OSH Agricultural Safety Officer I

State of North Carolina

1d•Remote

About The Position

The North Carolina Department of Labor (NCDOL) is statutorily charged with promoting the health, safety, and general well-being of workers in the state. It administers laws and programs affecting every worker and is organized into three primary divisions, which include various bureaus and offices, carrying out regulatory, enforcement, and promotional programs. The Department employs approximately 385 employees. The OSH Compliance Bureaus, comprised of the East, West, and Agricultural Safety and Health Bureaus, conduct compliance inspections to identify and document safety and health hazards in violation of OSHA standards, issuing citations and penalties. Inspectors identify corrective measures, work with employers for implementation, and investigate complaints, accidents, fatalities, and catastrophic events. They also assist with training and outreach activities. This position is for an OSH Agricultural Safety Officer I, which can be filled as a Safety Compliance Officer (SCO) Trainee, an entry-level professional role with a 24-month training progression. Upon successful completion of training, associates may be allocated into an OSHA Safety Compliance Officer I position. The SCO position involves identifying workplace hazards, recommending citations, inspecting establishments, performing hazard assessments, evaluating abatement efforts, preparing reports, and investigating incidents as required by the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Specifically, this role is within the Agricultural Safety and Health Bureau (ASH). ASH inspectors also perform pre-occupancy and post-occupancy inspections of migrant farmworker housing in accordance with the Migrant Housing Act of North Carolina. During pre-occupancy inspections, they act consultatively to identify hazards, provide abatement assistance, approve abatements, and certify housing. The role requires cultural sensitivity, consistency, flexibility, practicality, and the ability to work with diverse personalities, along with responsiveness to the community and bureau needs, efficient scheduling, and strong time-management skills. Inspectors will also develop, coordinate, and conduct occupational safety and health training for employers and employees.

Requirements

Bilingual (English & Spanish) required
Ability to speak, understand, and write in Spanish and English is required
Understanding of industrial engineering concepts
Knowledgeable and decisive in consistently applying the OSHNC standards
Self-motivated professional
Outstanding time management, database management, and scheduling skills
Physically, mentally and emotionally capable of conducting independent inspections
Excellent documentation and writing skills to write legally defensible reports
Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
Excellent verbal communication skills (for SCO trainee)
Ability to speak with complainants, employers, state and local agencies (including law enforcement) and NCDOL personnel
Team player with a positive attitude
Resourceful
Extensive in-state travel
Valid Driver's License is required
Live within 50 miles of one of the following NCDOL field offices: Asheville, Charlotte, Winston Salem, or Raleigh
High speed internet connection and reliable cell phone service (for home office)
Submit a 10-year CERTIFIED driving record as a condition of employment
Subject to a pre-employment drug test
For SCO I: Bachelor’s degree preferably with a major in occupational safety, industrial management or technology, industrial engineering, industrial arts, engineering operations, or a closely-related curriculum from an appropriately accredited institution and two years of experience in occupational safety and health inspections; or Associate’s degree in industrial safety and health technology, or a closely-related curriculum from an appropriately accredited institution and four years of experience in occupational safety and health inspections; or an equivalent combination of education and experience
For SCO Trainee: Bachelor's degree preferably with a major in occupational safety, industrial management or technology, industrial engineering, industrial arts, engineering operations, or a closely-related curriculum from an appropriately accredited institution; or Associate’s degree in industrial safety and health technology, or a closely-related curriculum from an appropriately accredited institution and two years of experience in occupational safety and health inspections, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
Applicants enrolled in an applicable bachelor's or master's degree program will be considered if all degree requirements will be completed by the end of the current semester. Any offer of employment will be contingent upon the applicant providing an official transcript or other proof the degree has been conferred prior to the first day of employment

Nice To Haves

Culturally sensitive
Consistent
Flexible
Practical
Able to work with a wide range of personalities
Responsive to the community we serve and the needs of the bureau

Responsibilities

Conduct compliance inspections to identify safety and health hazards that are in violation of OSHA standards
Document violations and issue appropriate citations and penalties per established procedures
Identify corrective measures for each hazard and work closely with the employer to ensure implementation of those measures
Investigate safety & health complaints filed by employees
Investigate accidents, fatalities, and catastrophic events in the workplace
Assist with training & outreach activities statewide
Identify workplace hazards (and potential hazards)
Recommend citations for alleged violations and making appropriate referrals
Inspect a variety of establishments
Perform safety and health hazard assessments
Evaluate employer's hazard abatement efforts
Prepare reports
Investigate fatalities, accidents and complaints as required by the Occupational Safety and Health Act
Perform safety and health related pre-occupancy and post occupancy inspections of migrant farmworker housing in accordance with the Migrant Housing Act of North Carolina
Work in a consultative role during preoccupancy inspections to identify hazards and violations, provide abatement assistance, approve abatements, and certify migrant farmworker housing
Develop, coordinate, and conduct occupational safety and health training for employers and employees
Evaluate and make recommendations on unusual problems