Safety, Health & Fire Protection Admin

Summary

The Safety, Health & Fire Protection Administrator develops and manages the site health, safety, and fire protection programs under the direction of the Manager EHS and the White Plains Office corporate Environment, Health & Safety office in order to provide a safe workplace for employees, contractors, and visitors, and to protect Authority assets from loss due to injuries, accidents or fire(s).   

Develops site management strategies to administer compliance with mandatory Federal and State occupational safety and health regulations.  Provides required annual safety training at NYPA work sites and oversees teh site's Occupational Health Program.

Implements training programs as mandated by Federal, state and local laws, and maintains appropriate records.  Advises Manager EHS in matters dealing with safety, health and fire protection programs.

Communicates the results of industrial hygiene field monitoring and laboratory results to employees and maintains records.   Ensures site staff and contractors are provided with the equipment and systems required for programs  such as accident prevention, confined space, hazard communication, fall protection, electrical safety, fire safety, and lockout/tagout. 

Responsibilities

• Coordinates and maintains liaison with emergency service organizations; this may include familiarization tours, drills, compliance visits.
• Administer first aid, maintain necessary medical supplies, and coordinate training of personnel in CPR/AED/first aid, etc.
• Investigate and report on accidents and near-misses.  Develop actions to prevent reoccurrence (participate/lead investigations). 
• Assist departments in resolving health, safety and fire protection concerns to prevent occurrence of incidents; capture best practices and communicate to WPO and NYPA facilities.
• Maintain project compliance activities for Division of Safety & Health-adopted OSHA regulations, the Codes of New York State, and other regulations and standards as applicable.
• Review safety plans for contracted projects and conduct periodic inspections of Authority facilities and construction sites to ensure compliance with applicable Authority, federal, state and local safety, health and fire protection policies and regulations.
• Maintain site DOSH logs and applicable safety statistics and provide information to the corporate Environment, Health & Safety office on a monthly and/or as needed basis for analysis.
• Coordinate site Safety Committee’s monthly meetings.
• Conduct Employee Safety Orientation Training
• Responsible for developing, implementing, conducting &/or managing specific training as mandated by federal, state and local regulations (e.g., hearing conservation, right-to-know, personal protective equipment – including respiratory protection, fall protection, fire training, bloodborne pathogens, and confined space), and other programs as appropriate for compliance and employee safety.
• Evaluate and recommend purchases of appropriate safety equipment to ensure compliance with accepted or updated standards
• Provide supervisors with materials/resources for safety meetings to educate and inform employees in safety matters and safe job setup.
• Prepare Safety department annual O&M budget and 10-year plan.
• Supervisory abilities are task-oriented including direction of personnel (NYPA and contractors) during hazardous or complex tasks, or in emergency situations.
• Responsible for responding 24 hrs/7 days/week to any and all health & safety emergency(ies) or events.
• Develop, review and implement Region’s site Emergency Response Plan(s).
• Prepare and maintain appropriate reports and records for regulatory agencies and for audits.
• Provide input with Maintenance Resource Management Dept. in establishing Job Hazard Analysis and other safety concerns with the MRM program.
• Assists Human Resources Dept., as needed, with the preparation of the Worker’s compensation forms in a timely manner and provide accident/injury investigation reports.
• Assists Human Resources Dept. and Purchasing Dept. in the selection of the vendor for the Medical Services Program and manages the site's Occupation Health Program.
• Assists WPO Director - Risk Management with insurance inspections of fire protection systems and boiler equipment.
• Conduct exposure assessments of job tasks that have potential for acute or chronic harm to employee(s).
• Coordinate health & safety consultant activities as required in support of operational needs.
• Investigates and assists departments in resolving health, safety & fire protection issues; communicates with WPO Engineering on all fire protection initiatives.
• Responsible to ensure respective Region has adequate resources to respond to events involving confined spaces, water rescue, oxygen deficiency, etc.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of federal, state, and local regulations and guidelines concerning health & safety, working knowledge of Workers Compensation law, and return-to-work policy.Keep informed of technical and business trends both internal and external, and their applicability to the achievement of NYPA’s goals. Understand how NYPA interacts with outside organizations, including other utilities and regulatory agencies.
• Thorough knowledge of power generation and transmission systems and components.
• Must possess strong written and verbal skills to further NYPA’s position in the public sector.
• Ability to work on multiple projects/efforts consurrently is essential.
• The incumbent, as the proponent of health & safety performance beyond compliance, must be able to champion the effort with all levels of the Authority.
• Prepares and maintains appropriate written compliance programs; communicates same to employees.
• Takes a proactive approach to analyzing problems and recommends corrective action. Collecting and analyzing data for reports and trending issues involving NYPA’s health & safety policies and procedures.
• Plans and coordinates both long-term and short-term projects.
• Must be influential and have strong leadership skills in both controlled and uncontrolled environments.
• Organizes and manages the safety, health and fire protection function including the budget with emphasis toward providing a safe working environment for NYPA employees and site visitors.
• Ability to direct and facilitate training in a classroom environment.
• Ability to interface with both management and union workforce to effectively address health & safety issues.
• Strong computer skills (e.g., Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

Education, Experience and Certifications

• B.S. Degree in Health & Safety or Industrial Hygiene, or the equivalent, with minimum of 7 years of working as an experienced health & safety professional and minimum of 1-3 years implementing an employee Health & Safety program, in an industrial setting.  Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) or Certified Safety Professional (CSP) credential is a plus.
• Maintain certifications and proficiencies necessary as an instructor for health & safety programs, e.g., CPR/AED/First Aid, Defensive Driving, Fall Protection, Confined Space Entry.
• Working knowledge of OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration), DOSH (Department of Occupational Safety & Health), NFPA (National Fire Protection Association).
• Required training (and certification as applicable) includes:  NYS DOL Asbestos Supervisor &/or Inspector, lead abatement inspector, root cause analysis training (i.e.,  TapRoot®), federal Incident Command System competencies ICS100, 200, 700, and 800.

Physical Requirements

• Approximately 20% travel primarily within NY State.
• Physical ability to access Authority facilities is necessary on a routine basis.
• Ability to utilize respiratory protection and enter confined spaces and areas with limited access.
• Valid NY State Driver’s License.