The Manager of Occupational Safety & Health will serve as the lead with responsibility for management of workforce safety within the Highway Division, reporting to the Assistant Administrator of Traffic and Safety Engineering.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the strategic plan for improving worker safety with a goal of preventing workplace fatalities and reducing injuries and injury-related costs at MassDOT Highway.

• Identify workplace hazards which may lead to fatalities or life-altering injuries and ensure that protective controls are in place for these hazards through development and implementation of safety training, safety procedures, safety accountability, safety and personal protective equipment, and safety culture.

• Oversee the occupational safety and health budget, identifying and prioritizing needed safety equipment and personal protective equipment through hazard identification, response to employee injuries, OSHA standards, requirements set forth in DLS enforcement actions, observation of MassDOT crews at work, and district safety committee meetings.

• Work with senior managers in workers comp to gather and review injury and illness statistics and identify frequent injury types and injury trends. Work with district senior management to review injuries occurring in their district. Through these efforts set priorities for the workplace safety and health program and targeted worker injury prevention efforts, which may include safety accountability initiatives, training, procedures, equipment, policies, or operational changes.

• Work with staff at all levels from senior management to front-line crews to foster improved buy-in to safety and create safety behavior change. Creating safety culture change is complex and multi-faceted. The person in this role must be able to gain high technical credibility and personal trust with managers and staff, develop and deliver strong safety messaging through a variety of formats, build strong working relationships with staff at all levels, understand the MassDOT organization and push safety initiatives forward at a pace and in a manner which will be effective and workable for MassDOT.

• Responsible for managing enforcement actions against MassDOT by the MA Department of Labor Standards (DLS). DLS recently became designated as an OSHA “state-plan”, which will mean increased enforcement activity modeled after federal OSHA procedures. The role of managing these enforcement actions includes serving as the point of communication with DLS, serving as the MassDOT lead during on-site investigations by DLS, working closely with senior district management to respond to corrective actions outlined in DLS written warning/order to correct notices, preparing new trainings and safety procedures and other corrective actions as per the citation, tracking deadlines, and preparing the written responses to DLS citations to ensure the cases are closed out. The OSHA state plan designation also will increase the focus on any repeat violations, which means that a citation in one district will be considered a repeat violation if it occurs in the future in another district. As a result, there will be an increased focus as part of managing these cases on informing all other districts of the citations and required corrective actions and ensuring that they are implemented statewide across all districts.

• Conduct injury investigations and accident root cause analysis determinations for employee injuries.

• Manage and support a team of 15 Industrial Safety and Health Inspectors working in the districts. Provide safety program direction, assistance with investigations, technical assistance with health and safety issues encountered in the field, professional development, and general employee and personal support.

• Work with district senior management across districts and make them aware of DLS enforcement cases, serious injuries, and repeat injuries in other districts, and provide them with strategies for safety improvements and injury reduction.

• Attend central level senior staff meetings for district senior level staff and central administration and operations to keep them apprised of worker safety issues, and to provide recommendations. This includes quarterly labor-management meetings, district maintenance engineer meetings, district construction engineer meetings, district administrator meetings, and UMass training plan meetings.

• Respond to requests for technical assistance on worker safety matters by district senior management. Attend district safety committee meetings.

• Conduct technical selection of safety equipment and personal protective equipment, reviewing technical data and conducting research as needed.

• Work with the Chief’s office to develop the plan for the safety training grant, develop new training programs, and deliver trainings.

• Write, develop, and oversee distribution of safety messaging through videos, safety bulletins, blast emails and other formats.

• Provide high level technical assistance to all MassDOT districts, divisions, and groups on worker safety and health issues or related technical issues such as air quality and chemical exposures.

• Provide support to senior level Construction staff and other divisions by interpreting safety plans and technical reports submitted by contractors and consultants, such as chemical exposure management plans and safety plans, and attending meetings with consultants and contractors to provide technical support to Construction and other divisions. This can result in both significant cost savings by preventing contractors from performing unnecessary and costly monitoring, and also in achieving regulatory compliance by ensuring that the correct required testing is conducted.

