Position Summary

UTHealth Houston is seeking a Safety Manager who will address environmental protection issues. This employee provides professional knowledge and expertise in managing safety programs specific to the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston’s Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) Department. Responsible for supervising and coordinating efforts to manage hazardous wastes and environmental management at UTHealth Houston as a member of the Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Ensures compliance with institutional, local, state, and federal environmental, health, and safety regulations, including the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). We strongly prefer candidates who are certified Hazardous Materials Managers (CHMM) by the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management (IHMM).

What we do here changes the world. UTHealth Houston is Texas’s resource for healthcare education, innovation, scientific discovery, and excellence in patient care. That’s where you come in.

Once you join us, you won't want to leave. We reward our team for the excellent service they provide. Our total rewards package includes the benefits you’d expect from a top healthcare organization (benefits, insurance, etc.), plus:

100% paid medical premiums for our full-time employees
Generous time off (holidays, preventative leave day, both vacation and sick time – all of which equates to around 37-38 days per year)
The longer you stay, the more vacation you’ll accrue!
Longevity Pay (Monthly payments after two years of service)
Build your future with our awesome retirement/pension plan!

We take care of our employees! As a world-renowned institution, our employees’ wellbeing is important to us. We offer work/life services such as...

Free financial and legal counseling
Free mental health counseling services
Gym membership discounts and access to wellness programs
Other employee discounts, including entertainment, car rentals, cell phones, etc.
Resources for child and elder care
Plus many more!

Position Key Accountabilities

1. Develops, administers, and interprets programs and policies primarily for environmental protection, risk management & insurance.

2. Identifies potential safety and health hazards and discrepancies with UTHealth's safety policy, regulatory agency standards, and national guidelines, and develops solutions.

3. Develops strategies, policies, and procedures and implements control measures to ensure a safe and healthy work environment in our unique teaching, research, and clinical care settings.

4. Prepares reports for submission to supervisors, principal investigators, and/or managers, which identify the potential hazard(s) and/or program discrepancies found, and provides recommendations for control and compliance.

5. Advises employees, students, and faculty on safe work practices and potential hazards.

6. Prepares various types of reports, including submissions to safety committees or advisory groups and activity reports.

7. Communicates with federal, state, and local safety, health, and environmental agencies as a department representative concerning compliance issues and emerging standards.

8. Evaluates facility and construction plans to identify safety concerns and present recommendations to ensure a safe and healthful institutional environment.

9. Participates in or leads the conduct of accident/incident investigations.

10. Participates in the development and delivery of safety training for employees, students, and/or faculty.

11. Participates in meetings, workshops, and conferences to keep abreast of emerging safety, health, and environmental issues.

12. Manages Human Resources activities of the department in regard to recruiting and selection, hiring and termination, training, professional development, mentoring, counseling, performance evaluations, and salary planning.

13. This job classification is designated as "essential" at the UTHealth Science Center at Houston. In the event of an emergency, "essential" positions are those required to sustain clinical services, research activities, and/or are responsible for protecting university assets. Personnel in designated "essential" positions are expected to report to their designated work site during their appointed work schedules, even when the institution has been officially declared to be on "restricted access" or "closed" due to adverse conditions.

14. Perform other duties as assigned.

SPECIFIC POSITION EXPECTATIONS AND ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Supervise the Safety Specialists within the Environmental Protection Program who are assigned to help safely collect, manage, and dispose of hazardous wastes (e.g., biological, chemical, radiological, universal wastes) generated during routine teaching, research, and clinical care activities on campus.
Coordinates efforts to meet the regulatory requirements of the Environmental Protection Agency and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) related to hazardous waste and environmental regulations.
Oversees the development, implementation, and evaluation of associated policies and procedures for the hazardous waste and environmental management programs.
Coordinates and/or conducts safety inspections, environmental assessments, hazard surveillance, risk assessments, hazard vulnerability assessments, and emergency drills.
Responsible for documenting and reporting on all associated hazardous wastes generated and environmental matters for UTHealth Houston, including annual waste summaries, pollution prevention planning, Tier II, and stormwater pollution prevention permitting.
Serves as a representative on all campus safety committees (e.g., Safety Council, Institutional Biosafety Committee, Chemical Safety Committee, Radiation Safety Committee) to determine and anticipate hazardous waste and environmental compliance responsibilities associated with the teaching, research, and clinical activities on campus. Reports on hazardous waste generation rates and costs, including measures in place to contain costs.
Coordinates all emergency response and management involving hazardous wastes or environmental releases. Represents EHS in emergency management coordination and response meetings in the community, as needed.
Directly coordinate with personnel conducting external audits and inspections from regulatory organizations.
Provide technical advice and innovative solutions to manage potential hazards and provide control methods for identified problems.
Creates, monitors, and reports on performance improvement indicators for areas of responsibility.
Creates cost projections for areas of responsibility and determines cost containment or cost avoidance opportunities for the program.
Maintains all records and documentation required related to areas of responsibility; and reviews documentation to ensure compliance with applicable requirements.
In cooperation with the Office of Safety, Health, Environment, and Risk Management and other involved parties, conducts investigations of property loss and occupational injuries.
Coordinate ongoing continuous improvement efforts related to areas of responsibility noted above.
Communicates ongoing metrics, areas of success, opportunities for improvement, and recommended plans of action to leadership.
Prepares and delivers reports and presentations, as needed, to communicate program effectiveness and meet necessary reporting requirements.
Conducts inventories of hazardous materials and waste, and emergency supplies.

Certification/Skills

Prefer Candidates who have been designated as a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) by the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management (IHMM)

Certified Safety Professional (CSP) by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) preferred or
Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH) preferred or
Certified Biological Safety Professional (CBSP) by the Association for Biosafety and Biosecurity International (ABSA) preferred or
Certified Health Physicist (CHP) by the American Academy of Health Physics (AAHP) preferred or

Minimum Education

Bachelor’s degree in basic or applied science, engineering, safety, industrial hygiene, or health physics required; Master’s degree preferred.

Minimum Experience

Five (5) years of experience in occupational safety, fire safety, industrial hygiene, radiation safety, biological safety, and/ or environmental safety or equivalent.

Physical Requirements

Exerts up to 50 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 20 pounds frequently and/or up to 10 pounds constantly to move objects.

Security Sensitive

This position is a security-sensitive position pursuant to Texas Education Code §51.215 and Texas Government Code §411.094. To the extent that a position requires the holder to research, work on, or have access to critical infrastructure as defined in Texas Business and Commerce Code §117.001(2), the ability to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure is a minimum qualification to be hired for and to continue to be employed in that position. Personnel in such positions, and similarly situated state contractors, will be routinely reviewed to determine whether things such as criminal history or continuous connections to the government or political apparatus of a foreign adversary might prevent the applicant, employee, or contractor from being able to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure. A foreign adversary is a nation listed in 15 C.F.R. §791.4.

Residency Requirement

Employees must permanently reside and work in the State of Texas.

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Safety Manager (Environmental Protection Program)