OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH CONSULTANT 3
DEFINITION:
Under limited supervision of a supervisory official in a state department, institution, or agency, assists in conducting consultation visits to identify, evaluate, monitor, and control occupational or environmental health hazards; assists employers and/or others to recognize and prevent occupational or environmental health hazards; recommends effective controls; does other related duties as required.
NOTE: The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed.
EXAMPLES OF WORK:
Assists with air sampling and analysis, noise surveillance surveys, and ventilation systems evaluations.
Collects samples of atmospheric dusts, fumes, mists, gases, and vapors.
Assists with operating direct reading instruments to measure physical, chemical, biological, and ergonomic stresses in the workplace environment.
Compiles toxicological data from onsite visits to determine if industrial chemical processes are causing negative health effects; makes determinations on the findings consistent with OSHA, Right-to-Know, and other appropriate standards or regulations.
Assists with developing educational material and/or providing training on specific occupational and environmentally related diseases, industrial, chemical, and physical hazards, prevention methods, and industrial hygiene principles.
Assists in development and implementation of hazard control, loss prevention and accident control systems, risk analysis, and occupational safety and health trend analyses.
Prepares consultation visit activities for reviewing work processes and related hazards, relevant sampling strategies and techniques, and applicable federal and state codes/regulations.
Prepares written consultation visit reports for employers on the identification, nature, location, and instances of potential hazards and related references to OSHA, Right-to-Know, or other applicable standards/regulations for each occupational health hazard and suggested means of eliminating the conditions.
Assists in developing action plans that integrate management systems with time and resource allocation, realistic and measurable goals, and systematization of tracking progress.
Assists in the review and interpretation of written documentation (biological monitoring, audiograms, medical records, air sampling results and accident reports) to assess performance of inhouse controls.
Advises employers and/or other pertinent staff on unhealthy conditions and provides options for alleviation and methods or means to eliminate the condition if feasible.
Conducts follow-up visits to ensure removal of hazardous conditions or reviews documentary evidence certifying elimination of the violation.
Recommends enforcement in cases where efforts to alleviate serious health hazards fail.
Encourages employers to adopt a committed approach to safety and health issues.
Assists with evaluation and analysis of field sample results to determine the extent of individual exposure; integrates the data with existing workplace or environmental conditions to determine the extent of personal risk.
Refers employers to outside laboratory resources.
Confers with employees in the workplace with permission from the employer.
Calibrates and maintains field testing equipment.
Promotes programs that aid in the identification and elimination of hazardous conditions.
Assists in conducting special occupational health studies, investigations, and research projects and data collection and interpretation.
Maintains itineraries of visits to be conducted.
Provides training to new staff members.
Acts as a witness and gives testimony under oath in administrative hearings or in court.
Reviews literature for new developments in the field of occupational or environmental health.
Prepares clear, scientifically sound, accurate, and factual technical correspondence and reports containing findings, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations.
Maintains an OSHA Field Operations Manual and other records and files.
In the Department of Labor:
Conducts an opening conference with employers advising them on onsite consultation program content and regulations; performs plant or workplace walkthroughs to identify problem areas; and initiates a closing conference to provide the employer with a verbal summary and to answer pertinent questions.
Interprets for employers technical language and application of federal and state health/safety laws and OSHA rules, regulations, and standards to determine workplace compliance.
Evaluates employers for inclusion in OSHA's Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP); provides professional guidance and renders critical judgments on employers for federal exemption program qualification.
Requests elimination of health hazards that could reasonably cause death or serious physical harm; if immediate abatement is not possible, takes action to prohibit employees from accessing affected areas.
Mediates disagreements between management and labor concerning safety and health issues.
Will be required to learn how to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
REQUIREMENTS:
EDUCATION:
Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree in Occupational Health, Public Health, Occupational Safety, Industrial Hygiene, the Biological, Physical, or Environmental Sciences, or Industrial or Chemical Engineering.
EXPERIENCE:
Two (2) years of experience in a program involving the identification, analysis, and development of solutions for occupational or environmental health hazards or illnesses.
