Safety Specialist

University of Houston; Houston, Northern (TX, KY); On-site; USD 49,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Houston is seeking a Safety and Environmental Health Specialist to conduct laboratory and shop safety audits, provide training, and maintain regulatory records. The role emphasizes implementing hazardous waste management and developing departmental policies.

You will work under EHS, maintain inventories, respond to incidents, and ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.

Qualifications

• Formal, directly job-related 4 year degree is required.
• Minimum of one year of directly job-related experience.
• All positions are security sensitive and require a criminal history check.

Responsibilities

• Audit campus safety areas (biology, chemical, lab, waste, laser, radiation, shop, x-ray).
• Maintain safety program records and related databases.
• Evaluate work areas and practices; recommend safety improvements.
• Implement safety programs in areas such as bloodborne pathogens or hazardous waste.
• Develop and train faculty, staff and students in safety programs.
• Collect and maintain chemical inventory records for labs/shops.
• Assist in managing campus waste streams and related procedures.
• Stay current with federal/state/local regulations and ensure compliance.
• Respond to incidents and emergencies and document investigations.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

Skills

Auditing

Regulatory compliance

Training

Incident investigation

Hazardous materials handling

Education

Four-year degree or equivalent

Job description

Department:Environment Health & SafetySalary:$49,400 - $56,200

Description

Conducts safety audits of laboratories and trade shops, provides safety training and maintains regulatory records. May also implement hazardous waste management program and develop departmental policies and procedures. Pursuant to the State of Texas Executive Order No. GA-48, this position researches, works on, or has access to critical infrastructure and requires the ability to maintain the security or integrity of the University infrastructure. This position requires personnel be routinely reviewed to determine whether or not criminal history or continuous connections for the government or political apparatus of a foreign adversary might prevent the employee from being able to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure.

• 1. Audits campus for assigned safety areas, including biological safety, chemical safety, general laboratory safety, hazardous waste material safety, laser safety, regulatory compliance activities, occupational safety, radiation safety, shop safety and X-ray machine safety.
• 2. Maintains records of safety programs, in compliance with state and federal regulations; documents findings on EHS audit reports, and maintains applicable computer databases.
• 3. Evaluates work area and practices for proper safety controls and make requirement(s) to develop work practices that reduce the potential for accidents.
• 4. Implements safety programs in assigned area of specialization such as blood borne pathogen, radiation dosimetry, hazardous waste or job safety analysis
• 5. Develops and trains faculty, staff and students in various safety programs, including biological safety, chemical safety, general laboratory safety, hazardous waste material safety, laser safety, regulatory compliance activities, occupational safety, radiation safety, shop safety, x-ray machine safety and/or customized training for unique hazardous operations.
• 6. Collects, maintains and/or evaluates chemical inventory records for each laboratory or shop location.
• 7. Provides assistance in managing campus waste streams. This may include collection and transportation of hazardous waste, creation or validation of associated profiles, along with documents for vendor and regulatory agencies. Other duties may also include bulking hazardous waste activities and review/revision of bulking procedures.
• 8. Maintains working knowledge of federal, state and local regulations requirement and ensures proper implementation.
• 9. Responds to, investigates and documents accidents, incidents and/or emergencies, including spills and potential overexposure to hazardous material as part of the emergency response team.
• 10. Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

MQ: Requires a thorough understanding of both theoretical and practical aspects of an analytical, technical or professional discipline; or the basic knowledge of more than one professional discipline. Knowledge of the discipline is normally obtained through a formal, directly job-related 4 year degree from a college or university or an equivalent in-depth specialized training program that is directly related to the type of work being performed.

Requires a minimum of one (1) year of directly job-related experience. None. Preferred: Technical certification or licensing directly related to the job.

- Department is willing to accept experience in lieu of education.

All positions at the University of Houston-System are security sensitive and will require a criminal history check.

The University of Houston System and its universities are Equal Opportunity Institutions. Everyone is encouraged to apply.