Health, Safety & Environment Officer

Location: EMERGENCY Children’s Surgical Hospital – Entebbe, Uganda

Department: Department of Prevention and Protection Service

Reports to: Country Director

Type of Contract: Fixed Term Contract with possibility of renewal

PROFILE OF THE ORGANIZATION

EMERGENCY is an independent Italian organization established in 1994 to provide high-quality, free medical and surgical care to victims of war, landmines and poverty. It promotes a culture of peace, solidarity and respect for human rights. Since April 2021, in partnership with the Uganda Ministry of Health, EMERGENCY has been running the Children’s Surgical Hospital in Entebbe, a specialized pediatric surgical center offering high-quality healthcare services completely free of charge.

Scope

The HSE Officer ensures continuous support to the hospital management in identifying, assessing and managing risks to the health and safety of workers, patients, visitors and other people present in the facility.

It represents the main local operational point of reference for safety and is, for management, “the eyes and the operational arm” within the hospital: it observes activities in the field, detects critical issues and unsafe behaviours, proposes corrective measures and verifies that the agreed actions are actually implemented.

The position operates in compliance with current Ugandan legislation and the organisation’s internal procedures.

The final decision-making responsibility for health and safety remains with the Employer and the competent management.

Main responsibilities

The responsibilities of the HSE Officer include:

• Collaborate in the assessment of the risks present in the hospital and in the periodic updating of the related documentation.
• Carry out both scheduled and unannounced inspections in the wards, in the health services and in the technical and logistical areas.
• Identify hazards, non-compliances and unsafe behaviors, proposing preventive and corrective measures.
• Prepare and update improvement plans, recording responsibilities, deadlines and the status of implementation of actions.
• Plan, deliver and monitor mandatory health, safety, environmental and radiation protection training for health and non-health personnel, including specific training (firefighting, first aid, patient handling, biohazard, safe use of X-ray equipment).
• Monitor biological hazards from exposure to blood and biological fluids, infectious agents, aerosols, contaminated material, and sharps or puncture wounds.
• Check for proper handling of needles, sharps, medical waste, contaminated linen and potentially infectious materials.
• Control the handling of chemicals, disinfectants, laboratory reagents, hazardous drugs, safety data sheets and related PPE.
• Monitor the risks associated with electrical systems, generators, autoclaves, electro-medical equipment, medical gases, oxygen, fuels and work equipment.
• Check fire safety conditions, escape routes, emergency exits, fire extinguishers, signs and evacuation procedures, periodically organizing exercises.
• Assess ergonomic hazards, manual handling of patients and loads, working postures, falls and slips.
• Assess the risks associated with working at height.
• Control the maintenance activities and safe management of suppliers, external companies and contracted workers.
• Verify the safety of logistics, warehouses, loading and unloading operations, storage of materials and internal transport.
• Oversee the safety and hygiene conditions of kitchens, including food storage and preparation, cleaning, biohazard, gas usage, cutting equipment, hot surfaces, and contamination prevention.
• Collaborate in the definition of the necessary PPE and verify its availability, correct use, storage and replacement.
• Record and analyze injuries, accidents, occupational exposures, near misses and dangerous situations, identifying the causes and proposing corrective actions.
• Participate in periodic meetings with local management and with the SPP Department in Italy.
• Prepare specific procedures and instructions in order to create standards on safety and hygiene at work.
• Prepare periodic reports on the safety trend and immediately report situations of serious or imminent danger.
• Promote a culture of safety based on prevention, empowerment and active involvement of workers.
• Ensure compliance with standards and support audits.
• Preparation and maintenance of required environmental authorizations and management of related relationships with the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).
• Promotion of environmental sustainability initiatives and reduction of the ecological impact of the hospital.
• Management and monitoring of water discharges, atmospheric emissions and energy consumption of the structure, in connection with the technical systems
• Support the obtaining and maintenance of licenses/authorizations for the use, possession and management of ionizing radiation sources at the Uganda Atomic Energy Council.
• Periodically check the correct operation and maintenance of shields and radiation protection devices in radiology areas and operating rooms with X-ray equipment.

Requirements

• Diploma or degree in occupational health and safety, environmental health, public health, engineering, health science, or equivalent discipline.
• Specific training in Occupational Health and Safety and willingness to complete an internal course consistent with the requirements for the ASPP function.
• Knowledge of Ugandan legislation on health and safety at work.
• Knowledge of the main risks present in a hospital and of the Infection Prevention and Control measures.
• Preferred experience of at least three years in hospitals, healthcare, humanitarian or complex organizational structures.
• Ability to carry out inspections, risk assessments, accident investigations and field checks.
• Ability to draw up procedures, minutes, reports and improvement plans.
• Good knowledge of written and spoken English.
• Good communication, organizational and training skills.
• Authority, reliability, confidentiality, collaboration skills and an aptitude for practical problem solving.
• Willingness to operate daily in the field and to intervene promptly in the event of an emergency or serious criticality.

HOW TO APPLY

If you meet the above requirements and are interested, you can submit your application in one PDF including detailed Curriculum Vitae, cover letter, academic and professional papers and names of 3 work related Referees with their Email/daytime telephone contacts. Submission can be done personally to EMERGENCY’s office at Plot 120-122 Bishop Dunstan Nsubuga Road – Entebbe, by email to recruitment.uganda@emergency.it

Deadline is 10th November 2026.