TENTATIVE

Occ. Code 7884200

New York State Department of Civil Service

Classification Standard

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF CLASS SERIES

Safety and Health Inspectors perform inspections of public and private work sites, and places of public assembly to ensure conformance with established occupational safety and health standards, identify unsafe conditions and work practices, and provide training to protect workers and the public. These positions perform inspections of worksites such as:  state, county, city, and town office buildings, hospitals, correctional facilities, sewage treatment plants, ski areas, carnivals, fairs and amusement parks, explosives magazines, power scaffolds and other window-washing operations. These worksites may also include asbestos abatement projects, and mold assessments and remediations.

These positions are only classified at the Department of Labor.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

Employees in this series are assigned to specific geographic areas of the State in one of the following program areas: Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response; Mold Assessment and Remediation; Boiler Safety; Engineering Services; Industry Inspection; Licensing and Certification; Mine Safety and Health; On-Site Consultation; and Workplace Safety and Loss Prevention.

SAFETY AND HEALTH INSPECTOR: full performance level; plans, schedules and conducts occupational safety and health inspections of selected work sites and areas of public assembly.

SENIOR SAFETY AND HEALTH INSPECTOR: conducts more difficult inspections in accordance with assigned program and procedures; and conducts outreach activities, training and surveys to ensure legal, federal, safety and health requirements are met.

ASSOCIATE SAFETY AND HEALTH INSPECTOR: first level supervisor; supervises and trains Inspectors, schedules workload; and performs the most difficult inspections.

SUPERVISING SAFETY AND HEALTH INSPECTOR: second level supervisor; supervises the conduct and technical review of inspections performed by Inspectors; may conduct the most difficult inspections.

RELATED CLASSES

Boiler Inspectors perform scheduled regulatory safety inspections of high and low pressure boilers and boiler installations to ensure their safe operating condition and to enforce compliance with statutory provisions of the Labor Law and industrial rules pertaining to boiler operations.

Safety and Health Program Managers plan, direct, coordinate and monitor Statewide inspections, field operations or consultative services according to State and Federal occupational safety and health policies, rules and regulations.

ILLUSTRATIVE DUTIES

SAFETY AND HEALTH INSPECTOR: under the general direction of an Associate Safety and Health Inspector or higher-level supervisor, review case files and reference materials to research code rules and regulations related to occupational and safety inspections for site assignment; explain the purpose of the visit and conduct the opening conference with appropriate representatives; conduct safety and health inspections of  work sites such as public office buildings, hospitals, correctional facilities, sewage treatment plants, or asbestos abatement projects; identify hazards found in any of the operating systems such as fire prevention and fire extinguisher equipment, entrance and exit plans, environmental control systems, and hazardous materials handling systems; inspect places of public assembly, ski areas, carnivals, fairs and amusement parks, explosive magazines, power scaffolds, and window-washing operations and identify hazards or dangerous conditions; discuss potential problems with site manager, or appropriate representatives; document violations and suggest solutions; prepare a report on the inspection and schedule a follow-up visit; investigate accidents to identify possible violations; and interview witnesses and prepare a report on findings.

SENIOR SAFETY AND HEALTH INSPECTOR: under the general direction of an Associate Safety and Health Inspector or higher-level supervisor, investigate allegations by employees of hazardous conditions in private industry; conduct inspections of explosives dealers and explosives storage facilities covered by the Public Assembly Law; enforce uniform mold assessment and remediation standards; identify areas of vulnerability and/or violations of standards; perform sampling using a variety of measuring instruments; assist in the abatement of a particular hazard in cases where a citation has previously been issued; may supervise Safety and Health Inspectors and assist with training; survey public and private worksites to determine compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations; develop accident prevention programs; conduct public relations outreach to employers to promote agency safety and health consultation services; attend conferences and visit places of business to inform them of available services; research businesses involved with hazardous operations or materials; research cost effective safety and health measures pertaining to occupational safety, management systems, industrial operations and processes;  conduct safety training for employees and employers; prepare a written report of inspection and the findings; recommend cost effective improvements to the employers safety and health program; and track inspection cases to ensure hazards are corrected appropriately and timely.

