Employee Safety and Health Program Manager (Lacey) WMS 2 at State of Washington – Lacey, Washington

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
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Job Title: Employee Safety and Health Program Manager (WMS 02)
Location: Lacey, WA
Closes: September 21st at 11:55 pm.

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is currently seeking a full-time permanent experienced Employee Safety and Health Program Manager. This position is the subject matter expert on workplace safety and is accountable for the delivery and outcomes for the Employee Safety and Health programs for the agency.

As the statewide Safety and Health Manager, this position provides leadership, management, consultation, coordination, oversight and technical expertise in all areas of workplace safety, industrial hygiene compliance, CDL drug and alcohol testing, and employee safety programs to ensure compliance with state and federal rules and regulations, as well as, to accomplish the agency objective of becoming an industry leader in safety.

In this role, you will be responsible for agency compliance with safety regulations, identifying and correcting gaps in regulatory compliance, establishing methods for improving safety performance, establishing methods to reduce employee injuries and compensation claims and associated costs, and conducting accident investigations and root cause analysis. You will evaluate the probability and severity of accidents and identify where controls need to be implemented to reduce or eliminate risk, develop & implement strategies and programs to reduce employee and agency risk and to increase safety behaviors amongst all agency employees. This position is charged with creating a culture in which safety is an overriding value in all activities and in which every supervisor and employee assumes responsibility and accountability for safety.

Are you an experienced Employee Safety and Health Program Manager who would like to lead this challenging, but interesting work in an organization full of passionate, committed professionals? Consider coming to work for Washington State Parks.

Telework: This position is available for hybrid telework or flexible schedule, though frequent on-site attendance is required to meet business needs. The default assigned work location of all Parks positions – both on-site and telework eligible positions – is within the State of Washington. Frequency of onsite work will vary based on business and operational needs.
This position leads and manages the agency's statewide employee workplace safety and Health programs such as; Confined Space Program, Dangerous and Hazardous Waste Program, Commercial Driving (CDL) Program, Fall Protective Program, Infectious Disease Prevention Program, Chemical Hazard Communication Program, Personal Protective Equipment Program, Ergonomic Assessment Program, and Safety Training Program.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Provide leadership, management, consultation, coordination, and technical expertise in all areas of employee and workplace safety and industrial hygiene compliance:
• Develop, implement and oversee methods to ensure compliance with State and Federal laws, employee and workplace health and safety laws and regulations, and industry best practices.
• Serve as the agency lead and liaison with L&I citations and other like regulatory agencies related to employee and workplace health and safety issues.
• Develops and measures the effectiveness of safety and program training and implement measures to include compliance with mandatory training and delivery of effective and efficient safety training. Instructs numerous safety-training courses required for worker safety and/or compliance with state and federal regulations.
• Conduct technical workplace inspections statewide to identify and abate chemical and physical occupational and potential health hazards to determine compliance with state and federal health and safety standards and level of risk to agency personnel.
• Serves as the Designated Employer Representative (DER) responsible for administration and oversight of the Commercial Driver License Program. Authorized to communicate and receive testing results from 3rd party service agent and determine appropriate course of action concerning testing, evaluation and removal of employees from safety sensitive duties. Provide oversight and training of managers, supervisors, and employees on CDL requirements and testing protocols.
• Coordinate with HR staff in monitoring, evaluating, and mitigating worker's compensation claims and employee injury trends
• Serve as the agency lead on the identification, development, and implementation of mitigation strategies, projects, and programs to reduce employee and agency risk.
• Serves as the agency lead responsible for workplace accident/employee injury investigations and agency safety committees.
• Develop and implement standards for workplace accident investigations. Train supervisors and appropriate staff in effective investigations.
• Provide oversight and leadership to agency safety committee to include providing support, assisting with establishing and conducting safety drills, and performing workplace safety inspections and evaluations.
• Effectively supervise employees by setting performance standards and expectations, assigning projects and roles, providing coaching and mentoring and providing feedback.
• Exercise independent judgment in determining what work is to be done and the determination and distribution of workload to subordinate staff.
• Responsible for conducting recruitment processes, interviewing, and making hiring recommendations to the Appointing Authority for positions/staff supervised.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Option 1:
A Bachelor's degree in Occupational Safety and Health or safety studies or related field **(Additional professional level experience in the occupational safety and health field may substitute year for year for education).

