Occupational Safety and Health Specialist ; In-Training

About WSDOT

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is a multimodal agency with a global reputation for excellence. Our dedicated workforce plans, designs, builds, and operates an integrated transportation system that safely and efficiently moves people and goods throughout the state. In addition to maintaining over 20,000 lane miles of state highway and 4,100 bridges, WSDOT manages the world's longest floating bridge, leads an award‑winning Active Transportation Plan, holds the record for the world’s widest tunneling project, and operates the largest ferry system in the nation!

WSDOT is seeking a senior‑level Occupational Safety and Health Specialist 3 (OSHSPEC3) to provide consultation and training to regional management and line staff in the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of safety program. This position holds stop work authority to ensure the health and safety of WSDOT employees and serves as a regional subject matter expert on safety policies, rules, and regulations.

The OSHSPEC3 is responsible for managing designated sections of the WSDOT Safety Manual, including maintenance, revision, and compliance assurance, while supporting WSDOT’s mission and strategic plan through work that advances workforce equity, inclusion, and organizational health. Our top candidate will demonstrate advanced safety program expertise, regulatory knowledge, effective consultation and training skills, and a commitment to employee safety and organizational well‑being.

This position requires conducting field and work site visits and may involve exposure to hazards such as highway rights‑of‑way, active traffic, construction sites with moving equipment, confined spaces, and falling or overhead hazards.

The OSHSPEC3 will:

• Develop and administer the Regional Safety Program consulting on agency goals, state and federal regulatory compliance, new regulations, safety protocols and best practices.
• Collaborate with the Regional Safety Manager to oversee administrative program components.
• Design, deliver, and coordinate safety‑related educational courses to staff as assigned by the safety manager.
• Actively work to enhance the culture of safety; provide guidance to other safety and health professionals on their assigned safety topic in the WSDOT Safety Manual.
• Support the implementation of Regional Protection Programs (Respiratory, Confined Space; Lead Exposure; Bloodborne Pathogens, Collision Avoidance Training).
• Conduct surveillance tasks such as Air sampling, Indoor Air Quality, Lead monitoring;
  Noise dosimetry and serve as a regional expert for testing and exposure mitigation efforts to meet regulatory compliance.
• Ensure compliance with WAC; RCW; OSHA;
  Fire and Life Safety Codes.
• Attend pre‑construction conferences and provide recommendations to help plan safety strategies on upcoming projects.
• Work in conjunction with WSDOT and Contractor engineers to identify and address risk.
• Participate in major incident investigations, conduct vehicle/equipment and employee injury investigations, conduct root‑cause analysis.

This is an OSHSPEC3 position. However, the hiring manager reserves the right to fill the position at a lower level in the classification series based on candidate qualifications, providing an opportunity for an individual to gain the required experience on the job as part of a formal “in‑training” plan.

To be considered for this opportunity at the OSHSPEC3 level, the following are required:

• Regulatory Knowledge & Application: Demonstrated knowledge of OSHA/WSHA, RCW, WAC, and related compliance regulations with the ability to interpret and apply them to workplace safety programs, inspections, and corrective actions.
• Safety Program Development & Management: Extensive experience in designing, implementing, and managing comprehensive safety programs, including policy development, recordkeeping, compliance monitoring, risk assessment, and safety committee operations.
• Inspection & Hazard Identification: Advanced skills in conducting work‑zone, construction, and facility inspections, identifying hazards, evaluating risks, and…