Lead – HSE High-Risk Prevention

Lead – HSE High-Risk Prevention

Position Reference #: 32214

Company Overview: 

Our hiring client is a global civil engineering company based all across Canada and US. The company is currently looking for a strong bilingual Lead- HSE High-Risk Prevention to join their senior /executive team based in Quebec.

Job Title:

Lead- HSE High-Risk Prevention

Employment Type: 

Full-Time/Permanent & Hybrid

Compensation Range:

This position is senior/director level with a very attractive salary  and benefits including:

  • Full Benefits (extended health & dental, and more)
  • Educational/tuition reimbursements 
  • Group RRSP 
  • 5% pension matching
  • Business mileage reimbursement
  • Company Stock Purchase program
  • 4-5 weeks of vacation
  • Hybrid working arrangements
  • Paid time off in December 
  • And more

Role Summary:

Reporting to the Canadian Senior Director HSE, the Lead- HSE High-Risk Prevention focuses on preventing the potential of serious injuries/illnesses & fatalities (pSIFs) that could arise in the course of the activities performed by the company’s employees, and its subcontractors.  

The Lead – HSE High-Risk Prevention Programs ensures that the company’s program for each of the pSIF activities is meeting best practices, regulatory & clients’ requirements, are implemented diligently, and are continuously improved in light of innovation, whether technical or managerial.

The Lead – HSE High-Risk Prevention Programs, measures the suitability, adequacy, and effectiveness of the high-risk prevention programs that make up the HSE Management system at achieving the following principles: the HSE High-Risk Prevention Program is expected to use tools from the continuous improvement toolbox to select the priorities to address as well as to modify the programs. 

  • The company’s HSE Management System is the framework for its Operations to implement countermeasures to eliminate and minimize as low as reasonably practicable the HSE Risks associated with their activities and those of their subcontractors.  The countermeasures implemented must meet the company’s own requirements, as well as those arising from regulatory bodies and the company’s own clients, when specified.
  • For a strong safety culture to flourish, employees must know and see what actions are to be implemented to realize the company’s HSE Policy.  The Management System must therefore clearly spell out the risk prevention actions that  employees, at all levels, are expected to implement:
    • All routine tasks and all projects which contain high-risk activities (significant OHS hazard and/or significant environmental aspect) are subject to a formal risk assessment and determination of countermeasures (controls).
    • Controls are selected according to the Hierarchy of Controls (HoC), aiming to eliminate the hazards/env. aspects, and when not possible, combining controls in descending order of effectiveness to minimize the risks as low as reasonably practicable.
    • The effectiveness of controls and their adherence is measured, monitored, and/or observed, not presumed
    • Employees are given the tools, resources, and training to safely do their jobs, as identified in the HoC
    • Events (incident, non-compliance, & near-miss) reporting is encouraged as an opportunity to learn about the deficiencies of the controls, not as a way to find culprits
    • The HSE Team assesses the actual/potential severity and the frequency of the events.  Those found significant are investigated and analyzed using a robust root cause analysis process, which aims at implementing effective corrective action to eliminate the identified systemic causes
    • Employees at all levels & functions are consulted and participate in the identification of hazards/significant env. aspects & determination of their controls, their evaluation of performance, and their improvement, and events investigation
    • Managers and Leaders go to the Gemba (location of the actual work) to observe how the work is done, how risks are identified and mitigated through the hierarchy of controls and verify with the workers if the means are their disposal are sufficient, adequate & effective
    • Contractors’ & third-parties hazards are identified & assessed; their significant risks are controlled as they arise for their activities & operation that impact employees, as they impact their own employees & other interested parties

The Lead – HSE High-Risk Prevention Programs together with his/her team of Specialists, work collaboratively with HSE Risk Prevention Advisors in committees, Operations, and relevant shared services to improve the high-risk programs.

The Lead – HSE High-Risk Prevention Programs, specifically owns the following processes: 

  • High-Risk Programs (those addressing the company’s Global Eight Critical Risks + other relevant to the company’s Canada activities)
  • Radiation Safety
  • Industrial Hygiene
  • Inherent Safety in Design
  • Technological Watch
  • Risk Assessment
  • Management of Change
  • Root Cause Analysis

This position develops the competence & aptitude of his team through continuous learning, feedback on their performance, and coaching on areas to improve.

