Safety Specialist

Located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples, Vancouver has a commitment to becoming a City of Reconciliation. Vancouver consistently ranks as one of the world’s most liveable and environmentally sustainable cities. Named among Canada's Top 100 Employers, BC's Top Employers, and Canada's Greenest Employers, the City of Vancouver seeks colleagues who can help shape and embody our core commitments to sustainability, reconciliation, equity and outstanding quality of life for all residents.

Consider joining our committed team of staff and being part of an innovative, inclusive and rewarding workplace.

Main Purpose and Function

The Occupational Health and Safety Specialist is a safety professional who provides advice, support and analysis to the organization and helps business units establish risk controls and management processes that promote sustainable business practice. They work to reduce and eliminate fatalities, injuries (physical and psychological), occupational illnesses, and property damage.

In partnership with assigned business units, or working within a specific area of program expertise, the position is responsible for ensuring that staff are engaged in their OHS statutory and corporate obligations so that a culture of continuous improvement grows and at minimum, compliance at all levels of the organization are maintained. They lead in implementation and coordination of safety measures and review, promote continuous improvement and improve safety culture.

Deliverables include:

• Providing advice, direction or recommendations on Regulatory or City Program compliance and improvements to directors, managers and supervisors.
• Writing, maintaining and implementing corporate health and safety management system, policies, programs and standards to enhance continuous improvement, safety culture and compliance with legislation.
• Investigating multi-business unit safety concerns or incidents and providing reports and recommendations to managers.
• Managing and executing projects.
• Developing and delivering educational programs and materials as required.
• Conducting safety and health assessments and producing recommendations.
• Guiding and assisting with the operation of Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committees.

Specific Duties/Responsibilities

• Researches, develops, implements and continuously improves health and safety programs/systems/approaches in alignment with regulatory standards and industry best practices.
• Conducts/facilitates comprehensive risk assessments to identify hazards, evaluate potential risks, and recommend appropriate preventative or corrective measures applying the hierarchy of controls.
• Conducts/facilitates safety audits and inspections of facilities, equipment, and processes to ensure compliance with safety standards and identify areas for improvement.
• Develops and implements audit and inspection protocols.
• Examines plans for buildings and equipment and makes health and safety related recommendations.
• Prepares reports.
• Leads, oversees and/or participates in complex or serious incident investigations and monitors to ensure investigation processes are sound and corrective actions are completed.
• Monitors environmental and occupational hygiene quality factors such as air/noise/heat/chemical and environmental exposure and interprets or authors reports with recommendations for corrective actions.
• Implements and monitors compliance with new or existing corporate or departmental safety and health programs.
• In partnership with Operations, leads OH&S regulatory and corporate program compliance.
• Collaborates with cross-functional teams to integrate health and safety considerations into project planning, design, and execution.
• Provides expert guidance and support to management and staff on health and safety matters, including training, consultation, and resource allocation.
• Facilitates the administration of City programs such as confined spaces, WHMIS, first aid and incident investigations.
• Monitors and evaluates the effectiveness of health and safety initiatives through data analysis, performance metrics, and feedback mechanisms.
• Assists in the procurement of and manages, when required, occupational safety or hygiene contractors/consultants.
• Monitors and corrects performance, relating to OH&S, of management, supervisors and unionized staff liaising with the managers. This may include participation in progressive discipline.
• When deemed necessary, halts all work being performed until a safety issue is resolved.
• Manages any Refusals of Unsafe Work per the BC OH&S Regulation and corporate procedures.
• Assesses needs and provides safety related training, liaising with Operations.
• Assesses departmental safety budgets and makes recommendations on resource allocation and spend.
• Develops and recommends action plans relating to findings and corrective actions in inspections, audits, safety committee meetings, management meetings and investigations.
• Guides departments in coordinating and leading orientations for new or transferred staff and/or contractors and consultants, as needed, which meet City standards.
• Works with operations to identify the need for new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Facilitates SOP creation and reviews for compliance and effectiveness.
• Leads or supports emergency scene management for serious work-related incidents.
• Attends Safety Committee meetings as a health and safety subject matter expert working closely with representatives to ensure meetings occur, are documented as required and meet objectives.
• Identifies, assesses, and addresses OH&S issues as they are raised with management team, staff and safety committees.
• Disseminates OH&S information to management, supervisors and staff: develops corporate Safety Talk materials as needed.
• Assesses needs and coordinates delivery of health programs such as hearing testing and vaccinations.
• Monitors collection of information and entry of safety investigations.
• Liaises with WSBC staff on inspections, incident investigations and consultation.
• Keeps Supervisor or Manager apprised of emerging issues and critical incidents.
• Participates in the On Duty Safety Specialist rotation and carries out related duties as required. This includes a 24/7 on-call support for a one-week period every 4 to 8 weeks.
• Other duties/responsibilities as assigned.

Education and Experience:

A University degree in Occupational Health and Safety or Occupational Hygiene plus five or more years of experience leading safety programs or an operations team in Occupational Health and Safety, or an equivalent combination of education, such as a diploma or certificate, training, and experience.

Experience working in the public sector operations or a unionized environment.

Possession of or working towards a professional certification in Occupational Health and Safety or Occupational Hygiene such as CRSP, CRST, ROH or ROHT. Equivalent certifications shall be considered.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Considerable regulatory knowledge and demonstrated practical application of occupational health and safety policies, programs and processes in a unionized operations environment.
• Stay current with emerging trends, technologies, regulatory changes and industry standards in the field of occupational health and safety, and proactively adapt strategies accordingly.
• Demonstrated abilities of coaching, mentoring and performance management practices.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills including technical writing, facilitating meetings, giving presentations and the ability to influence and promote teamwork and build relationships with a broad range of stakeholders.
• Strong management and facilitation skills to plan and manage the health and safety programs and manage safety investigations.
• Strong computer skills in Microsoft Office applications such as Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint; Safety Data Management Systems and in SAP is considered an asset.
• Ability to manage change and assist people with adapting to change at all levels of the Organization.
• Ability to compile, draft and maintain correspondence, spreadsheets, reports, presentations and minutes.
• Ability to work well under pressure, handle multiple tasks and changing priorities with tight time frames.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a team environment.
• An aptitude to provide an outstanding experience for clients.
• Proven decision making and problem solving skills.
• Ability to perform functions of the position with minimal supervision.
• Strong multi-tasking, time-management, negotiation and communication (verbal and written) skills.
• Strong diplomacy skills with an ability to be flexible and also give and take direction well.
• Excellent documentation and time management skills.
• Local area travel is a requirement.
• May be assigned to and/or rotated through various City operations and locations.
• May be required to work outside of regular business hours.
• Valid driver’s license (recognized in BC).

Where operationally appropriate and subject to change, the City of Vancouver has a Flexible Work Program. This program allows staff to work remotely 1 – 4 days a week from locations that are a daily commutable distance from their work at a City worksite. At this time this position is eligible to be part of the Flexible Work Program.

Business Unit/Department: Chief Safety Officer (1090)

Affiliation: Exempt

Employment Type: Temporary Full Time

Position Start Date: January 2025

Position End Date: January 2026

Salary Information: Pay Grade RNG-080: $97032 to $121294 per annum

Application Close: January 5, 2025

At the City of Vancouver, we are committed to recruiting a diverse workforce that represents the community we so proudly serve. Indigenous peoples, people of colour, 2SLGBTQ+ persons including all genders and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Accommodations will be provided upon request during the selection process.