Chemical Hygiene & Laboratory Safety Officer

Chemical Hygiene & Laboratory Safety Officer

Location: Richmond, CA
Employment Type: Full-time, temporary assignment with an anticipated duration of approximately one year and potential for permanent hire
Schedule: Day Shift | On-Site
Contract: 12-month initial contract with strong potential for extension or permanent employment
Pay: $55–$65/hr, based on experience
Travel: Up to 10%

We are seeking an experienced Chemical Hygiene & Laboratory Safety professional to support a large public health laboratory in Richmond, California.

This is a unique opportunity for a safety, laboratory, environmental health, or compliance professional to take on a broad role focused on laboratory safety, chemical hygiene, regulatory compliance, risk management, employee safety, training, and program development.

The Chemical Hygiene & Laboratory Safety Officer will serve as a key resource for laboratory leadership and staff, helping ensure that laboratory operations are safe, compliant, and aligned with applicable regulatory requirements and industry best practices.

You will work across multiple laboratory divisions and facilities and collaborate with clinical laboratory professionals, public health microbiologists, research scientists, laboratory managers, and organizational leadership.

This role is particularly well suited for someone who enjoys working at the intersection of laboratory operations, safety, compliance, and program management and wants to have a meaningful impact on laboratory safety across a large organization.

• Take on a broad laboratory safety and compliance role supporting a large public health laboratory.
• Work beyond day-to-day bench responsibilities and have an organization-wide impact.
• Develop expertise in chemical hygiene, laboratory safety, regulatory compliance, and risk management.
• Work with a variety of laboratory environments, scientific disciplines, and specialized operations.
• Serve as a trusted technical resource for laboratory leadership and staff.
• Develop and deliver safety training to laboratory professionals and other employees.
• Help develop and implement laboratory safety programs and procedures.
• Opportunity for contract extension and/or transition into a permanent position.

• Develop, implement, and maintain laboratory safety and chemical hygiene programs across multiple laboratory facilities.
• Evaluate laboratory procedures, workflows, equipment, and work environments to identify potential safety hazards and risks.
• Conduct hazard, exposure, and risk assessments and recommend appropriate controls.
• Provide guidance on the safe handling, storage, transportation, and disposal of chemicals, clinical specimens, environmental samples, and other hazardous materials.
• Help develop and maintain procedures related to hazardous chemicals, controlled substances, select agents, radioactive materials, and other high-risk materials.
• Research applicable regulatory requirements and industry best practices and translate them into practical laboratory procedures.
• Identify opportunities to improve laboratory safety, reduce risk, and minimize hazardous waste.
• Help standardize safety practices across multiple laboratory departments and facilities.
• Participate in laboratory inspections, audits, and safety assessments.

• Assist with investigations involving laboratory accidents, exposures, injuries, near misses, and other safety incidents.
• Conduct or support root-cause analyses and develop investigation reports and corrective action plans.
• Partner with laboratory leadership to identify contributing factors and implement corrective actions.
• Monitor follow-up activities to ensure corrective actions and safety improvements are effectively implemented.
• Maintain appropriate safety documentation and records.
• Stay current on regulatory and safety requirements affecting clinical, research, and public health laboratories.

• Serve as a safety resource and technical advisor to laboratory managers, branch leadership, research scientists, and laboratory staff.
• Support laboratory safety committees and organization-wide safety initiatives.
• Develop, review, and update laboratory-specific policies, procedures, and safety programs.
• Coordinate safety projects, drills, emergency response planning, and other laboratory safety initiatives.
• Collaborate with internal departments and external public health…