Trainee Inspector of Health and Safety (Band 4/HEO)

Job summary

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) exists to help prevent work-related death, injury and ill health. Our inspectors play a critical role on the front line in the workplace; protecting people by preventing and investigating incidents and enforcing the law.

It's an exciting and rewarding opportunity that offers the scope for continuous personal and professional development, as well as the chance to make a positive impact on people's lives. Getting the perfect match between our culture, our work and you, is incredibly important for both the HSE, and yourself.

Becoming a Health and Safety Inspector is hugely varied and rewarding, and you’ll be challenged in ways you won’t expect. The variety means that it is never dull. And you have an incredible opportunity to make a very positive impact on people's lives.

For a full description of the role and further details regarding the Regulatory Learning Academy, please ensure you read the attached Candidate Pack before submitting your application.

You can view testimonials from Inspectors in both Inspection and Investigation Division, which will give you more insight into the responsibilities and day to day activity of the role of an Inspector.

We will also be hosting a Webinar on 25th February to provide further detail on the role, so you are able to make an informed decision about whether it is a good fit for your skills and aspirations.

Job description

As an Inspector you will be involved in a range of activities, notably inspections and investigations:

Inspections involve proactively assessing the ability of employers to effectively manage risks to their employees and others (such as contractors or members of the public).

Investigations cover accidents, dangerous occurrences, ill health and concerns about workplace conditions and your role will be to uncover what has happened and why.

You will have to be prepared to tell people that there is a breach of the law (you will be given lots of training to help you identify and understand this), what action needs to be taken as a result and ensure that this action is taken. Securing compliance with the law might require you to take formal enforcement action. It might require persuasion and influencing skills. Often, it will require elements of both. You will always need to gather the right information and evidence to support your decisions. You therefore need a logical and analytical mind and good organisational skills.

Not everyone will appreciate what you will be trying to achieve, and sometimes it might be a struggle to change attitudes and convince others about what is required. Very occasionally you may encounter some hostility to your visit. Your training and the support you receive from us will give you the confidence to deal with a wide range of duty holders and difficult situations.

The investigation of fatalities and serious accidents may mean visiting places where there is evidence of what has happened and, in some rare instances, the deceased person may still be on site. You will work with other agencies such as the Police in such circumstances, as well as pulling from the valuable experience and expertise of colleagues and managers. At times, you may need to speak with the bereaved families and witnesses. You will need to be able to do this in a professional, but empathetic manner, communicating effectively with individuals in an organisation and in the public arena.

Working across a wide geographic area, you will begin your career in a robust training pathway comprising blended learning (e-learning, tutorials and workshop[s]), applied and consolidated in the field, culminating in promotion to the career grade for an Inspector. In training you will build a technical understanding of regulation, law, health and safety, to assess how well risks are being managed and controlled, and dealing with people at every level across a range of organisations.

Roles within Inspection Division (INSPD):

Inspection Division is primarily responsible for carrying out a programme of targeted inspections to a wide range of workplaces in order to assess how well health and safety is being managed. Our current workplan is focussed on the management of specific risks to workers' health in line with HSE's Protecting People and Places strategy, as well as providing continued public assurance about safety e.g. inspection of fairgrounds. INSPD is also responsible for investigating concerns about workplace health and safety, and you will make risk-based decisions when deciding what action to take. Inspectors will take appropriate enforcement action to secure compliance that is proportionate, ranging from verbal advice through to recommending prosecution to HSE lawyer’s (e.g. non-compliance with a Notice, obstruction of an inspector or where there has been previous advice and standards remain poor).

Roles in Investigation Division (IVD):

Investigation Division is primarily responsible for carrying out investigations into accidents, dangerous occurrences and ill health, with the aim of determining what has happened and why. Inspectors will take appropriate enforcement action to secure compliance and hold dutyholders to account, including putting forward recommendations to prosecute to HSE’s lawyers. You may also need to appear as a witness in court or at a Tribunal. In addition, IVD are involved in carrying out a limited number of inspections following prosecution, to ensure sustained compliance where breaches were previously identified, and broader, in line with the priorities within the workplan.

As you might expect, the role of an inspector in either Investigation or Inspection can take you to all sorts of workplaces and conditions, and you may need to access various parts of the workplace, including at height. You therefore need to be reasonably fit. Obviously, your health and safety is paramount to us and we will provide you with a range of personal protective equipment depending on the workplace you are visiting. When you are in the office, you will be dealing with the follow-up to investigations and inspections using HSE's information and recording systems. You can expect to have a challenging, but realistic workload. Occasionally, you may need to work outside of normal working hours.

