Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Health and Safety Administrator

🎯 Role Definition

The Health and Safety Administrator (HSE Administrator) is a detail-oriented, compliance-focused professional who supports the safety management system across the business. This role coordinates day-to-day health and safety administration, maintains accurate safety records, prepares reports and dashboards for senior leadership, facilitates training and induction programs, assists with risk assessments and audits, and ensures timely incident reporting and follow-up. The successful candidate acts as a central point of contact for HSE information, enabling operational teams to meet legal responsibilities and corporate safety objectives.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Health & Safety Assistant / HSE Assistant
Office Administrator with interest in HSE
Facilities Coordinator or HR Administrator with HSE exposure

Advancement To:

Health & Safety Advisor / HSE Advisor
SHEQ Coordinator or Safety Supervisor
Health & Safety Manager / HSE Manager

Lateral Moves:

Compliance Officer (Regulatory Compliance)
Environmental or Sustainability Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Maintain and manage the health and safety management system (paper and electronic), ensuring policies, procedures and records are up to date, version-controlled and accessible to operational teams.
Coordinate and process incident, near-miss and accident reports promptly, conduct initial fact-finding, maintain the incident register, and support formal investigations to root cause level ensuring corrective and preventive actions are tracked to closure.
Prepare and submit statutory reports and notifications (e.g., RIDDOR, OSHA, local regulatory filings) on time and liaise with regulators as required to maintain legal compliance.
Organize, schedule and administer employee HSE inductions, toolbox talks, competency training and refresher courses; maintain training matrices and certificates and escalate gaps to line managers.
Support risk assessment and method statement (RAMS / JSA) processes by collecting documentation, coordinating multidisciplinary reviews, updating libraries of standard controls, and tracking implementation of identified controls.
Coordinate and support internal and external safety audits and inspections (site, contractor and supplier), compile findings, draft corrective action plans and monitor progress toward closure with responsible owners.
Maintain accurate PPE inventories and distribution records; support procurement of HSE equipment and ensure all PPE meets relevant standards and certificates.
Manage permit-to-work systems, hot works permits, confined space entry permits and monitor compliance with permit conditions; maintain permit logs and audit trail.
Produce weekly, monthly and quarterly HSE performance reports and dashboards (key performance indicators such as LTIs, TRIF, MTI, near misses, audit scores) for operational and executive leadership using Excel or BI tools.
Support the implementation and maintenance of ISO 45001 / OHSAS 18001 processes as part of the integrated management system, including document control, corrective actions and continual improvement records.
Coordinate contractor pre-qualification, permit checks and inductions, ensuring contractor HSE documentation is current and contractors operate within agreed safety standards.
Maintain hazardous substances registers (COSHH), ensure safety data sheets (SDS) are available, and coordinate COSHH assessments and storage controls with facilities.
Assist with ergonomic assessments and occupational health referrals; maintain records of health surveillance, vaccinations and medical clearance where required.
Keep up to date with changes in health and safety legislation and best practice; draft communications and toolbox talks to cascade regulatory or policy changes to relevant teams.
Support behavioural safety initiatives and staff engagement programs designed to improve safety culture, including organizing safety committees and recording action items.
Manage and reconcile health and safety budgets for small capital projects and training, track spend and obtain quotes and approvals for HSE suppliers and services.
Administer emergency preparedness activities: maintain emergency contact lists, support the coordination of drills and exercises, and ensure emergency equipment logbooks are up to date.
Maintain and update site-specific health and safety documentation such as site rules, evacuation procedures, signage audits and safety notices.
Coordinate data collection and submission for sustainability or ESG reporting where it intersects with occupational health and safety metrics.
Provide day-to-day frontline HSE support to site teams and managers: answering queries, escalating issues, arranging follow-up meetings and ensuring governance actions are assigned and completed.
Support the development and review of safe systems of work, procedures and operating instructions, ensuring alignment with legal requirements and corporate standards.
Assist with workplace inspections and behavioral observations; record non-conformances, support risk-based prioritization of actions and follow up with responsible parties.
Maintain confidential records of disciplinary or welfare cases related to safety and coordinate with HR for employee relations and return-to-work arrangements after occupational incidents.
Ensure accurate record-keeping for insurance claims and coordinate with insurers and brokers for claims documentation, witness statements and supporting evidence.

Secondary Functions

Support management in preparing dashboards and visualizations for HSE performance using Excel or basic BI tools; respond to ad-hoc data requests from leadership.
Maintain the HSE document library and knowledge base, ensuring quick access for auditors, operations and contractors.
Assist in vendor and supplier due diligence related to HSE capability and insurance documentation.
Contribute to continuous improvement projects by collecting baseline data, tracking pilot results, and documenting lessons learned.
Help coordinate multi-site HSE communications and roll-outs of policy updates, ensuring consistency across regions.
Support procurement and testing of health and safety software tools (EHS / IMS systems), working with IT to configure modules and user access.
Assist HR with onboarding HSE-related elements of employee inductions and role-specific competency documentation.
Provide administrative support for HSE committee meetings: schedule meetings, draft agendas, circulate minutes and monitor action item completion.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Strong working knowledge of occupational health and safety legislation and regulatory reporting (e.g., HSE law, RIDDOR, OSHA principles) relevant to the region.
Practical experience with incident investigation techniques, root cause analysis and corrective action tracking.
Competency in preparing and maintaining risk assessments, method statements (RAMS), COSHH assessments and permit-to-work documentation.
Familiarity with ISO 45001 / OHSAS 18001 principles and practical document control processes for management systems.
Experience using EHS / IMS software platforms (e.g., Enablon, Intelex, SHE Software) or aptitude to administer digital safety systems.
Advanced Microsoft Excel skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, conditional formatting) and ability to build management reports; exposure to Power BI is an advantage.
Ability to prepare clear, audit-ready HSE documentation, policies, procedure manuals and training materials.
Knowledge of PPE standards and experience administering PPE programs and safety equipment inventories.
Understanding of contractor management, pre-qualification processes and supplier safety assurance.
Basic occupational hygiene and health surveillance administration, including record-keeping for vaccinations, medicals and exposure monitoring.

Soft Skills

Excellent attention to detail and high level of accuracy in record-keeping and regulatory submissions.
Strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize multiple safety programs and compliance tasks.
Professional written and verbal communication skills for drafting reports, delivering toolbox talks and liaising with external regulators.
Customer-service mindset with the ability to support operational teams and influence positive safety behaviors.
Problem-solving and analytical mindset to interpret safety trends and recommend pragmatic improvements.
Discretion and ability to manage confidential employee and incident records with sensitivity.
Team player who can collaborate across departments (operations, HR, facilities, procurement) to deliver HSE outcomes.
Resilience and adaptability to support changing operational priorities and emergency response needs.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent; vocational qualification in health & safety administration or related field preferred.

Preferred Education:

Certificate or Diploma in Occupational Health & Safety (e.g., NEBOSH General Certificate, IOSH Managing Safely) or equivalent.
Additional training or coursework in ISO 45001, incident investigation, or relevant regulatory compliance.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Occupational Health & Safety
Environmental Health
Environmental Science
Engineering (Mechanical, Civil, Industrial)
Facilities Management / Health Services Administration

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1–4 years in an HSE administrative, coordination or assistant role supporting safety compliance in construction, manufacturing, facilities or facilities services.

Preferred: 2–5+ years experience administering health & safety systems, managing incident reporting and supporting audits; demonstrable experience with regulatory reporting and HSE software is advantageous.