Duke University Health System (DUHS) Job Descriptions

SAFETY & HEALTH SPECIALIST

Job Title: SAFETY & HEALTH SPECIALIST
Job Code: 5093
FLSA: E
Job Level: F1
Revised Date: 06/13/2005
Supervisory Responsibility: Yes

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General Description of the Job Class

Responsible for the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of safety and health hazards at Duke. Work with Duke departments to minimize occupational health and safety risks and manage compliance with applicable regulations.

Duties and Responsibilities of this Level

Non-patient care related duties:

Assist with comprehensive safety and hygiene audits of Duke departments. Will be able to recognize some deficiencies and hazards independently, and will be able to research findings to determine extent of possible hazards.

Perform tasks related to various environmental management functions, such as on-site management of hazardous wastes, spill response, hazardous materials treatment or recycling, and environmental compliance program support.

Perform sampling to evaluate personnel exposures and engineering controls.

Perform accident investigations and work with departments to correct safety hazards and develop preventative procedures.

Perform Job Hazard Assessment and, after consultation with more experienced employee, recommend measures to control exposures, including substitution of less hazardous materials, personal protective equipment (PPE), work practice changes, and some engineering controls.

Assist with preparing training classes and materials and deliver training courses that have already been developed.

Serve on the Safety Committees of various departments and act as an OESO representative to the department assisting in directing Safety Committee concerns to the appropriate divisions of OESO and acting as a technical advisor on safety and health issues.

Write reports documenting observations, sampling results, and recommendations for supervisor's review. Assist with writing reports to external departments.

Document all work in OESO computer files and databases.

Serve as a member of the OESO spill response team.

Patient care related duties:

Perform and document radiation measurements related to medical treatment or diagnostic procedures involving radioisotopes.

Determine conditions for patient isolation and release following criteria for specific procedures.

Conduct confidential patient and family interviews prior to administration of radioisotopes.

Interact with and advise medical personnel on radiation safety precautions involving patients undergoing brachytherapy or treatment with radiopharmaceuticals or deceased patients who underwent these procedures.

Duties and Responsibilities of Level 2:

In addition to the duties and responsibilities for the Level 1 Specialist, Level 2 will do the following:

Perform comprehensive safety audits of Duke departments. Will be able to recognize most deficiencies and hazards independently and research unfamiliar situations.

Perform environmental risk assessments of various property transfers.

Manage environmental remedial projects.

Develop comprehensive sampling strategies for a specific project.

May supervise Safety Technicians who perform monitoring.

Provide solutions to a variety of problems where analysis of data requires evaluation of identifiable factors. Exercise judgment within defined policies in selecting methods and techniques for obtaining solutions.

Recognize injury and illness trends within the organization and work with Specialist III or Safety Supervisor to develop University-wide policies and training strategies.

Demonstrate knowledgeable about control measures, especially engineering controls.

Develop new training course material independently.

Proactive on the Safety Committee in advocating improvements to department safety policies and work with OESO's Training Coordinator and other OESO divisions to organize safety events within the department.

Act as liaison with various officials internal and external to Duke.

Maintain documentation and inventory or hazardous materials and equipment and prepare paperwork for license amendments where necessary.

Compile and present reports to upper OESO management related to safety and health activities.

Enforce regulations governing occupational safety and health.

Provide technical leadership to university departments and personnel.

Duties and Responsibilities of Level 3:

Manage compliance with federal, state and local regulations.

Determine priorities for safety and health investigations in Duke's diverse work areas and make assignments accordingly.

Determine sampling priorities for the institution and request the necessary budget resources to accomplish goals.

Develop and recommend appropriate engineering or work process modifications to prevent worker illness or injury. Provide follow-up assessment of recommendations.

Develop reports and recommendations independently. Assist lower level employees in developing reports and recommendations.

Participate in interdisciplinary team to discuss multidisciplinary approaches to resolving safety & health issues. Make recommendation with respect to equipment purchase, engineering controls, workspace planning and work process planning.

Determine training needs and develop new programs as necessary. Oversee training development and delivery by lower level employees.

Review sampling strategies and results for Safety Technicians and level 1 & 2 Specialists. As needed, assist in development of strategies and interpretation of results.

Serve as expert consultant for safety issues within the institution.

Recognize injury and illness trends within the organization and work to address these. Work with EOHW, WC and other departments to reduce occupational injury and illness.

Independently develop training materials on new subject matter as needed. Contribute to development of training materials by level 1 and 2 Specialists.

Develop and implement University-wide policies with minimal input from Division Director.

Provide input to engineers for development or improvement of engineering controls.

Contribute to the design of new facilities where hazardous materials will be used or hazardous processes will be located.

Work with Departments to develop new safety committees or take leadership role in enlarging the focus/scope of the safety committee's activities.

Supervise Safety Technicians, Safety Associates, and Specialists level 1 and 2. This includes orienting employees to the Duke environment, training them on the typical hazards encountered by Duke employees, and familiarizing them with OESO's record keeping and reporting practices.

Coordinate contract agreements with outside agencies.

Prepare reports to management on investigations and evaluations of safety management issues.

Provide leadership and direction to professional and technical staff and participate in the professional development of staff.

Identify personnel, institutional and material resources needed to accomplish objectives.

Required Qualifications at this Level

Education

Bachelor of Science in Occupational Health and Safety, Environmental Science, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Engineering, Fire Protection or related field.

Experience

No experience for level 1; three years experience for level 2; five years experience for level 3.

Degrees, Licensure, and/or Certification

Valid driver's license.

Must have completed or be able to complete First Responder-Operations Level Training (29 CFR 1910.120).

Professional certification preferred for level 2 and 3.

Fire Safety- ability to obtain CFPS certification within two years of hire. Ability to obtain Pre-Qualification, NC Code Officials Board, Fire Prevention-Level I within one year of hire.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Knowledge of federal, state and local laws and regulations pertaining to occupational safety and health.

Knowledge of organizational and personnel management skills.

Creative problem solving to recognize and analyze needs and assist in the development of programs to address needs.

Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Ability to use computer database and spreadsheet programs.

Basic knowledge of occupational safety, industrial hygiene principles and/or ergonomics.

Ability to locate and use appropriate technical resources in occupational safety and health.

Ability to lift and carry heavy materials and equipment.

Physically able to serve on a HAZMAT spill responseteam.

Developed professional presentation skills.

Distinguishing Characteristics of this Level

N/A

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The intent of this job description is to provide a representative and level of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions given this title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.

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Duke University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas-an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

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Essential Physical Job Functions

Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.