Occupational Health and Safety Specialist (Temporary)

University of Washington•Seattle, WA

16h•$75,000 - $90,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Environmental Health and Safety Department (EH&S) supports and advances the teaching, learning, and research activities of the University of Washington by providing and programs and services that foster a safe and healthy campus community. We are seeking a temporary occupational health and safety specialist that will support the UW EH&S Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) unit. The EH&S OSH unit is responsible for managing and implementing over 20 institution-wide health and safety programs that are regulated by federal and state regulations, funding agency requirements, and University accreditation requirements. Reporting to the Occupational Safety and Health Manager, this temporary position assists in implementation of environmental and occupational health and safety programs. This position will work with senior staff members and managers to support the development, implementation and sustainment of industrial hygiene and physical safety programs. This includes conducting risk and exposure assessments, including air, noise, and surface sampling, helping to ensure regulatory compliance, conducting respirator training and fit testing, supporting incident investigations, and sustaining core occupational safety and industrial hygiene services for the UW enterprise. The successful candidate will become familiar with the mission, vision, strategic objectives, policies and procedures affecting the EH&S department. EH&S interacts regularly with and the University’s organizational units (academic, operational, administrative, clinical and research), managers and staff and supports regulatory inspections and reporting under the direction of senior staff, as well as external regulatory entities. This position must have foundational skills and training in complex risk and exposure assessments in scenarios where there may not be clear regulatory direction. This position is expected to understand and interpret a variety of regulations and requirements and apply them to diverse University workplaces. The ideal candidate must be organized and able to quickly learn the organizational structures, communication dynamics, and service expectations of the Department. The position requires the ability to follow established procedures, manage routine tasks accurately, and support senior occupation health and safety staff across multiple OSH programs.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Occupational hygiene, exposure sciences, environmental health, engineering, chemistry, natural sciences, or related field.
1-3 years of occupational health and safety or related work experience, including field work.
Familiarity with basic occupational safety and health principles and applications. This may include but is not limited to the following programs; industrial hygiene, confined space, electrical, fall protection, hazardous energy control safety programs, respiratory protection, personal protective equipment, chemical and physical agent exposure assessment, hearing loss prevention, and ergonomics.
Experience applying scientific or technical information in a work, academic, or customer‑facing setting.
Familiarity with applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations, consensus standards, and current technology concerning health and safety issues, and ability to interpret and apply them
Experience and/or knowledge of use of industrial hygiene and safety equipment
Ability to research and summarize reputable information on health and safety issues
Ability to effectively communicate clearly, both orally and written, with diverse audiences at all levels of the institution including faculty, staff and students
Strong organization skill and ability to follow established procedures and workflows
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build effective working relationships with team members and university partners.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in occupational hygiene, exposure sciences, public health, occupational safety, environmental health, engineering, chemistry, natural sciences, or related field
Experience in higher education, research environments, or other complex organizations.
Experience in working with regulatory agencies in Washington State
Experience handling data, documentation, and recordkeeping in an administrative or scientific setting.
Experience using standard office software (Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and Teams)

Responsibilities

Occupational Health and Safety Program Implementation (70%) Support OSH team members with field work and site investigations aimed at identifying hazards, assessing risks, determining controls, and measuring control effectiveness.
Support the implementation of the respiratory protection program; coordinate respirator request renewals, organize, prepare for and conduct fit-testing. Clean, sanitize, and maintain fit testing equipment and spaces.
Support the implementation of the Hearing Loss Prevention Program, including conducting employee noise monitoring and organizing and managing noise‑related data and issuing noise exposure assessment reports that meet regulatory compliance.
Support other OSH programs as needed, including but not limited to research safety in animal care and use, industrial hygiene in research and clinical environments, regulated building materials, indoor air quality investigations, general exposure assessments, and chemical safety/hazard communication.
Assist senior staff to review complex research protocols, identify hazards to personnel, and assist researchers and research support staff in mitigating hazards by providing consultation and assisting with laboratory standard operating procedures, personal protective equipment, and training.
Assist senior staff with incident investigations by organizing and tracking information received from clients, as well as supporting incident documentation needs as a new incident management system is developed and deployed.
Assist senior staff to identify initiatives and operational activities needed to maintain compliance with changing occupational health and safety standards.
Participate in departmental, University, and and/or technical committees and organizational health and safety committees, as assigned.
Draft and conduct health and safety-related reports and outreach efforts as directed, which may include subjects such as respiratory protection, hearing loss prevention, personal protective equipment, lead, asbestos, hazard communication, and others.
Prepare air and environmental sampling equipment for field use, including performing pre‑ and post‑calibration; assist with factory calibration and routine maintenance; and general equipment management.
Prepare samples collected for laboratory analysis including completing chain-of custody forms and ensuring sample integrity.
Collect air, surface, noise, and environmental sampling as instructed and in accordance with regulatory and professional standards.
Prepare detailed occupational health and safety field inspection reports.
General Health and Safety Program Direction and Support (25%) Support implementation and sustainment of general safety programs.
Assist in identifying workplace hazards and support development of control strategies to manage risks.
Collaborate with other EH&S technical groups as part of the larger integrated EH&S program.
Support Physical Safety Programs as needed, which includes but is not limited to topics such as shop safety inspections, electrical safety, fall protection, and safe walking-working surfaces.
Conduct basic health and safety inspections and provide necessary documentation to program lead.
Departmental Activities Special Projects (5%) Support the client-based model for delivery of occupational health and safety services.
Assist with incorporating strategic planning initiatives from the EH&S Strategic plan into the routine work plan.
Support data gathering for metrics and performance monitoring of programs to ensure organizational efficiencies and desired outcomes are met and program goals are reached.
Attend mandatory EH&S departmental and team meetings, work on special projects, other duties/projects as assigned.
Contribute to an atmosphere of mutual support and back-up.
Other duties as assigned