• Work with MassDOT Highway senior Construction staff to help ensure that contractors are providing safety equipment and meeting safety standards for MassDOT personnel entering contractor-controlled construction sites. This includes preparing needed additions and revisions to standard contract language, coordinating with contractors on safety deficiencies that put MassDOT personnel at risk, and meeting with contractors as needed.

• Responsible for compliance with federal and state safety standards and regulations including OSHA and other applicable standards. In order to achieve this the Manager must have and maintain high level technical knowledge of OSHA requirements and worker protection controls (such as hazard identification, hazard mitigation, engineering controls, personal protective equipment, prevention strategies) for the full range of worker safety concerns for MassDOT including but not limited to: work zone and roadway safety, fall protection, trench safety, confined space entry, lockout/tagout, hazardous atmospheres, ergonomics, respiratory protection, chemical exposures, aerial lift safety, ladder safety, heavy equipment, power and hand tools, mowing, excess heat, excess cold, outdoor hazards (poisonous plants, ticks, animals), slips, trips, and falls, chain saw and storm clean-up, indoor air quality, respiratory protection, welding, repair garages, and working over water.

A finalist for this position must be able to pass a comprehensive background check including a criminal record check, Department of Revenue (DOR) check, and employment references.

About MassDOT

The 4,000+ employees of  Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) take great pride in connecting the Commonwealth’s residents and communities. MassDOT is responsible for developing, implementing, and coordinating transportation policies and projects for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and to efficiently plan, design, construct, and maintain a safe statewide transportation system which effectively meets the transportation needs of the Commonwealth. Information about MassDOT’s culture and career opportunities can be found at  mass.gov/massdot-careers

MassDOT’s divisions include Highway, Registry of Motor Vehicles, Aeronautics, and Rail & Transit. Headquarters (Planning & Enterprise Services) provides business and administrative support and policy leadership for each of the four (4) divisions.   

Minimum Entrance Requirements

This requisition will remain open until filled; however, first consideration will be given to those applicants that apply within the first 14 days.

Current MassDOT employees should use their internal MassCareers account to apply.

All job applications must be submitted online through MassCareers to be considered.

Please provide a complete, accurate and current resume / application for MassDOT to review in order to determine if your submitted materials meet the minimum entrance requirements for the position.

Applicants must have at least (A) six (6) years of full-time or, equivalent part-time, professional, administrative, supervisory, or managerial experience in business administration, business management, public administration, public management, clinical administration or clinical management of which (B) at least two (2) years must have been in a supervisory or managerial capacity or (C) any equivalent combination of the required experience and substitutions below.

Substitutions

I. A certificate in a relevant or related field may be substituted for one (1) year of the required (A) experience.

II. A Bachelor's degree in a related field may be substituted for two (2) years of the required (A) experience.

III. A Graduate degree in a related field may be substituted for three (3) years of the required (A) experience.

IV. A Doctorate degree in a related field may be substituted for four (4) years of the required (A) experience.

• For questions regarding the job posting, please email the MassDOT Talent Acquisition Team at  talentacquisition@dot.state.ma.us.

• For general questions regarding MassDOT, call the Human Resources Service Center at 857 ‐368 ‐4722.

• For a disability ‐related reasonable accommodation or alternative application method, call the ADA  Coordinator, Lucy Bayard, at 857 ‐274 ‐1935.

Comprehensive Benefits

When you embark on a career with the Commonwealth, you are offered an outstanding suite of employee benefits that add to the overall value of your compensation package. We take pride in providing a work experience that supports you, your loved ones, and your future.

Want the specifics? Explore our Employee Benefits and Rewards!

An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Commonwealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. Research suggests that qualified women, Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive to apply for this role.