AND

Five (5) years of professional experience in the administration of occupational/industrial safety and health programs including at least one (1) year as a successful supervisor or team lead over professional staff.

Option 2:

Nine (9) years of professional experience in the administration of occupational/industrial safety and health programs including at least one (1) year as a successful supervisor or team lead over professional staff.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Demonstrated experience providing expert-level safety and health consultation to employees, managers, and senior leaders.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience working with WA State Health and Safety program requirements and laws.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience working with federal health and safety requirements and laws.
• Be able to independently travel throughout the state, which may involve overnight stays of several nights.
• Current credentials as an instructor of a variety of safety training subjects and/or experience providing formal and informal training on a variety of safety topics.
• Demonstrated experience communicating with a variety of internal and external stakeholders including medical professionals & attorneys, exercising excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Broad understanding of safety and health program management in organizations.
• Demonstrated skills assessing risk and developing risk management principles and their implementation.
• Knowledge of basic principles for safety engineering, behavior safety, occupational medicine, industrial hygiene and hazard recognition.
• Experience interpreting federal, state, and legal requirements.
• Demonstrated skill navigating technical computer systems, and typical computer software.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Certification as a: Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), Occupational Health and Safety Technologist (OHST), Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST), and/or Safety Trained Supervisor (STS).

• Experience providing safety consultation in a natural resource-based and/or field based organization.

• Experience providing safety services within a represented labor environment.

• Master's Degree involving major study in occupational safety and health.

• Ten years of professional experience in the administration of occupational safety and health programs.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Monday- Friday 8:00am – 5:00pm hybrid remote or flextime as agreed by the supervisor. This position requires you to travel as needed to accomplish assignments, occasional overnight travel may be required.

HOW TO APPLY

Only candidates who reflect the minimum qualifications on their NEOGOV profile will be considered. Failure to follow the application instructions below may lead to disqualification. To apply for this position, you will need to complete your profile which includes three professional references and attach:

• Letter of Interest specifically addressing the qualifications listed in this announcement.
• Current resume.

To take advantage of veteran preference, please do the following:

• Attach a copy of your DD214 (Member 4 long-form copy), NGB 22, or USDVA signed verification of service letter.
• Please black out any PII (personally identifiable information) data such as social security numbers. Include your name as it appears on your application in careers.wa.gov.
• For more information on Veteran's Preference and instructions on how to check your eligibility, click here.

The information provided in your application must support your selected answers to the application questions. Answers will be verified, and documentation may be required. Responses not supported in your application will disqualify you for consideration of employment from this recruitment.

WHO WE ARE:
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission manages one of the largest, most diverse and most beautiful park systems in the country. With more than 120,000 acres, the system includes 125 developed parks, including 19 marine parks, 11 historical parks, 35 heritage sites, 13 interpretive centers and approximately 500 miles of long-distance recreation trails. And the agency is staffed with nearly 1000 employees (during peak season - summers), who are some of the most passionate employees you'll find anywhere – from law enforcement park rangers, park managers, and field staff who take care of our parks (construction, maintenance, customer service, to planners, engineers, managers, administrative professionals and central support staff. We love caring for Washington's most treasured lands, waters, and historic places; connecting all Washingtonians to their diverse natural and cultural heritage; and providing memorable recreational and educational experiences. For more information on Washington State Parks, click here.

Diversity Policy Statement

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to build a workplace culture that is welcoming and inclusive in which all employees feel respected and empowered to bring their unique ideas to the agency. At State Parks, we believe that embracing diverse backgrounds and experiences is essential to growing a strong workforce. We encourage applicants underrepresented in natural resources and outdoor recreation fields to apply, including but not limited to women, Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC), individuals with disabilities, neurodivergent individuals, disabled and Vietnam era veterans, persons over 40 years of age, and individuals who identify as a part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this job announcement in an alternative format may contact the human resources office at (360) 902-8565. Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing may call through the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.

For information about this recruitment or Parks' hiring process, please contact Wendy Vandel at Wendy.vandel@parks.wa.gov or (360) 902-8688

All applicants with a legal right to work in the United States are encouraged to apply.