Director of Environmental Health and Safety

Title: Director of Environmental Health and Safety





Position Purpose:

The Director of Environmental Health and Safety provides a safe and healthful campus through programs that target awareness and participation in health safety and environmental initiatives aimed at recognizing and eliminating hazards while meeting all compliance requirements. This hands-on position provides direct support for an increasingly diverse Bates College community utilizing excellent customer service skills.
The Director of Environmental Health and Safety is responsible for developing and promoting programs addressing safety for students, faculty, staff, visitors, contractors, and renters. The EHS Director partners with college administrators in developing, implementing and enforcing health and safety-related policies and procedures that ensure compliance with local, state, and federal safety and environmental regulations. The EHS Director serves as an internal subject matter expert on technical safety, health, environmental, and industrial hygiene matters.

APPLY NOW



Job Duties:

Environmental Health

• Assists management, employees, and students in resolving safety and environmental violations, issues, and concerns.

• Assesses needs and coordinates the acquisition of appropriate resources and equipment to ensure a safe, healthy, and sustainable work, learning, and living environment.

• Conducts and oversees environmental audits and inspections.

• Monitors compliance to policies and laws via inspections, audits, risk assessments, and observation programs.

• Keeps current with changes in regulatory requirements and addresses all safety and environmental regulations that apply to the college including the development of programs and meeting reporting requirements.

• Maintains licenses required for water, air, hazardous waste, and other environmental regulatory requirements.

• Submits environmental reports to regulatory agencies as required.

• Responsible for the hazardous and universal waste programs. • Serves as the main point of contact for hazardous material and oil spill response teams.

• Oversees multiple recycling programs across campus (e.g. confidential shredding, computer recycling, and reuse programs).

• Captures and analyzes data and creates reports to improve workplace compliance and to implement new strategies.

• Assesses long-term goals of the institution and develops environmental health and safety action plans to meet immediate needs while implementing steps to meet future challenges.

• Maintains and updates policies and procedures related to Environmental Health and Safety.

Safety & Training

• Evaluates hazards and conducts risk assessment and job hazard analysis on current equipment, products, facilities, or processes and those planned for future use.

• Conducts safety audits and inspections.

• Investigates accidents or incidents to discover causes, and, in conjunction with Human Resources, manages Workers’ Compensation and return to work programs.

• Maintains recordkeeping and tracking of all safety metrics and incidents.

• Develops and administers comprehensive safety training programs covering topics relevant to work at the college.

• Develops and administers a comprehensive environmental training program covering topics important to safe and sustainable operations.

• Promotes awareness of safety and environmental issues through participation in campus committees and by advocating for campus-wide involvement in safety and environmental initiatives. • Conducts dorm and room inspections to identify fire code violations and conducts fire drills.

• Advises on safety risks and risk mitigation for planned student events.

• Conducts safety inspections on eyewash stations, safety showers, fire extinguishers, kitchen and fume hood systems, clean air systems, AED, ammonia meters, fall protection equipment, and other safety stations and equipment.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Keeps current with changes in regulatory requirements and advises administration on all safety and environmental regulations which apply to the college.

• Prepares and submits all required regulatory reports for State, Federal, and local agencies.

• Monitors college compliance with State, Federal, and local regulations.

• Maintains applicable regulatory licenses and pays annual fees.

• Schedules and facilitates sampling and analysis to ensure environmental and safety compliance.

• Serves as the regulatory point of contact. • Serves as a subject matter expert on technical safety and environmental matters including OSHA, EPA, Maine DEP, EMA, LFO, DHHS, and other regulatory agencies regarding hazardous chemicals, hazardous waste, emergency response, industrial hygiene, life safety, and workplace safety.

• Serves as a member of the Institutional Biosafety Committee, Public Art Committee, SERG, and SERG Core.

• Provides up-to-date information about college policies, opportunities, and challenges.

Ergonomics

• Manages ergonomic program; conducts evaluations, maintains recordkeeping, and orders and installs equipment.

• Tests, orders, and stocks equipment.

• Coordinates orders, installation, and delivery of office furniture and chairs as needed.

• Conducts chair fittings for employees.

• Provides training on Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD).

• Processes ADA requests for equipment in coordination with Human Resources.

• Serves as chair of the college Safety/Ergonomics Committee.

