

Operational Site Support

  • Although primarily a management position, the Safety Manager is expected to remain operationally competent.

Responsibilities include:

  • Acting as the Site Safety Officer when operational requirements dictate. 
  • Providing relief for Safety Officers during leave or peak operational periods. 
  • Assisting Safety Officers during major shutdowns, breakdowns and high-risk projects. 
  • Conducting site visits to verify compliance and support operational teams. 
  • Assisting with incident investigations and client safety interventions where required.

 

Occupational Health & Safety Management 

  • Implement and continuously improve company's Occupational Health & Safety Management System. 
  • Ensure compliance with all applicable legislation. 
  • Maintain SHE procedures, standards and legal registers. 
  • Develop site-specific safety documentation. 
  • Ensure project Safety Files are completed before mobilisation. 
  • Ensure all projects comply with client-specific SHE requirements.

Desired Experience & Qualification

Minimum Qualifications 

  • National Diploma or Degree in Occupational Health & Safety, Safety Management or related field. 
  • SAMTRAC or equivalent. 
  • COMSOC 1 & 2 (advantageous). 
  • Incident Investigation qualification. 
  • Risk Assessment training. 
  • Valid driver's licence.

 

Experience

  • Minimum 5 years' experience in mining, engineering or industrial contracting.
  • Previous experience supervising Safety Officers.
  • Experience administering COIDA claims and Compensation Fund processes.
  • Experience with Mine Health and Safety Act compliance.
  • Experience with Passport360, ESS and contractor management systems.
  • Experience using My Compliance or similar SHE management software.
  • Experience conducting client SHE and ESG audits.
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