See Safety & Health Specialist 1.

In the Department of Labor and Industries, this is the senior-level class of the series.   

Safety & Health Compliance:  The Compliance Safety and Health Officer 3 conducts the most complex enforcement inspections of employers' workplace and determines whether employers are complying with safety and health standards, general duty clauses and safe employee exposure limits.  Investigates and recommends criminal prosecution.  Directs or leads other staff in complex inspections as assigned.  Researches and provides technical input for program development.

OR 

Safety and Health Consultation:  The Safety and Health Consultant conducts complex workplace consultations and advises employers whether they are complying with safety and health standards, the general duty clause and safe employee exposure limits.  Provides information, orally and in writing, to employers of possible abatement strategies and measures.  Develops and presents training programs for employers and industry groups.  Directs or leads other staff as assigned.  

A “complex” inspection/investigation/consultation is comprised of the following elements presenting unusual or complicated legal constructs: 

•  Leads and/or conducts full worksite intervention of a multi-employer commercial worksite (multiple trades), (i.e. hi-rise steel erection, highway construction); 
• Leads and/or conducts full worksite intervention of a multiple industrial operation and process (i.e. pulp and paper mills, petrochemical plants or refineries);  
• Leads and/or conducts process system safety inspections or investigations;  
• Investigates, catastrophes, fatalities and serious injuries where the root cause is not obviously known or where multiple fatalities or hospitalizations occurred. 

OR 

Position designated in writing by the Assistant Director of the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) as a technical specialist for an assigned industry, including but not limited to maritime, logging, high-voltage, cranes, and agriculture.  Designated positions will conduct all levels of safety inspections/consultations for the assigned industry.  Technical specialty areas are defined by the Assistant Director of DOSH.

Exercises compliance authority in issuing citations including subpoenas and orders of immediate restraint on complex/complicated investigations;

Documents facts to support conclusions resulting from inspections, interviews, and investigations; provides information to employers of possible abatement strategies and measures;  

Manages DOSH initiated and WISHA unique regulation projects that are controversial or have extraordinary impact on industry; identifies key issues and principles; determines and defines project parameters; develops strategies for handling situations unique to each project; schedules the project and assigns responsibilities for all activities; facilitates meetings and coordinates interactions between labor, management, OSHA and DOSH;  

Develops and writes DOSH initiated and WISHA unique regulations and the rationale which justifies deviation from the Federal OSHA regulations;  

Reviews and evaluates accident and fatality investigations reports to determine whether or not standards or policy and procedure revision is warranted;  

Performs inspections and investigations;

Makes independent decisions regarding policy interpretation of safety and health regulations and laws and provides guidance and recommendations to management, labor organizations and representatives, company officials, DOSH consultation staff, industrial safety and health inspectors, industrial hygienists, civic groups, governmental agencies, and others interested or affected by the materials in industrial safety and health;  

Schedules, organizes, conducts and leads coordinated inspections of a complex nature; inspections may include extensive evidence gathering and analytical investigation relative to employer knowledge, employee exposure and precise hazard identification; may involve evening and weekend inspections with overnight travel to remote areas;  

Consults with national specialists and researchers in determining long-term safe employee exposure limits and other regulations; makes prudent field decisions regarding personal safety;  

Leads team inspections which deal with complex/priority issues; assigns, directs and reviews results of specific tasks for other compliance personnel in team inspections;  

Conducts complex accident investigations of fatalities, catastrophes and serious injuries and determines causes; determines whether current standards are adequate to prevent a recurrence and develops recommendations for internal procedures in situations where existing standards are inadequate; influences the development of new policies and codes reflecting investigation findings and determinations;  

Makes independent decisions in the field regarding code interpretation and applications; advises employers and employees regarding probable abatement strategies for: personal protection, physical plant corrections, and accident and illness prevention programs;  

Analyzes evidence, prepares documented reports and issues Citations and Notices of Violation; proposes penalties for alleged violations in accordance with legislative and departmental guidelines;  

Identifies and evaluates situations of imminent danger and the use of unsafe equipment or work practices; determines the necessity to issue Orders and Notices of Immediate Restraint and affix red tags; determines and specifies, in writing, the conditions of abatement;  

Investigates and recommends prosecution for criminal actions of an employer;  

Organizes, writes and edits comprehensive investigative reports for complex and contentious investigations, complaint and other inspections; appears and testifies as a State's witness, as required during appeal actions, at reassumption hearings, before the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals, warrant requests, civil cases and superior court; gives legal depositions;  

Researches Safety and Health and other advisory standards to make constructive recommendations for DOSH code revisions, to enhance evidence gathering capability and to develop pro-active safety compliance concepts;  

Makes comprehensive oral presentations to affected employer/employee groups or representatives disclosing and explaining compliance activity, DOSH requirements and Voluntary Services, during opening conferences, walk-around inspections and closing conferences;  

Works independently, on a spot check basis;  

Performs complex safety surveys and advises employers of methods to eliminate unsafe work practices, procedures and hazards; researches accident and injury records for specific industries and employers;  

Evaluates worksites and assists employers in developing required safety and health (written) programs, and strategies for connection of specific targeted hazards (machine guarding, excavations, ergonomics, etc.);  

Develops and conducts formal and informal safety and health training programs for internal and external customers based on evaluation of draft proposed standards and modifications to standards;  

Coordinates with agency and industry safety personnel in order to conduct/organize workshops, seminars, and conferences, conducts oral presentation, participates in meetings and serves on agency/industry committees to develop and promote safety and health activities, acts as liaison between division/department and stakeholder employer/employee groups, interprets DOSH policy issues;  

Produces (issues specific) communication, and educational material, for communication and media purposes;  

Performs other work as required.

Some positions may require certification as a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) granted by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals and/or Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) granted by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene.

Four years as a Labor and Industries Safety and Health Specialist or Industrial Hygienist.  

OR

A Bachelor's degree in engineering mechanics, industrial processes, industrial hygiene and fire protections, ergonomics, system and process safety, safety and health program management, accident investigation and analysis, construction safety, physics, chemistry, biology, physiology, statistics, mathematics, human anatomy, or other environmental safety and health topic and four years of experience as a safety and health manager, occupational safety consultant, occupational safety inspector, or related experience. 

                                                                                 OR 

Master’s Degree in management, business administration, engineering, education, physical and social sciences and two years of experience as a safety and health manager, occupational safety consultant, occupational safety inspector, or related experience.  

OR  

Four years of full-time journey level experience in one or more of the following industries: logging, construction, manufacturing, fishing, agriculture, health/medical, service industry or related experience, AND three years of experience as a safety and health manager, occupational safety consultant, occupational safety inspector, or related experience.   

 College-level education will substitute, year for year, for up to four years of non-safety and health experience.

 Additional safety and health qualifying experience will substitute year for year, for education. 

 Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license.

New class (replaces 27580 Safety Program Coordinator, 27510 Safety Education Representative 2 (27510); adopted June 15, 1992.
Revise class. Revises minimum qualifications; adopted February 12, 1993.
Revise class. Revises definition; adopted September 11, 1998.
Revise class. Revises definition; adopted March 15, 2002.
Revise class. Revises class code, title (formerly 43172 Safety and Health Specialist 3 – L&I), general revision, adds class concept, revises definition, adds legal requirements, revises desirable qualifications; adopted May 10, 2007, effective July 1, 2007.
Revise class. Revises definition; adopted February 9, 2012, effective February 10, 2012.  Punctuation edits to typical work February 10, 2012.
Revised salary range, definition, typical work and desirable qualifications; adopted June 30, 2017, effective July 1, 2017.