Key Responsibilities of an Inspector (B3):

Undertake on-site regulatory inspections and/or investigations, liaising with or leading multi-disciplinary teams including specialists.

Plan and co-ordinate the strategic delivery of a regulatory intervention caseload in order to gather evidence/insight to make effective regulatory decisions, whilst managing multiple routine and non-routine activities/tasks at different stages of planning.

Work with individuals and businesses to gather and critically analyse a range of information and/or evidence, often of a technical, legally complicated, ambiguous and /or higher risk nature, to assess compliance and reach regulatory conclusions.

Secure a commitment to compliance and holding individuals and businesses to account for failings through application of a range of enforcement action, considering wider impacts of interventions.

Attend court, tribunals and/or inquests to give evidence in support of legal proceedings to secure justice.

Communicate effectively to ensure the right information is gathered, with the ability to influence a range of audiences at all levels using tact, diplomacy, and empathy. This includes stakeholder engagement with other regulators, agencies, and industry, as well as with victims and bereaved families.

Work collaboratively across the team to provide operational input to policy development and act as a coach and mentor others, sharing expertise and knowledge in aid of their development.

Person specification

Regardless of your background or qualification, you need to be committed to improving health and safety in the workplace.

Essential Skills and Criteria:

• Communication skills, enabling you to direct and collaborate with others, as well as the ability to influence change at all levels (including dealing effectively with challenging situations e.g. unreceptive or confrontational audiences).
• Analytical skills; you are able to critically review information, identify significant findings, draw conclusions/recommendations and articulate this clearly and concisely (both verbally and in written reports).
• The ability to plan, change and adapt to multiple/competing workstreams whilst delivering at pace.
• Experience making effective decisions with confidence, taking the initiative and handling challenging situations/stakeholders.
• Commitment to your learning and development, with the ability to proactively manage your own learning needs, continually seeking and acting on feedback to evaluate and improve performance.

Licences

You must hold a full UK driving licence at the time of applying, unless a case for reasonable adjustments can be made under the Equality Act 2010. Should a reasonable adjustment be required, please answer yes to this criterion. Please note we will request a copy of your driving licence to complete pre-employment checks.

Qualifications

A minimum of a 2:2 degree in any subject or a higher qualification (e.g. Masters) or level 6 equivalent, or a level 10 Scottish equivalent.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £38,005, Health and Safety Executive contributes £11,010 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
• Family friendly policies and working hours to help balance your home life and career
• Carer friendly policies to help create a supportive working culture
• 25 days annual holiday increasing to 30 days after 5 years' service, plus bank holidays and 1-day Civil Service privilege leave
• Parental leave benefits
• As a member of HSE you will gain access to a wide range of fantastic benefits that you can take advantage of such as the Cycle to Work Scheme, E-Gift Cards and Vouchers via our partner EdenRed.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Ability and Experience.

Stage 1 - Application form including Civil Service Tests and Personal Statement

Upon submitting your short application form, you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Judgement Test and a Work Based Strengths Test. Please complete the online tests as soon as possible, within 24-48 hours is recommended, to allow time to complete your full application. If you successfully pass the Judgement test, you will then be invited to complete the Work Based Strengths test. If you pass both tests you will then be invited to the final stage of your application. You must complete the online tests and your full application form by 2nd March at midday (12:00). If you fail to complete the online tests and full application form before the deadline, your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the tests will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.

Please note there will be maintenance for online tests on Sunday 15th February (midday to 1pm) and Sunday 1st March (4pm to midnight). Your progress will be saved, and you will be able to continue once the tests are available again.

Should you pass both tests, you will then be asked to complete a Personal Statement (up to 1000 words). This should demonstrate how you meet the essential skills and criteria listed in the advert.

Application Guidance

Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply and how to complete a Personal Statement About the application process , Civil Service Careers

Stage 2 – Digital Knockout Exercises (sift stage)

Following the closing of the advert on 2nd March you will be invited to the digital knockout exercises. The exercises will be held 13th -20th March.

Stage 3 - Assessment of Digital Knockout Exercises and Personal Statement (sift stage)

Should you pass the benchmark for digital knockout exercises, we will then assess your Personal Statement. Results for this stage are planned to be released week commencing 4th May.

Stage 4 - Written Exercise and Interview

If you are successful at achieving the benchmark for your Personal Statement, you will then be invited to take part in a face-to-face assessment at an HSE office where you will be required to:

• Review a case study and deliver a short presentation linked to that case study (scored)
• Attend a face-to-face interview which will consist of Strengths and the 4 Behaviours advertised (scored)

Interviews are scheduled from week commencing 11th May - 12th June.