ASSOCIATE SAFETY AND HEALTH INSPECTOR: under the general direction of a Supervising Safety and Health Inspector or higher-level supervisor, supervise inspectors in the conduct of inspections in assigned program; perform inspections which lead to license and certification of individuals and installations which use explosives, perform blasting, utilize laser and crane operations, and operate amusement devices, ski tows, or window washer scaffolds; inspect places of public assembly according to the State law, regulations, State building construction code and State uniform fire prevention to ensure employee and public safety; assign inspections to staff on the basis of workload and geographic location; consult with employers to resolve complaints and problems; confer with staff to assist in the resolution of complex inspections involving procedures, interpretation, jurisdiction and compliance; address public organizations and employer groups on services provided; develop training materials for field staff to keep them current on revised and new policies and procedures; evaluate the work of subordinate staff and their narrative and statistical reports regarding recurrent problems in the district; assist with appeals investigations referred by the Industrial Board of Appeals; and assist in gathering material for court appearances which may result from inspections.

SUPERVISING SAFETY AND HEALTH INSPECTOR: under the general direction of a Safety and Health Program Manager 1 or 2 or higher-level supervisor, supervise the conduct and technical review of safety inspections or consultations to ensure conformance with New York State or Federal occupational safety and health standards; plan and schedule work assignments; monitor work performance; review staff reports; provide and conduct outreach to promote program and training to public and private sectors; conduct training activities for subordinates; depending on the program area, may conduct the more difficult or senstive inspections; supervise licensing, certification, and installation activities of individuals and various kinds of businesses to ensure safety and health of employees and the public; oversee the scheduling and conduct of Board hearings to examine for certification and licensure of crane operators or blasters in accordance with regulations established by the Commissioner of Labor;  serve as a representative on boards; recommend revisions to laws, rules and regulations regarding certification and licensure of regulated businesses; monitor security of the licensure and certification system, including the maintenance of the exam questions for the boards certification processes; contribute examination questions; oversee licensing of asbestos handling contractors by reviewing the applications, ensuring that all applicable training has been taken and passed, monitoring reported citations for violations, and consulting with the Asbestos Control Board to resolve problems; review financial abstracts of fees collected for licensing applicants for all contractors of inspected industries and arrange hearings as required; oversee the maintenance of files on all inspected industries to ensure licensure information is current; assign, monitor, and review staff work; conduct informal conferences; prepare for hearings and conduct public outreach; and process penalty assessments.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

SAFETY AND HEALTH INSPECTOR

Open Competitive: completion of a one-year traineeship; OR (1) bachelors degree or higher, and one year of experience in field inspections pertaining to the enforcement of building laws, codes, and regulations or in an occupational safety or public safety setting as an evaluator or inspector for a public or private organization evaluating the effectiveness of safety devices, protective equipment, or safety programs; or one year of experience in an apprenticeable trade in the manufacturing or construction industries, or active-duty military, or fire protection, which must include responsibility for the enforcement of safety standards and procedures by workers in that trade; or one year of experience with asbestos or mold inspections or abatement; OR (2) associates degree, and either three years of experience in field inspections pertaining to the enforcement of building laws, codes, and regulations or in an occupational safety or public safety setting as an evaluator or inspector for a public or private organization evaluating the effectiveness of safety devices, protective equipment, or safety programs; or three years of experience in an apprenticeable trade in the manufacturing or construction industries, or active-duty military, or fire protection, which must include responsibility for the enforcement of safety standards and procedures by workers in that trade; or three years of experience with asbestos or mold inspections or abatement; OR (3) five years of experience in field inspections pertaining to the enforcement of building laws, codes, and regulations or in an occupational safety or public safety setting as an evaluator or inspector for a public or private organization evaluating the effectiveness of safety devices, protective equipment, or safety programs; or five years of experience in an apprenticeable trade in the manufacturing or construction industries, or active-duty military, or fire protection, which must include responsibility for the enforcement of safety standards and procedures by workers in that trade; OR five years of experience with asbestos or mold inspections or abatement.

SENIOR SAFETY AND HEALTH INSPECTOR

Promotion: one year of service as a Safety and Health Inspector.

ASSOCIATE SAFETY AND HEALTH INSPECTOR

Promotion: one year of service as a Senior Safety and Health Inspector.

SUPERVISING SAFETY AND HEALTH INSPECTOR

Promotion: one year of service as an Associate Safety and Health Inspector; or two years as a Senior Safety and Health Inspector.

Revised:  7/17

NOTE: Classification Standards illustrate the nature, extent and scope of duties and responsibilities of the classes they describe. Standards cannot and do not include all of the work that might be appropriately performed by a class. The minimum qualifications above are those which were required for appointment at the time the Classification Standard was written. Please contact the Division of Staffing Services for current information on minimum qualification requirements for appointment or examination.