Construction Safety Specialist

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory • Berkeley, CA

5h • Onsite

About The Position

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is hiring a Construction Safety Specialist within the Environment, Health, and Safety division.
Working under the Operations Support Team, this position provides occupational health and safety support for construction and maintenance projects to support the Laboratory’s mission in research, operations, institutional stewardship, and capital projects. The role applies health and safety knowledge to ensure compliance with applicable health and safety requirements and that all work is performed safely and in an environmentally sound manner. Responsibilities include providing occupational health and construction safety field assessments, monitoring and sampling activities in support of asbestos and lead projects, and other EHS program support. Additionally, the role involves interdisciplinary collaboration with various EHS departments.
In this role, the Construction Safety Specialist will ensure compliance with applicable regulations while fostering a proactive safety culture across the organization. This role requires analytical and problem-solving skills, effective communication, and the ability to collaborate across teams.
Why join Berkeley Lab?
We invest in our employees by offering a total rewards package you can count on:
Exceptional health and retirement benefits, including pension or 401K-style plans
A culture where you’ll belong - we are invested in our teams!
In addition to accruing vacation and sick time, we also have a Winter Holiday Shutdown every year.
Parental bonding leave (for both mothers and fathers)
Pet insurance

Requirements

• Level 2
• Generally requires a B.S. with 5 years of experience, an M.S. with 1–3 years, or a Ph.D. with up to 1 year. Equivalent combinations of education and experience will be considered.
• Applies working knowledge of health & safety regulations, LBNL policies, and safety systems (e.g., SBN) to moderate-risk activities.
• Conducts hazard assessments for construction risks (e.g., fall protection, silica, noise, chemical exposure).
• Performs IH sampling and analysis (e.g., IAQ, asbestos) and prepares reports and database entries.
• Reviews contractor safety programs and field activities for compliance with LBNL standards.
• Analyzes risks and implements practical mitigation solutions within established procedures.
• Communicates technical information through reports, updates, and field engagement.
• Works with general supervision; escalates complex issues as needed.
• Level 3
• Typically require a B.S. with 7 years of experience, an M.S. with 3–5 years, or a Ph.D. with 1–3 years, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Applies advanced expertise in health & safety regulations, LBNL policies, and safety systems to complex, high-risk projects.
• Leads comprehensive hazard assessments and field diagnostics, integrating IH data and regulatory requirements.
• Provides expert review of contractor safety programs and ensures compliance with LBNL-wide standards.
• Develops and implements solutions to complex safety challenges using independent judgment.
• Translates technical data into clear reports and influences safety performance through strong field communication.
• Collaborates across disciplines and project phases, promoting a customer-focused safety approach.
• Exercises independent authority in the field, including work stoppage decisions and corrective actions.
• Serves as a technical resource while supporting broader EHS programs and initiatives.
• Works independently under very general direction.
• Ability to perform the physical requirements of this position including field activity involving: minor lifting (up to 25 lbs); frequent standing and walking; climbing stairs; inspecting equipment requiring reaching with hands and arms and use of hands to handle or feel; frequently stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. Incumbent is required to wear a wide-variety of personal protective equipment, consistent with a hands-on safety professional. This is a field health and safety position and will require approximately 25%25 in all weather conditions as well as require extensive walking, climbing, working at various heights, work on construction sites with poor footing and other construction hazards.
• Must be able to work in all weather conditions and requires extensive walking, climbing, working at various heights, work on construction sites with poor footing and other construction hazards.

Nice To Haves

• Certificates & licenses may vary with EHS professional level (e.g., CAC, CDPH, CIH, CSP).

Responsibilities

• Serve as a construction safety professional providing hands-on field work for occupational health and safety support and technical assurance for construction and maintenance projects.
• Review contractor health and safety programs and submittals for requisite health and safety considerations.
• Conduct written qualitative and quantitative hazard evaluations and assessments and provide recommendations and options to prevent exposures to safety hazards.
• Review construction and maintenance projects in a hands-on, in-the-field manner from a technical assurance perspective, identifying hazards and implementing appropriate controls using the SBN system.
• Provide health and safety support to customer division(s) relative to safety policies/initiatives.
• Develop and maintain a working relationship with customers including, but not limited to, scientists, building managers, engineers, subcontractors, maintenance and facilities personnel in both individual and group settings.
• Infuse a customer service-oriented philosophy to all interactions within LBNL.
• Support Facilities Project Management on health and safety issues primarily during construction phases of projects, but may also include design, planning stages.
• Attend periodic meetings with customers to assure their needs and those of the Department / Division are addressed. Ensure timely and accurate communication to customers and EHS staff. Report unresolved issues to the Operations Support Team.
• Complete job-related tasks with verification from the Operations Support Team.
• Provide timely activity/project status reports with regards to customer issues, and other deliverables.
• Stay abreast of current Berkeley Lab and EHS Program Health and Safety Policies.
• Provide accurate written reports to applicable standards and ensure that this information is entered into the industrial hygiene database as applicable.
• Attend regularly scheduled Team, Department and Division meetings.
• Maintain familiarity with other program areas within the Operations Support Team and provide support to these program areas as needed.
• Programs may include, but are not limited to: asbestos sampling, subcontractor safety oversight assurance support, noise monitoring, indoor air quality, fall protection, chemical exposure monitoring, mercury spill response and clean-up, lab decommissioning support, and provide general qualitative and quantitative hazard assessments and IH data entry / report writing.

Benefits

• Exceptional health and retirement benefits, including pension or 401K-style plans
• A culture where you’ll belong - we are invested in our teams!
• In addition to accruing vacation and sick time, we also have a Winter Holiday Shutdown every year.
• Parental bonding leave (for both mothers and fathers)
• Pet insurance

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees