Working collaboratively with colleagues and industry partners, the Occupational Health and Hygiene Specialist will help develop and deliver initiatives that promote both physical and psychological health, supporting the creation of healthier, safer and more resilient working environments. The role will focus on priority industry health issues including noise, vibration, welding fume, respiratory hazards, fatigue risk and musculoskeletal disorders. Through this work, they will contribute to a preventative, evidence-based approach that protects workforce health and supports the delivery of the Rail Health and Safety Strategy.

This role is based at RSSB’s Fenchurch Avenue office, with hybrid working available. The closing date for applications is 19 October 2026, with interviews scheduled to take place at the Fenchurch Avenue office during the week commencing 26 October 2026.

Responsibilities

The Occupational Health and Hygiene Specialist will:

• 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, including health risk profiling, exposure assessment and control verification.
• Support the application of health surveillance and monitoring approaches where exposure risks remain, enabling the 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 technical projects and research activities by providing occupational health and hygiene expertise, including data, evidence and industry best practice.
• Assist in developing standards, guidance and practical tools to help organisations comply with legislation and improve the management of occupational health risks.
• Ensure the value and benefits of interventions can be quantified and evaluated.
• Work collaboratively 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 preventative and system-wide approach to workforce health.
• Support industry members and clients in understanding occupational health risks and implementing proportionate control measures.
• Contribute to continuous improvement through innovation, data utilisation and shared learning to strengthen occupational health risk management across the industry.

Essential Requirements

Candidates should possess:

• Experience within a safety-critical industry such as rail, construction, infrastructure or heavy engineering, with a strong understanding of occupational health risks and working environments.
• A relevant academic or professional qualification in occupational health, occupational hygiene or a related discipline.
• Knowledge of occupational health risk management principles, including the identification, assessment and control of chemical, physical and biological hazards.
• Practical experience assessing workplace exposures, including noise, vibration, welding fume, respiratory and musculoskeletal hazards.
• Understanding of relevant UK legislation and standards, including COSHH Regulations, the Control of Noise at Work Regulations and the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations.
• Experience supporting risk-based approaches to health management, including data interpretation and identifying appropriate control measures.
• The ability to translate technical information into practical guidance for non-specialists.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with an evidence-based approach.
• Effective communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to work collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams.
• An understanding of health surveillance principles and their application in preventing occupational ill health.
• A proactive and collaborative approach to achieving team objectives.
• A strong sense of accountability, with the ability to take ownership of tasks, resolve issues and identify opportunities for improvement.

Desirable Requirements

• Membership of, or progress towards membership of, a recognised professional body such as the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) or the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF).
• Experience within the rail industry and an understanding of rail-specific risk profiles, including track environments, depots, construction and maintenance activities.