Occupational Health & Safety Specialist II

Job Summary

Collier County strives to be an employer of choice, and many employees build long-term careers with us. The salary listed in the job description reflects the full pay range for this position, from entry level through advanced career stages. New employees are hired at, or near the entry point shown, depending on qualifications and relevant experience. This position develops and implements occupational safety and health programs for the County.

• Develops and implements programs and strategies to help prevent, reduce, or eliminate work related accidents and injuries.
• Develops and conducts County-wide environmental and occupational health and safety training; identifies training needs; develops courses to address needs, to facilitate accident and loss prevention, and to meet federal and State OSHA requirements; identifies which employees should receive the various training programs; obtains necessary training materials, equipment, and supplies; schedules and provides training; evaluates training; and identifies and implements modifications needed to improve training effectiveness and employee retention of safety knowledge;
  
  cooperates with fire districts to provide facilities and infrastructure for firefighter specific training (e.g., trench rescue, high angle rescue and confined space rescue) as well as the involvement of Collier County employees in the training.
• Functions as a first responder and/or incident commander during non-emergency hazardous materials spills and releases as required by environmental safety programs; functions as a liaison for Fire Division incident commanders and HAZMAT teams during emergency hazardous materials spills and/or releases.
• Conducts research regarding all environmental and occupational safety and health related regulations and standards that affect Collier County work operations and employees, including but not limited to Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), American National Standards Institute (ANSI), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), American Society for Testing of Materials (ASTM), Underwriters’ Laboratory (UL), National Electric Code (NEC), etc.
• Conducts and reviews investigations for environmental and occupational safety and health related accidents in assigned Departments; obtains and documents accident information; conducts accident review sessions with injured employees, their immediate supervisors, and respective Department Head; and counsel employees with chronic safety problems and/or high incidence of accident/injury; develops and/or identifies precautions and practices for avoiding reoccurrence; recommends corrective actions; conducts investigations of accidents, property damage and verbal complaints that may result in lawsuits against the County by citizens.
• Conducts pre-design, design during construction and post construction design and construction reviews to help ensure that immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) and imminent danger environmental safety and health hazards are removed during the design phases of new projects, removed during remodel/retrofit phases of existing constructions and/or remodels and finalized upon completion of facilities prior to employee occupancy.
• Attends contractor performance meetings to address environmental and occupational safety and health issues created by contractors, such as utility breaks, downed power lines, failure to protect evacuation, etc.

• Manages County-wide gas monitor program to monitor wastewater lift stations, manholes, chemical storage tanks or any other area suspected of being oxygen deficient or where chemicals are present; conducts routine calibration inspections, maintenance and/or change-out of gas monitors; installs calibration tanks and/or chemical sensors; follows up with facility personnel to monitor performance and provide training.
• Reviews and provides environmental safety and health recommendations to the Public Utilities Standards Development…