Additional Responsibilities

• Supervises and/or oversees EHS support staff to ensure that operations are efficient and that a high level of customer service and engagement are provided.

• Assure equity, inclusion, access, and anti-racism as central to their work and the delivery of services to faculty, staff, and students.

• Manages and oversees the lactation program.

• Serves as the primary contact for the fire department.

• Ensures consistency, communication, and collaboration in a small yet complex environment.

• Maintains an active network of other EHS professionals.

• Seeks and participates in professional development activities.

• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.



Minimum Qualifications:

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in safety management, occupational health, or related field.
• Valid driver's license.

Experience

• 8+ years of progressively responsible experience in environmental health and safety roles.
• 5+ years of experience managing and mentoring staff in environmental health and safety areas, including organizing, prioritizing, and scheduling work assignments.
• Familiarity with the academic environment and higher education, preferably the liberal arts.

Skills and Knowledge

• Thorough knowledge of applicable regulations is essential.
• Possesses the confidence to utilize stop-work authority.
• Comfortable communicating and facilitating difficult discussions.
• Excellent communication (written, verbal, and presentation) skills.
• Strong presentation skills and ability to develop dynamic presentations.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to synthesize complex or diverse information.
• Ability to work independently and handle multiple priorities with minimal supervision.
• Impeccable organizational (time, task, project management) skills and ability to coordinate resources and staff within the college community.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to develop and maintain collegial relationships. Must be flexible, collaborative, and have a positive attitude.
• Proficiency in basic data management systems and basic computer applications (e.g., Google suite of apps such as e-mail, calendar, and google docs; and Microsoft business tools such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Willingness and ability to learn additional applications as needed.
• Ability and willingness to travel (by car, air, train, or bus) domestically and internationally as needed.
• Ability and willingness to work weekends, evenings, and other non-traditional schedules.
• Personal commitment to excellence and the mission of a top-tier small liberal arts college.
• Demonstrated commitment to practices in equity, inclusion, access, and anti-racism and to serving the needs of a culturally and educationally diverse and inclusive community with diplomacy and tact.




Benefits:

Bates College offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits (health, dental, sick leave, 24 days of vacation, 2 personal days, 12 paid holidays, dependent care subsidy, free parking, access to library and athletic facilities & more) and a supportive, collegial environment in a drug- and smoke-free workplace.



Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

Bates College is committed to the principle of equal opportunity and providing an educational and work environment free from discrimination. The college prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status and other legally protected statuses in the recruitment and admission of its students, in the administration of its education policies and programs, or in the recruitment of its faculty and staff. Bates College adheres to all applicable state and federal equal opportunity laws and regulations. All college faculty, staff, students, contractors, visitors, and volunteers are responsible for understanding and complying with the Non-Discrimination Policy.

Inquiries concerning the college’s policies, compliance with applicable laws, statutes, and regulations (such as Title VII, Title IX, and ADA/Section 504), and complaints may be directed to Gwen Lexow, Title IX Officer, 207-786-6445 or via email at glexow@bates.edu .

About Bates:

Bates is internationally recognized as a leading liberal arts college, attracting 2,000 students from across the U.S. and around the world.

Since 1855, Bates has been dedicated to educating the whole person through creative and rigorous scholarship in a collaborative residential community. Committed to opportunity and excellence, Bates has always admitted students without regard to gender, race, religion, or national origin.

Cultivating intellectual discovery and informed civic action, Bates prepares leaders sustained by a love of learning and zeal for responsible stewardship of the wider world. Bates engages the forces — intellectual trends, demographic changes, and technology — that are transforming higher education and the world into which our students graduate.

Bates has highly competitive admissions, graduates over 90 percent of its entering students, and more than half of its alumni earn graduate degrees. Bates employs 200 faculty members and 550 staff.

The college is proud of deep roots in the Lewiston/Auburn community, Maine’s second-largest urban area with a population of approximately 65,000. Bates is located on a beautiful, 133-acre, traditional New England campus in Lewiston, an emerging city with an entrepreneurial climate, a lively arts scene, and a dynamic business community. Bates is 35 miles north of Portland, 140 miles north of Boston, and 350 miles north of New York City.

APPLY NOW

Advertised: Apr 07 2021 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: