Environmental Health and Safety Specialist

JOB SUMMARY

Perform technical work and assist in the development and coordination of the District’s environmental health, and safety programs; provide highly responsible and technical staff assistance; schedule, plan and conduct environmental health, and safety inspections of District facilities; and ensure District compliance with federal, state and county regulations.

ESSENTIAL:

• Conduct ergonomic evaluations as required and submit them to appropriate managers.
• Provide assistance to District personnel in areas related to hazardous materials and safety, respond to a variety of difficult complaints from internal and external sources, and research and document requests for information in the field of environmental health and safety.
• Assist in the development, communication, and facilitation, of District environmental health, and safety programs, including District rules, policies, and procedures.
• Research and appraise the degree of environmental health, and safety program compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations and recommend changes in the design of the various programs to meet new environmental health, and safety standards to appropriate management personnel.
• Plan, develop, organize, coordinate, direct, and evaluate environmental health, and safety programs and advise key managerial personnel on courses of action affecting District operations, work processes and environmental conditions with impact on the safety and efficiency of personnel.
• Coordinate, schedule, and conduct training for First Aid/CPR, hearing conservation, forklift operations, hazardous waste operations, health, and other adopted programs.
• Establish and maintain professional relationships with individuals in and outside the District.
• Investigate accidents/incidents, obtain statements from witnesses, and photograph accident/incident scenes; record circumstances of accidents/incidents and extent of injuries, and prepare a final report of findings with recommendations to correct the unsafe acts or conditions which caused the personnel injury or property damage.

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS CORE FUNCTIONS

• Schedule, plan, and conduct environmental inspections of District facilities, equipment, and personal protective equipment, and distribute findings to appropriate management personnel for corrective action. Remove employees from areas that are deemed immediately dangerous to life and health.
• Manage the operations of the Hazardous Waste Storage Building.
• Coordinate hazardous waste acceptance, sampling, labeling, storage, manifesting, transportation, and disposal, and prepare required reports and documents in compliance with applicable environmental regulations and safety requirements.
• Monitor and operate within the current budget.
• Advise managers on the proper clean-up levels for hazardous material spills. Assist and accompany inspectors from governmental agencies that audit the District in the realm of environmental health and safety.
• Collect, track, compute, and summarize relevant factual information in connection with compliance reviews in chart and narrative form.
• Serve as a site auditor to accomplish on-site surveillance of disposal contractors, and facilities for the temporary storage of hazardous waste throughout a multi-state area. Obtain information on contractors, storage facility operations and processes; determine compliance with environmental regulations and policies, permit requirements, contract clauses; evaluate the effectiveness of hazardous waste management systems; and recommend approval or disapproval of said facilities.

SAFETY CORE FUNCTIONS

• Inspect worksites to insure that work is done in accordance with the Injury and Illness Prevention Program and safe work practices.
• Research laws, regulations, policies, and procedures related to safety to sufficiently interpret and explain the reasons and purposes for applying measures and procedures in minimizing or abating safety hazards.
• Inspect and observe safety conditions and employee performance patterns to identify hazards, detect risk, determine causal relationships, and recommend corrective procedures where the potential for injury or property damage exists. Influence, motivate, and encourage individuals to adopt or comply with safety standards, practices, and procedures.
• Assist and accompany inspectors from governmental agencies that audit the District in the realm of environmental health, and safety.
• Conduct periodic safety inspections of District facilities.
• Provide formal/informal instruction to work leaders and employees covering a variety of safety subjects including mishap prevention and safe working practices.
• Analyze accident and injury reports, study data to discover trends and causes, and develop recommendations for eliminating or mitigating the hazards detected.
• Interview supervisors and employees for information on specific working conditions to evaluate the total worksite environment.
• Develop educational material and promote safety awareness, coordinate…