The Lead – HSE High-Risk Prevention Programs is also the Business Line Partner of one or more Business Line(s), which accompanies its Leaders in setting and implementing their annual HSE Action Plan, comprising their leading & lagging HSE indicators, as well as their continuous improvement projects.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities Specific duties and responsibilities include

  • Overall responsibility that high risks are managed according to the hierarchy of controls with aiming to eliminate the hazards/env. aspects, and when not possible, combining controls in descending order of effectiveness to minimize the risks as low as reasonably practicable
  • RCA Program Champion: Organising the facilitation by competent Analysts of investigation and root cause analysis of the Significant Events, as determined collaboratively with the Lead – C.I. of the HSE System & Performance.  The output of the RCA process are action items that address the systemic causes of the significant events, and they are fed back to the Lead – C.I. of the HSE System & Performance, for prioritization and tracking of implementation.
  • For all processes owned (see above), assess their adequacy, suitability, effectiveness, implement improvements if necessary, and maintain while measuring their PPIs (Process Performance Indicators) to ensure continued adequacy, suitability, effectiveness
  • Support the Senior Director HSE Risk Prevention in defining the company’s Canada’s annual overall HSE Strategy.
  • Provide coaching and expertise in HSE to a Business Line Senior Leadership team, guiding them in the development of their annual HSE Plan and monitoring their successful implementation.

People Leadership

  • Provide strong leadership and effective mentorship, coaching, and guidance to the C.I. of the HSE System & Performance team.
  • Be a change agent who leads by example, for his/her own team as well as for internal & external clients; apply change management best practices if facing resistance to change.
  • Be responsible for aspects of people management including but not limited to: recruitment, compensation, succession, performance management, talent, and leadership development.

To be considered for this role, the  “Lead- HSE High-Risk Prevention”  must have the following qualification:

  • Undergraduate degree in a related discipline (Engineering, OHS, Environment), and master’s degree in OHS/Environment (optional)
  • Designation of Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP)
  • Lean expertise (training provided by the company if the candidate does not have the equivalent of Lean Certification)
  • Minimum 15 years of experience, five of which in a leadership position in HSE, preferably integrated with Quality Management
  • Comprehensive knowledge of HSE legislation, occupational HSE compliance requirements, and regulatory structure in all Canadian jurisdictions
  • Expertise and knowledge of best-in-class HSE programs, standards, processes and requirements, risk assessment processes and techniques, and training in hazard recognition, assessment, and control
  • Experience insignificant incident investigation & Root Cause Analysis

Skills & attributes 

  • Strong HSE Technical knowledge, knowing the theory and the challenges of putting it into practice
  • Propensity to benchmark against best practices, irrespective of the industry, and continuously improve one’s knowledge
  • Customer-focused, understanding that the ultimate clients of HSE Risk Prevention Processes are the field workers and Project Managers
  • Champion of simplicity without sacrificing thoroughness & rigorousness
  • Great networking skills, able to work at multiple levels of the organization, from field team members to Senior Leadership
  • Active coach, actively giving and seeking constructive feedback
  • Problem-solver, coaching employees at all levels & third parties to find solutions that eliminate the systemic root causes of the problems 
  • Delivering fact-based and well-structured messages in a range of different formats, e.g. presentation, written messages, safety pauses, etc.

Placement in the Organization

  • Reports to the Canadian Senior Director HSE.  Key internal clients are Business Lines Operations (BLs VP Operations, Directors, Project Managers, and their employees at all levels).  
  • Required to travel occasionally across Canada to office locations and to project sites to visit team/internal clients/external clients, and to perform significant root cause analysis.

How to apply?

You can  also apply by submitting your resume directly online on our website (www.qeosh.ca) or email it to info@www.qeosh.ca 

Please indicate the position reference number in your email subject line.

QEOSH Staffing & Recruitment Inc. is Canada’s Exclusive Health & Safety Staffing & Recruitment. We are dedicated to employment equity and encourage applications from people of all genders, persons with disabilities, racial/visible minorities, and indigenous peoples. At QEOSH, we are committed to accommodating applicants with disabilities throughout the hiring process, in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).