Environment Health & Safety Specialist

The Environmental Health & Safety Specialist position supports USF programs and initiatives associated with applicable Federal, State, and local regulations as well as USF System policies and procedures for the safe and compliant Management of University laboratories and associated research activities. The EH&S Specialist supports University wide compliance initiatives and works collaboratively with other EH&S program areas and external Departments to develop, implement, sustain environmental health and safety programs/initiatives intended to promote the success of students and the advancement of research by protecting life, property, and the environment.

Conducts safety and compliance inspections, incident investigations, writes associated reports, and assists laboratory/research operations in maintaining compliance with applicable Federal, State, and local regulations as well as USF policies and procedures.

Delivers, tracks, and reports on required training programs related to laboratory safety and hazardous waste management.

Assists with the maintenance of the USF chemical inventory tracking system including implementation, chemical clean-outs, chemical receiving, QA/QC, and data entry.

Conducts fume hood testing. Assists researchers with completion of service requests for fume hoods requiring maintenance.

Provides back-up and assistance to hazardous waste specialists providing assistance with waste pick-ups emergency response support for minor hazardous materials releases.

Performs other duties as necessary to support the overall mission of EH&S and the University of South Florida.

Minimum Qualifications:

This position requires a high school diploma or equivalent and four years of experience in a research, research compliance, or safety compliance program; an Associate’s degree may substitute for two years of the required experience. A Bachelor’s Degree may substitute for the required experience.

Degree Equivalency Clause: Four years of direct experience for a bachelor’s degree.
• Senate Bill 1310- The Florida Senate (https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1310) is conditional upon meeting all employment eligibility requirements in the U.S.
• SB 1310: Substitution of Work Experience for Postsecondary Education Requirements
• A public employer may include a postsecondary degree as a baseline requirement only as an alternative to the number of years of direct experience required, not to exceed:
• (a) Two years of direct experience for an associate degree;
• (b) Four years of direct experience for a bachelor’s degree;
• (c) Six years of direct experience for a master’s degree;
• (d) Seven years of direct experience for a professional degree; or
• (e) Nine years of direct experience for a doctoral degree
• Related work experience may not substitute for any required licensure, certification, or registration required for the position of employment as established by the public employer and indicated in the advertised description of the position of employment.
• Minimum Qualifications that require a high school diploma are exempt from SB 1310.

Preferred Qualifications:

B.S in Natural Science or Public Health. Two (2) years experience in environmental health & safety regulatory compliance field with direct experience in research/laboratory safety, hazardous materials, hazardous waste, and biomedical waster management.

Special Skills/Training:

RCRA hazardous waste training, DOT Hazardous Materials Transportation training, Biomedical Waste Training, 40 Hour HAZWOPER, OSHA Hazard Communication Standard, OSHA Lab Standard, Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Essential Personnel:

This position has been designated as Essential Personnel. Essential Personnel may be required to participate in preparedness/response/recovery activities outside of normal work hours, including USF closings, in response to a major emergency or natural disasters affecting USF operations.