NOTE: A Master's degree in one of the above fields may be substituted for one (1) year of the above experience.
LICENSE:
Appointee will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform the essential duties of the position.
SPECIAL TRAINING:
Appointee may be required to complete a specialized training course for Compliance Safety and Health Officers conducted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES:
Knowledge of industrial toxicology and chemical processes.
Knowledge of industrial equipment and environmental conditions as causative factors of occupational illness.
Knowledge of solutions to abate health hazards.
Knowledge of calibrating direct reading instruments.
Knowledge of industrial engineering control methods including use of industrial ventilation systems for specific situations.
Knowledge of how to identify, evaluate, and control occupational/environmental health hazards in the workplace or environment.
Knowledge of instrumentation and methods used to monitor exposure to chemicals, noise, and physical hazards in the workplace or environment.
Knowledge of loss control, risk assessment, and accident prevention methods, procedures, and systems used in industrial settings.
Knowledge of sampling and monitoring strategies and the use, limitations, and calibration of sampling equipment.
Knowledge of engineering, administrative, and work practice controls required to reduce or eliminate occupational hazards.
Knowledge of techniques used to educate and train employers, employees, and union representatives in industrial health and safety.
Knowledge of industrial toxicology and industrial chemical processes.
Knowledge of federal, state, and local agencies and organizations that provide occupational/environmental health or industrial hygiene services.
Knowledge of current social and economic challenges resulting from health hazards in industrial settings and local communities, and related health and welfare resources for solutions.
Knowledge of organizational structure and functions of local governments, local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, and related judicial policies and practices..
Knowledge of project objectives, scheduling, activities, tasks, and oversight.
Knowledge of data collection principles and methodology.
Knowledge of the historical relationship between management and labor concerning health and safety issues.
Knowledge of rules, regulations, policies, procedures, methods, and standards of the Department of Human Services and application to specific cases.
Knowledge of public relations principles.
Ability to identify and manage occupational health hazards in the workplace.
Ability to conduct onsite consultation visits in accordance with OSHA guidelines.
Ability to work and communicate effectively with employers and co-workers.
Ability to interpret and apply standards, rules, and regulations promulgated by OSHA or other agencies designed to control, minimize, or eliminate occupational/environmental health hazards.
Ability to interact harmoniously with affected individuals, local government officials, leaders of union and industrial associations, and officials of the federal government and neighboring state governments concerning mutual occupational or environmental health services.
Ability to plan, organize, and assist in implementation of complex safety/health management systems.
Ability to organize and oversee required field trips, surveys, studies, and investigations and prepare related reports.
Ability to devise and assist in implementation of proven and novel controls of hazardous conditions.
Ability to conduct formal and informal education and training sessions.
Ability to coordinate activities with other state, federal, county, and municipal agencies.
Ability to demonstrate to employers the cost effectiveness of making safety and health issues an operative goal.
Ability to recommend feasible and warranted solutions to identified health hazards in the workplace or environment.
Ability to perform sampling data compilation and evaluation using direct-reading instruments.
Ability to recommend and/or use unique sampling methods for unregulated substances.
Ability to assist the public and provide references to appropriate government agencies and other available resources.
Ability to prepare written reports on consultation visits including the respective means of eliminating hazardous conditions.
Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
Ability to present evidence of a concise and coherent nature at administrative hearings or in court.
Ability to maintain required records, reports, files, and manuals.
Ability to take appropriate action when hazards are found in the workplace that could cause death or serious physical harm.
Ability to monitor progress of plant personnel efforts to establish safety, health, and compliance programs.
Ability to encourage active participation of employers, cooperating health agencies, and public and private groups on occupational disease control.
Ability to tailor solutions to problems that fit the needs of small and large employers.
Ability to mediate labor/management occupational health disagreements.
Ability to interpret technical language and application of OSHA standards for employers.
Ability to prepare clear, scientifically sound, accurate, and factual reports, containing findings, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations.
Ability to learn how to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
Ability to read, write, speak, understand, and communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication.
Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible if they can perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.
This job specification is applicable to the following title code:
