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Safety Officer (#RB5310)
$47.15-$57.31 Hourly / $8,172.44-$9,933.65 Monthly / $98,069.31-$119,203.86 Yearly




DEFINITION

Under general direction performs supervisory, administrative and technical work in planning, directing and participating in a countywide program of accident prevention, safety education, and loss control; helps ensure compliance with Federal and State industrial safety codes, regulations, and standards; conducts inquiries into accidents involving county equipment and facilities; promotes safety programs.; and does related or other work as required in accordance with Rule 3, Section 3 of the Civil Service Rules.

CLASS CHARACTERISTICS

The incumbent of this single position class possesses technical expertise in a variety of industrial safety areas and exercises considerable latitude and judgment in planning and coordinating a comprehensive, countywide safety program. Duties include supervisory responsibility for a Safety Specialist and may include functional supervision over support staff. The incumbent coordinates safety activities with department safety representatives and other areas of the Risk Management Division and represents the County in inspections and meetings with federal and state regulatory agencies. This class is distinguished from County Safety and Risk Manager in that the incumbent of the latter class manages the Risk Management Division, including Safety, Worker's Compensation and Liability. This class is distinguished from Safety Specialist in that incumbents of the latter class assist in planning and implementing various safety programs, but do not have full responsibility or the overall safety program.

TYPICAL DUTIES

  • Develops and implements a program of safety and loss prevention for the County; reviews, recommends and implements policies and practices to ensure compliance with all Federal and State industrial safety codes, regulations, and standards; Reviews implementation of safety policies and procedures in County departments; consults with department management on problems and ways to improve and increase the effectiveness of the program.
  • Supervises Safety Specialist and related staff; assigns work and prepares work performance evaluations; participates in hiring and disciplinary actions.
  • Assigns, evaluates, and supervises on-site evaluations of County-owned and leased property, facilities, and equipment to identify unsafe conditions or practices; supervises or reviews plans for new County facilities, remodeling, changes in usage or occupancy; reviews purchase requests and inspects equipment to ensure conformance to safety codes and standards.
  • Determines safety training needs and develops safety education program; supervises and/or conducts instruction of training classes and presentations; explains and interprets policy and procedures; develops safety manuals, procedures, and educational materials; keeps abreast of trends and developments in the loss prevention field; attends seminars and training programs.
  • Oversees investigation of workplace accidents; reviews and evaluates reports noting hazards and violations, and prescribes corrective action; implements workplace environmental monitoring; directs pre- and post-employment testing and monitoring programs including drug and DOT drug testing, fitness for duty, DMV screening and monitoring, and related testing or notification programs.
  • Oversees the response to emergency situations and may act as on-scene advisor; ensures coordination with appropriate County personnel.
  • Represents the County at Cal-OSHA meetings and appeals; serves as Custodian of Record for Cal-OSHA logs; produces investigation reports, logs, and other required documentation, and attests to their validity under administrative direction or court order.
  • Prepares a variety of reports and correspondence; performs special studies as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Graduation from an accredited four year college or university with major coursework in occupational health, environmental health and safety, industrial hygiene, chemical or biological sciences, public or business administration, or a closely related field.

Experience: Three years of progressively responsible professional technical experience in safety and risk management programs comparable to that of Safety Specialist.

Substitution: Additional-qualifying experience may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis to a maximum of two years.

License: Possession of a valid California driver's license.

KNOWLEDGE

Principles and practices of safety and developing areas of loss control; applicable Federal and State laws including the labor code relating to Workers' Compensation, Federal and State OSHA regulations, Federal DOT law and Federal and State environmental protection laws; principles and practices of personnel management, including supervision, training, and performance management; principles and practices of sound safety management and accident/injury prevention; principles and methods of developing and presenting safety education and training programs for employees; permissive exposure limits, threshold limit values, and time-weighted averages for exposure monitoring; properties of hazardous materials; technical report writing; research methods, analytical and statistical methods.

ABILITY

Gather and analyze information regarding accidents, reconstruct accidents, determine relevant issues and causes, recommend preventative measures; research, evaluate, and recommend policies and programs to comply with State laws and regulations, and effectively minimize County risk; supervise, train, motivate, and evaluate staff; communicate clearly and concisely, orally and in writing; establish and maintain effective working relationships with others; conduct studies, analyze data, evaluate alternatives, and develop recommendations to resolve problems or issues.

PHYSICAL/MENTAL REQUIREMENTS

San Joaquin County complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and, upon request, will consider reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

CLASS: RB5310; EST: 10/16/2001;