Occupational Health and Hygiene Specialist

Overview

Working collaboratively with colleagues and industry partners, you will support the development and delivery of initiatives that promote both physical and psychological health, helping to create healthier, safer and more resilient working environments. You will focus on priority health issues for the industry including; noise, vibration, welding fume, respiratory hazards and topics such as fatigue risk and musculoskeletal disorders. Through this work, you will contribute to a preventative, evidence-based approach that protects workforce health and supports delivery of the Rail Health and Safety Strategy. 

This role is based at our Fenchurch Avenue office, with hybrid working. The closing date for applications is 25th October 2026. Interviews will take place in our Fenchurch Avenue office.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist occupational health and hygiene advice to support the management, assessment and control of health risks arising from workplace exposures, including noise, welding activities, hazardous substances and other physical and chemical agents.
• Contribute to the development and application of risk-based approaches to health risk management, supporting the use of tools such as health risk profiling, exposure assessment and control verification.
• Contribute to the application of health surveillance and monitoring approaches where exposure risks remain, supporting early identification of potential work-related ill health.
• Contribute to the development and promotion of fatigue and manual handling risk management guidance and tools.
• Support the delivery of technical projects and research activities by providing occupational health and hygiene input, including data, evidence and good practice relating to health hazards and their control.
• Assist in the development of standards, guidance and practical tools that help organisations comply with legislation and improve management of occupational health risks.
• To ensure value and benefit of interventions can be quantified and evaluated
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across the health and wellbeing team and wider directorate to integrate occupational hygiene into broader safety, health and wellbeing programmes.
• Use data, insight and industry intelligence to identify emerging health risks and opportunities for improvement, supporting a more preventative and system-wide approach to workforce health.
• Support industry members and clients in understanding occupational health risks and implementing proportionate control measures, promoting a preventative approach to managing exposure.
• Contribute to continuous improvement by supporting innovation, data use and learning that strengthens how occupational health risks are understood and managed across the industry.

For a full copy of the JD please click here: Occupational Health and Hygiene Specialist JD

Qualifications

Essential: 

• Experience in a safety-critical industry (e.g. rail, construction, infrastructure or heavy engineering), with a demonstrable understanding of associated occupational health risks and working environments.

• Relevant academic or professional qualification in occupational health, hygiene or a related discipline (e.g. occupational hygiene degree, ergonomics, science-based degree with relevant experience).

• Knowledge of occupational health risk management principles, including the identification, assessment and control of exposure to chemical, physical and biological hazards.

• Practical knowledge of assessing workplace exposures, including areas such as noise, vibration, welding fume respiratory and musculoskeletal hazards.

• Understanding of relevant UK legislation and standards, including: Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations, Control of Noise at Work Regulations, Control of Vibration at Work Regulations

• Experience of supporting risk-based approaches to health management, including interpretation of data and identification of proportionate controls.

• Ability to interpret technical information and translate it into practical guidance for non-specialists.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to draw evidence-based conclusions on occupational risks.

• Effective communication and stakeholder engagement skills, able to work collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams.

• Understanding of health surveillance principles and when they should be applied to support early detection of occupational ill health.

• Actively contribute as part of a team and work towards achieving team goals and outcomes.

• Take responsibility and demonstrate accountability in completing tasks and achieving objectives, actively seeking to resolve problems and identify opportunities. 

Desirable:

• Professional membership or working towards membership of a recognised body (e.g. BOHS – British Occupational Hygiene Society, chartered institute of ergonomics and human factors - CIEHF.)

• Experience within the rail industry and understanding of rail-specific risk profiles (e.g. track environment, depots, construction and maintenance activities). 

Why Join RSSB? 

We value our people and offer a competitive benefits package, including: 

• 30 days annual leave (plus bank holidays)

• Private medical and dental cover.

• Flexible and hybrid working options

• Season ticket loan and travel subsidy

• Cycle to work scheme

• Volunteer leave

• Performance-related bonus

• Pension scheme

• Learning and development opportunities 

Ready to Apply? 

If you're ready to take the next step in your career with RSSB, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now. 

We understand the importance of work-life balance, and we offer our staff the flexibility to work within our core hours and the option to vary their location between both the office and home. If you are looking for further flexibility, speak to us at interview stage so that we can consider your request. 

We value diversity and equal opportunities in employment and are committed to creating a workplace which is inclusive to everyone. As a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, we encourage candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria, to apply for our jobs. If you have applied under the Disability Confident Scheme, please let us know in advance by emailing vacancies@RSSB.CO.UK Find out more about Diversity and Inclusion at RSSB: Rail Safety and Standards Board Careers - VERCIDA