State of Maryland

An Occupational Safety and Health Compliance Hygienist Supervisor is the supervisory level of work at the Maryland Department of Labor involving the inspection, research, and analysis of the effect of chemical or physical workplace hazards on worker health.  Employees in this classification help to control or eliminate workplace hazards through compliance and enforcement measures designed to provide corrective action for violators of the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health Law.  Employees in the classification supervise lower-level Occupational Safety and Health Compliance Hygienists and may oversee the work of lower-level Occupational Safety and Health Compliance Officers.

Employees in this classification receive general supervision from the Chief of Occupational Safety and Health or other administrative official.  Employees in this class may be required to work evenings and weekends.  The work requires travel to work sites where working conditions may be noisy, dirty or uncomfortable.  The work may require lifting and carrying specialized instruments and the use of protective clothing and equipment.

Positions in this classification are evaluated by using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the class specification.

The Occupational Safety and Health Compliance Hygienist Supervisor  is differentiated from the Occupational Safety and Health Compliance Hygienist Lead/Advanced in that the Occupational Safety and Health Compliance Hygienist Supervisor  has supervisory responsibility for  lower-level Occupational Safety and Health Compliance Hygienists while the Occupational Safety and Health Compliance Hygienist Lead assigns, reviews and approves the work of and trains lower-level Occupational Safety and Health Compliance Hygienists and Occupational Safety and Health Hygienist Advanced serves as key technical and subject matter experts in the identification, evaluation and determination of control methods for unique or new occupational health hazards and may assign, review and approve the work of lower-level Occupational Safety and Health Compliance Hygienists or Occupational Safety and Health Compliance Officers.

Supervises lower-level Occupational Safety and Health Compliance Hygienists;

Trains and provides direction to subordinate staff on the appropriate interpretation of occupational safety and health laws, regulations and standards and on the policies, procedures, practices and methods used in the inspection, research, analysis and control of chemical or physical workplace hazards and in compliance and enforcement measures;

Ensures Occupational Safety and Health Compliance Hygienists or Occupational Safety and Health Compliance Officers receive proper training and staff development and are consistent in evaluating hazards and in applying occupational safety and health laws, regulations and standards;

Reviews and approves subordinate staff occupational safety and health studies and workplace inspection reports, research and analysis conclusions and applicable regulatory citations and penalties;

Oversees complex or sensitive inspections on-site and conducts periodic field surveys of inspections;

Provides guidance and training to employers and employees in private businesses or public agencies about hazards in the workplace, safety precautions, specialized abatement, and exposure reduction programs and similar occupational health concerns;

Testifies in administrative hearing and court proceedings and may assist in developing and presenting evidence in legal enforcement proceedings;

Conducts conferences with employers who have received citations and fines to attempt to resolve disputes and disagreements and, when applicable, recommends modification of violation citations and amounts of fines;

May supervise or oversee the work of Occupational Safety and Health Compliance Officers;

May evaluate and prioritize requests from industries for occupational safety and health compliance consultations; May serve as a key technical and primary subject matter expert in a specific area of occupational safety and health, such as biological hazards;

May meet with representatives of labor and management, public and private organizations, and other governmental agencies concerning the goals, policies, and procedures of the occupational safety and health programs;

May participate in identifying primary target industries for development of specific methods of recognizing and controlling occupational health hazards in such industries;

May assist in developing occupational safety and health regulations, legislative proposals and fiscal documentation for the proposals;

May analyze trends in occupational safety and health and draft proposed changes in policies or procedure; May assist in identifying the needs of the occupational safety and health program and allocating staff and equipment to meet those needs;

May assist in monitoring program budget expenditures, preparing grant proposals and administering grants;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of the basis principles of organic chemistry, biology, physics and mathematics;

Knowledge of federal and State health and safety laws, regulations and standards and voluntary consensus standards relating to occupational safety and health and indoor air quality;

Skill in the recognition, identification and analysis of actual and potential chemical and physical workplace hazards that affect employee health;

Skill in organizing and developing technical reports and analyses;

Skill in using specialized equipment to obtain exposure samples;

Skill in the application of basic statistical techniques in the analysis of primary data;

Skill in interpreting, applying and explaining technical and legal standards covering workplace hazards;

Ability to plan and direct the work of and train subordinate staff;

Ability to provide guidance and training to employers and employees in private businesses or public agencies;

 Ability to oversee and participate in large, complex or sensitive inspections;

Ability to draw conclusions based on information from several sources and make recommendations for further actions;

Ability to develop and present evidence in legal enforcement proceedings;

Ability to communicate complex and technical concepts effectively;

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with employers, employees, local, State and federal government personnel.

Experience: Eight years of experience inspecting, researching and analyzing chemical and physical workplace hazards affecting employee health in order to control or eliminate hazards and to ensure compliance with federal and State occupational safety and health laws, regulations and standards.

Notes:

1. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in industrial hygiene, physical science or life science which includes 12 credit hours in chemistry and 18 additional credit hours in any combination of the following: chemistry, physics, engineering, health physics, environmental health, biostatistics, biology, physiology, toxicology, epidemiology or industrial hygiene and four years of experience inspecting, researching and analyzing chemical and physical workplace hazards affecting employee health in order to control or eliminate hazards and to ensure compliance with federal and State occupational safety and health laws, regulations and standards for the required experience.

2. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Master’s degree in industrial hygiene from an accredited college or university for five years of the required experience.

3. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer in General Inspection, Investigation, Enforcement and Compliance classifications or General Inspection, Investigation, Enforcement and Compliance specialty codes in the Inspection, Investigation, Enforcement, and Compliance field of work on a year-for-year basis for the required experience.

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Skilled Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Skilled Service positions.  Some positions in Skilled Service classifications may be designated   Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is not assigned to a bargaining unit, as indicated by the designation of S (Supervisor), M (Manager), T (Agency Head), U (Board or Commission Member), W (Student), X (Used by Agency or Excluded by Executive Order), or Z (Confidential).  As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.