Public Works Safety Manager (Regulation Manager) - Public Works, Real Estate Services Division

Howard County Conveniently located in the heart of central Maryland between Baltimore and Washington, Howard County offers the charm of a historic past mixed with the excitement of a cosmopolitan community.
Howard County Government Howard County Government is a leader in innovation, sustainability, and consistently ranked as one of the best places to live and work in the country.
In 2023, Howard County Government received a record-breaking 51 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) – the most in the state of Maryland.
NACo is the leading organization representing county-level government operations.
These awards recognize innovative and transformative programs that provide new services for county residents, improve existing programs, upgrade working conditions, and enhance citizen participation and public policymaking.
What are we looking for? We are looking for outstanding individuals to join our team and contribute to excellence in Howard County operations.
What you'll like most about working at Howard County Government: We are committed to workplace excellence in every area of County government.
We have a highly talented, diverse, and inclusive workplace.
Your input will not only be heard, but it will be encouraged! We offer competitive compensation and great benefits including medical, retirement, and wellness programs.
As a member of the Howard County Government team, you'll be helping drive our culture and directly impact what makes us an amazing place to work.
POSITION SUMMARY: Responsible for implementation of the Department of Public Works safety program, OSHA compliance, training, and enforcement of safety practices that’s regulated by Federal, State, and County regulations.
Provides oversight and leadership for DPW’s Safety Program while reporting directly to the Deputy Director.
Work includes communicating safety mandates to all employees; conducting benchmarking studies to baseline DPW’s safety performance; generating quarterly safety reports on safety performance department-wide; presenting safety stats to County Administration and County Council; liaising with safety managers in other County Departments; procuring resources for safety training and compliance; developing and monitoring safety budget.
Work at this level may include independent responsibility for a confidential administrative information sharing.
CLASS DESCRIPTION: Performs management level inspection and regulation work under general supervision from an administrative or technical superior.
Work includes supervising the inspections and enforcement function of the department and responsibility for Code compliance.
Work includes supervising the inspection of complex residential, commercial and industrial related development for conformance to building construction codes and regulations; resolving complex problems; and formulating budgets.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Include the following.
Other related duties may be assigned.
Interpret new regulations, standards and guidelines to incorporate changes into the County Safety Program.
Write and maintain safety guidelines and policies which are current and comprehensive, reflect County best practices, and satisfy the requirements of federal, state, and county safety and industrial health standards.
Maintain a central reference library for safety related information and performance metrics and provide technical guidance on safety and industrial health related matters to DPW staff and management.
Performs professional support work to oversee the Department's safety program, which may include program development and implementation, training, field inspections, investigation, analysis of accidents and monitoring hazardous materials.
Advise the Director/Deputy Director on safety issues; make recommendations on needed program enhancements and act as the lead safety analyst for the Department.
Interpret Federal and State safety laws and regulations to assure Departmental compliance for those regulations and to develop and implement programs and procedures to keep staff aware of and trained to acceptable standards.
Maintain training records for the Department of Public Works; identify training needs; develop and coordinate sources for safety training within the County; identify training sources outside the County when expertise does not exist within the County.
Identify and implement safety training needs for DPW by conducting regular field training and assisting Bureaus with arranging specific safety training.
Research appropriate engineering controls, administrative means and/or protective measures to mitigate exposures to employee injury.
Evaluate projects in risk and cost reduction in the areas of process safety and employee industrial health and safety.
Manage compliance of County department's federal, state, and county safety and health documentation and reports including OSHA reports, SDS (Safety Data Sheets) and chemical inventory lists.
Chair, organize, and/or attend meetings with employees, supervisors, and upper management to discuss specific safety issues.
Coordinate with all Bureaus in the Department of Public Works and with Risk Management to assure seamless safety operations and programs.
Issue notifications of safety deficiencies and conduct follow-ups to ensure appropriate corrective action taken; recommend safety precautions as needed, initiate immediate corrective action if life threatening hazards exist.
Investigate and analyze accidents for the purpose of determining causes, suggesting preventive measures such as training and updating maintenance; provide technical assistance to divisions.
Chair the Department of Public Works Safety Committee meetings.
Serve as a resource to County employees on matters of industrial health & safety.
Work with staff to create Job Hazard Analysis.
Track safety training and renewal dates for all staff.
Research and obtain grant funding for safety initiatives and equipment.
Serve as the Department’s liaison to the Office of Risk Management.
At the request of supervisor, serve as liaison to Emergency Management Operations: Work with County Emergency Management personnel to coordinate the Bureau’s role in County Government emergency response.
Serve as one of the County’s safety liaisons for disaster planning, response, recover, and mitigation operations to minimize the risk of injury or illness to Bureau personnel who are involved in disaster response.
This involves establishing safety and health guidelines and policies; providing direction and advice for employee training and personal protective equipment needs; providing on-site disaster specific guidance and assisting with post event mitigation efforts.
May occasionally be required to work evenings and weekends with advance notice where possible.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: This job has direct personnel and supervisory responsibilities.
MINIMUM REQUIRED EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE Associate’s degree and five (5) years of related experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
PREFERRED EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: Bachelor's Degree in related field OSHA 30 Certification Knowledge of local, state, and federal laws related to safety and safety standards.
Certified Safety Professional (CSP) designation.
Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) designation.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit and talk or hear.
The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.
Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
The employee must be able to travel to and move around job sites independently.
Job sites may involve uneven or rough terrain, climbing stairs and ladders.
The person must be able to pass a respirator fit test.
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Employees are required to travel to different work sites both inside buildings and outdoors.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions.
The employee is occasionally exposed to moving mechanical parts and fumes or airborne particles.
The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
LANGUAGE SKILLS, MATHEMATICAL SKILLS AND REASONING ABILITY: Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common scientific and technical journals, financial reports, and legal documents.
Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community.
Ability to write speeches and articles for publication that conform to prescribed style and format.
Ability to effectively present information to top management, public groups, and/or boards of directors.
Strong analytical, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to communicate effectively at all levels.
Knowledge of methods and techniques employed in gathering and compiling data.
Ability to use computerized methods to research information.
Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference.
Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
Ability to influence people in a logical manner to gain compliance with safety initiatives.
CERTIFICATES, LICENSES AND REGISTRATIONS Maryland Class C Driver's License, or equivalent issued by state of residence ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO APPLY: You must complete an employment application online to be considered for this recruitment.
Resumes cannot be substituted for completion of the job application work history.
No paper applications will be accepted.
Selected candidates may be subject to drug screening, background screening, and reference checks.
At time of application, please submit a copy of any college degree, coursework, licenses, or certifications that you have referenced on your application.
Applicants who have education obtained outside of the U.
S.
may need to provide proof of the equivalent U.
S.
education as determined by a foreign credential evaluation service, such as the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (https://www.
naces.
org) or World Education Services: International Credential Evaluation (https://www.
wes.
org/).
Howard County Government is not sponsoring employees in application of the H-1B Visa or providing an extension of an existing H-1B Visa.
All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.
Howard County is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, and we are committed to a workplace that values diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The County prohibits discrimination on the basis race, color, religion, age, sex, ancestry, creed, national origin, disability status, genetics, marital status, military service, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
Applicants requiring accommodations during the hiring process should contact the Office of Human Resources directly at ebridges@howardcountymd.
gov.
Requests for accommodations should not be attached to the application.