Interview Locations

Interviews will be held at regional HSE office locations, please see the lists below of which locations this will cover. You will be invited to the regional office that relates to your location preference on your application form:

1. Glasgow (covering Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness and Aberdeen)
2. London (covering London, Norwich, Chelmsford, Ashford, Oxted, Basingstoke)
3. Cardiff (covering Cardiff, Bristol, Plymouth, Carmarthen)
4. Leeds (covering Leeds, Newcastle, Sheffield)
5. Bootle (covering Bootle, Wrexham, Crewe, Carlisle)
6. Birmingham (covering Birmingham, Nottingham, Milton Keynes)

The above interview locations may be subject to change, but HSE will ensure that travel from advertised Base locations to interview sites will be appropriate and reasonable.

Please note that we are unable to reimburse candidates for any travel or accommodation expenses in relation to the interview.

Sift and interview dates are subject to change depending on panel availability.

Further Information

Candidates will be appointed in merit order by location. You will also have the opportunity to confirm your division preference on your application form. Please note we will appoint to your preferred division where possible, although this will be dependent on business need. Offers will be made to candidates when posts become available.

Please note that you can choose a second location, but please only select the location you are able to travel to as you may be offered this in the event that your 1st choice is not available.

Please note that a Reserve List will be held for the period of up to 12 months. There is no guarantee you will be offered a role from our reserve lists, so if you see a vacancy on Civil Service Jobs that you are interested in, we recommend you apply.

Sponsorship

This role is not open to application from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system. Should you apply for this role and require sponsorship your application will be rejected, and any provisional offers of employment will be withdrawn.

HSE reserve the right to conduct additional checks, including Google and social media checks, when recruiting candidates into a role within HSE. These checks will be carried out in line with the Civil Service Commission Principles and, if used all candidates will be subject to these additional checks.

From 23rd June 2025, if you are successful at interview, as part of your pre-employment checks, HSE’s Recruitment Team are required to check your details against the Internal Fraud Hub (IFH), using your personal details – name, NINO, and date of birth. If you are included on the database, you will be refused employment. If you believe that there has been an error in the inclusion of your data and wish to make an appeal, please contact the CO email box internal.fraud@cabinetoffice.gov.uk . Details of the types of internal fraud/dishonesty covered by this process are defined by the Cabinet Office and can be found here Internal Fraud Register privacy notice - GOV.UK

It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful in their application. For a summary of HSE terms and conditions as part of Civil Service Reform, please see the attached HSE Terms and Conditions document.

Progression through pay ranges is subject to annual pay awards as permitted within annual Civil Service pay remit guidance and negotiations with Trade Unions.

HSE is proud to be a part of the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS). As a Disability Confident employer, we positively welcome applications from disabled people. We are committed to making workplace adjustments to ensure anyone can participate in the recruitment and selection process.

If, during the application or interview process, you require any assistance due to a disability or a medical condition, please contact us at the email address below to discuss how we can support you. For example, if you have a disability, and you need an application form in an alternative format or you would like to know more about our recruitment process, please contact: HR.Resourcing-Team@hse.gov.uk

If successful in securing your role, HSE can provide suitable workplace adjustments to support you throughout your career with HSE.

Any move to HSE from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility here Best Start in Life - Best Start in Life.

Please note, if you are a current civil servant and you are currently undergoing any of the following formal actions your application will not be progressed any further; Formal discipline action, any formal action regarding attendance, poor performance or any restriction of duties as a result of disciplinary action.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : traineeinspectorrecruitment@hse.gov.uk
• Email : traineeinspectorrecruitment@hse.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : traineeinspectorrecruitment@hse.gov.uk

Further information

If you believe that Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition have not been met you can raise a complaint by emailing: HR.Resourcing-Team@hse.gov.uk or by writing to HSE at the following address: HSE Resourcing Team, 2.3 Redgrave Court, Merton Road, Bootle, Merseyside, L20 7HS. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact Civil Service commissioners: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/code/civilservicecode…

Attachments

HSE Terms and Conditions - CSJ Advert Annex Opens in new window (pdf, 116kB)Candidate Information Pack - Trainee Inspector (External) Opens in new window (pdf, 1597kB)Welsh Advert - B4 Trainee Inspector of Health and Safety (External) Opens in new window (pdf, 166kB)Welsh Candidate Information Pack - Trainee Inspector (External) Opens in new window (pdf, 1592kB)