Safety Specialist

JOB TITLE

Safety Specialist

LOCATION

Worcester

DEPARTMENT NAME

Environmental Health & Safety

DIVISION NAME

Worcester Polytechnic Institute - WPI

JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY

The Safety Specialist provides support to faculty, students, and staff to help facilitate, assess, and promote a safe and healthy working environment across campus. The responsibilities of this position will be to develop and implement key safety programs including but not limited to control of hazardous energy, elevated work, electrical safety, compressed gas safety, and hot work.

This position will work under the direct supervision of the EHS Executive Director and will also perform routine EHS tasks such as audits and inspections, learning events, support the advancement of the EHS Management System and work to advance a proactive safety culture at WPI. In addition, this position will also be involved with environmental compliance, emergency response and other safety and OSHA compliance related projects.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Safety Program Development and Management

• Establish and implement safety programs including but not limited to control of hazardous energy, elevated work, confined space, electrical safety, machine guarding, compressed gas safety, and hot work.
• Conduct periodic audits of programs to ensure effective implementation across the campus community.
• Conduct required trainings as well as periodic toolbox talks.
• Key measures of success include full compliance with OSHA regulations as well as University procedures.

General Safety Program Compliance (OSHA Compliance)

• Perform routine inspections in research laboratories, laser laboratories, confined space, and other areas to identify unsafe conditions or non-compliance with WPI policies.
• Report findings to supervisor and work with faculty, students, and staff to resolve safety issues by recommending corrective actions and following up until resolved.
• Expected end result is a healthy and safe work environment which also ensures overall regulatory compliance throughout the institution.

Management of Change

• Assist in reviewing proposed facility and process changes as well as new equipment and chemical purchases to ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local requirements.
• Develop standard work and checklists for common processes and risks across WPI.   

Fire Safety Support

• Assist in the development of a fire safety program including a variety of routine tasks to ensure compliance with building codes, insurance standards and University expectations for a safe campus. This includes completion of comprehensive fire safety inspections and management of the fire extinguisher inventory and inspection process.
• Annual inventory of flammable liquids storage for Fire Department permit renewal. Conduct health and fire safety inspection in campus buildings and perform tests on emergency lighting, emergency call stations, and other life safety equipment.
• Expected end result will be increased regulatory compliance and a reduction fire hazards.

Emergency Response Team Member

• Respond to emergency situations, participate in on-call rotation, ability to don personal protection equipment, provide technical support to outside responders, assess dangerous situations, and respond appropriately.
• Assist in maintaining an electronic database to record incidents and corrective actions.
• Expected end result is a knowledgeable and capable response team member ready for emergency preparedness and response.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, biology, occupational health and safety, or related field required.
• 4-6 years’ experience required.

Salary Grade 6: $55,000 – $68,000 per year (depending on experience)

Salary is based on related experience, expertise, and internal equity; generally, new hires can expect pay between the minimum and midpoint of the range. 

Compensation at WPI

FLSA STATUS

United States of America (Exempt)

WPI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability. It seeks individuals from all backgrounds and experiences who will contribute to a culture of creativity, collaboration, inclusion, problem solving, innovation, high performance, and change making. It is committed to maintaining a campus environment free of harassment and discrimination.