Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Coordinator

About the role

The OHS Coordinator holds senior specialist responsibility for the occupational health and safety function across Yarram and District Health Service. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the position leads the development, implementation, coordination, review and continuous improvement of the organisation's OHS management system — spanning physical and psychosocial health — in line with the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic), its Regulations, applicable Compliance Codes and relevant standards. The position is the organisation's principal source of authoritative OHS advice. It designs and coordinates the systems, policies and processes that keep employees, consumers, contractors, volunteers and visitors safe; drives a positive and just safety culture; ensures the organisation meets its consultation and hazard-management duties; and administers the YDHS injury management and return-to-work program so that workers are supported to recover and safely return to work.

Key responsibilities

• Develop, implement, coordinate, review and continuously improve the YDHS OHS management system, policies, procedures and objectives

• Provide authoritative, contemporary OHS advice to the Board, CEO, Executive, managers and employees, and lead organisation-wide safety improvement initiatives

• Act as Secretary to the OHS Committee; set agendas, maintain records and drive closure of agreed actions

• Champion a positive, just and reporting-focused safety culture aligned with the YDHS values

• Maintain current, expert knowledge of the OHS Act 2004 (Vic), OHS Regulations 2017 (Vic), OHS (Psychological Health) Regulations 2025 (Vic), applicable Compliance Codes, WorkSafe guidance and relevant Codes of Practice

• Monitor legislative and regulatory change, assess organisational impact, and lead the changes needed to maintain compliance

• Act as the primary liaison with WorkSafe Victoria, including managing notifiable incidents, entry by inspectors, and responses to improvement or prohibition notices

• Establish and maintain systems to identify hazards and to assess, control, monitor and review risks across all YDHS sites and activities

• Lead the organisation's management of psychosocial risk in line with the Occupational Health and Safety (Psychological Health) Regulations 2025 (Vic)

• Maintain effective consultation arrangements and consult employees and Health and Safety Representatives on matters that affect their health and safety

About you

• Tertiary qualification in occupational health and safety, or a related discipline, and/or extensive relevant experience commensurate with a senior specialist OHS role

• Demonstrated experience leading an OHS function, ideally in a health, aged care or comparably regulated environment

• Contemporary, expert knowledge of Victorian OHS legislation, regulations, Compliance Codes and Codes of Practice, including the OHS (Psychological Health) Regulations 2025 and psychosocial risk management

• Demonstrated ability to design, implement and continuously improve an OHS management system, policies and procedures

• Sound knowledge of workers' compensation, rehabilitation and return-to-work obligations under the WIRC Act 2013 (Vic)

• Proven ability to identify hazards, assess and control risk, and lead incident investigation and root-cause analysis

• Strong consultation, influencing and negotiation skills, with the ability to work with and gain the commitment of staff at all levels

• Ability to plan, prioritise and independently deliver key activities and projects, and to manage assigned resources and budget

• Well-developed written and verbal communication skills, including report writing for governance audiences

• Current Victorian driver's licence

About us

Yarram and District Health Service (YDHS) is based in Yarram, 220 kilometres south-east of Melbourne on the South Gippsland Highway in rural Victoria. We provide our community with acute inpatient services, dialysis, urgent care, residential aged care, respite care, primary health, community services and an integrated health care centre. Our consumers and community are at the core of every decision we make. YDHS strives to attract and retain the best employees to provide an exceptional service to our community, to promote and develop opportunities for local people, and to embed a culture that encourages innovation, leadership and collaboration. Our vision is for YDHS to be a respected and caring partner in a strong community. Our mission is to work with our community and our partners to improve health and wellbeing. We live by our I.C.A.R.E values: Integrity, Collaboration, Acceptance, Respect, Enthusiasm.

What’s on offer 

• Diverse service.
• Salary packaging up to $9,000 per annum.
• Meals/Entertainment benefit up to $2,650 per annum.

• Free access to a brand-new state of the art, onsite gymnasium.
• Brand new onsite Cafe.
• Experienced and friendly team to offer support at all times.
• Access to continuing professional development to improve skills and knowledge.
• Beautiful location - Yarram is a major hub for surrounding areas. 

Diversity and inclusion

We embrace workforce diversity and actively encourage applications from across our community including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with linguistically diverse backgrounds, people of all genders and gender identities and people with disabilities.