Health and Safety Officer
California State Personnel Board Specification
Definition
Under general direction in a State hospital/developmental center, veteran's home or medical center (SH/DC, VH or MC) or departmental headquarters, plans, conducts, and evaluates a comprehensive environmental and occupational health and safety program to promote a safe working environment; conducts an employee Return-to-Work and Disaster Prevention Program; implements, conducts, and evaluates health-and safety-related training programs; responsible for risk assessment of safety issues as they relate to and impact patient care, buildings, grounds, and occupants; evaluates internal physical system; and does other related work.
Typical Tasks
Program Administration/Coordination: Plans, organizes, and administers injury prevention programs to meet specific needs of various hospital/developmental center areas; works with administrative, supervisory and other personnel to identify and correct unsafe practices or conditions; recommends modification in hospital/developmental center facilities and practices to develop safer working conditions and improve work environment; works with assigned medical staff to eliminate or control health hazards; provides assistance to and serves on the hospital/developmental center safety committee; advises management concerning standards set forth in laws and regulations relating to health and safety; reviews and evaluates reports on accidents which may involve Workers' Compensation benefits; provides liaison between the hospital/developmental center and other agencies on health and safety matters.
Injury Prevention: Plans and conducts an environmental and occupational health and injury prevention safety program; evaluates specific needs in areas of health and safety; reviews and investigates all industrial injuries, monitors and recommends corrective actions for unsafe practices or conditions; takes immediate action to correct seriously unsafe conditions; interprets State, Federal, and local environmental health and safety regulations; interprets departmental operating policies and standards; and advises management on current methods and techniques in the health and safety field. Provides consultation to facility staff, committees, and other advisory groups; provides assistance to and/or serves on infection/disease control committee; works with assigned medical staff to eliminate or control health hazards.
Hazardous Material Management: Develops and implements a program of managing hazardous materials, including waste management, underground tank monitoring, PCB and asbestos management; ensures applicable licensing, certification, and accreditation requirements are met; develops procedures to identify, handle, use, and dispose of hazardous materials; trains and monitors staff that come in contact with hazardous material.
Injured Worker Program: Administers the Injured Worker Program; participates in Return-to-Work activities, and limited duty accommodations; provides liaison between facility, employees, State Compensation Insurance Fund adjusters, physicians, attorneys, vocational rehabilitation counselors, and other agencies; compiles, analyzes, and interprets accident, injury, and lost time statistics, and cost data.
Compliance Activities: Develops methods to maintain compliance with environmental health and safety standards as set forth in Titles 8, 17, 19, and 22 of the California Administrative Code, and accreditation organizations; develops and implements a health and safety inspection program; performs safety and sanitation inspections; evaluates deficiencies and recommends corrective action; maintains Emergency Services Manual; conducts disaster drills to comply with hospital accreditation requirements.
Training Activities: Plans, organizes, develops, and conducts health and safety training for managers, supervisors, and staff; coordinates the integration of health and safety into the facility- wide training program; obtains and determines appropriate use of posters and audio-visual materials in training programs and safety campaigns; develops material for health and safety training courses and programs; evaluates effectiveness of safety training efforts.
Evaluation and Follow-Up: Compiles and analyzes accident and injury statistics and cost data; prepares reports on hospital safety experience and uses these to recommend measures to increase effectiveness of the health and safety program; follows up to assure implementation of health and safety recommendations; and does other related work.
Minimum Qualifications
Either I
In the California state service, one year of experience performing the duties equivalent to a Staff Services Analyst, Range C. (Persons applying experience toward this pattern must have had a full-time assignment in California state service performing health and safety activities.)
Or II
Experience: Two years of increasingly responsible technical program experience beyond the trainee level in environmental health or occupational safety improvement activities. (Experience in a capacity other than safety officer in a large Government agency or major private industry is considered qualifying if health or safety activities occupied a major portion of the time.) and
Education: Equivalent to graduation from college. (Additional qualifying experience may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis.)
Knowledge and Abilities
Knowledge of: Principles and techniques of industrial health and safety; training methods and techniques; California laws, including Workers' Compensation, relating to safety; principles of supervision; statistical methods; department's Affirmative Action Program objectives; a supervisor's role in the Affirmative Action Program and the processes available to meet affirmative action objectives.
Ability to: Organize health and safety programs; evaluate results of health and safety programs; conduct studies and surveys to determine problems and to make recommendations for solutions; develop and maintain cooperative working relationships; speak and write effectively; effectively contribute to activities necessary to achieve the department's goals, and to the department's affirmative action objectives.
