Environmental Health and Safety Specialist

Turlock Irrigation District•Turlock, CA

About The Position

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.

Requirements

Associate’s degree from an accredited college, preferably with coursework in occupational health, safety, industrial hygiene, hazardous material, or related field. Additional qualifying experience may be substituted for education.
Three years of recent work experience which provides a general knowledge of environmental health, safety, hazardous materials/waste principles, techniques, practices and program development.
Ability to interact and communicate effectively orally and in writing with all levels of District employees.
Able to maintain professional relationships with those contacted during the course of work.
Able to work independently and maintain confidentiality.
Maintain a positive work atmosphere by acting and communicating in a manner so that you get along with customers, clients, co-workers and management.
Knowledge of modern office software programs, procedures, methods and computer equipment.
Knowledge of fundamentals of related federal, state and county regulations that pertain to safety, hazardous materials/waste.
Knowledge of fundamentals in methods and techniques of research, statistical analysis, and report presentation.
Assist in the maintenance of computer maintained files of all District environmental health and safety programs, and records.
Must be able to respond to hazardous and/or stressful situations at a moment's notice.
Must be able to make independent decisions that could affect employee safety and the District’s liabilities.
Recommend corrective measures in the areas of environmental health, and safety.
Knowledge of job hazard analysis and other analytical techniques sufficient to perform accident investigations; identify causal factors through interviews and the study of the sequence of accident events.
Practical knowledge of the methods, principles, and techniques of ergonomics sufficient to minimize adverse health conditions affecting employees in the work environment.
Possession of an appropriate California driver's license.
Must file a Statement of Economic Interest in compliance with Governmental Code Section 8100.
Sign & Acknowledge a Confidentiality Agreement.
Ability to obtain the following certificates: Standard First Aid/CPR Instructor’s Certification, 40-Hour Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (Hazwoper), and 8-Hour Supervisor Training Certifications, Forklift Training Instructor’s Certification, Other training as required.

Responsibilities

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.
Make presentations to management and employee groups regarding environmental health, and safety.
Serve as acting Environmental Health & Safety Division Manager as assigned.
Serve as chairperson and staff resource person to the District Safety Committee as assigned.
Respond to emergency situations as assigned.
Comply with all District rules, regulations, policies and procedures.
Perform other related duties as required or assigned by supervisor.
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.
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.
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 training, and prepare informational safety brochures.