Sr. Health & Safety Technician

Overview

The Princeton University Office of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) provides leadership, technical support, information and training, consultation, and periodic audits of environmental, health and safety practices and regulatory compliance.  EHS employs a dedicated and knowledgeable staff of 19 professional and support staff working to address health and safety issues in several broad areas including: workplace safety, occupational health, laboratory safety, emergency management, environmental programs, and general health and safety for the campus community.

The Sr. Health and Safety Technician carries out technical services in support of Environmental Health and Safety responsibilities and functions. This includes a wide range of technical services relating to the recognition, evaluation and control of potentially hazardous conditions at the University, including physical hazards (e.g., excessive noise, electrical hazards), radiological, biological, environmental, and chemical hazards.

The typical end product of the technical services is the development of data to inform recommendations (either through the EHS professional staff or personally) designed to control hazards and limit employee exposures to maintain acceptable levels, per regulatory and other professional guidelines. This includes evaluating and maintaining calibration of EHS and other department-owned equipment used for exposure monitoring, and systems designed for risk mitigation in research facilities and other chemical-use spaces.

Provides specialized support to EHS professional staff, including maintaining inventory of various equipment and data, handling the inventory and distribution requests from the safety store, and additional tasks and responsibilities.

Responsibilities

Equipment Testing and ValidationCarries out fume hood performance testing program. Conducts annual testing of more than 740 laboratory fume hoods. Interprets testing data and provides results to fume hood users, departmental safety contacts, Special Facilities and maintenance staff and others. Conducts measurements in support of final approval on newly installed fume hoods following interaction with outside air balancing firms, Capital Projects office & other university & outside interests.Conducts performance assessments of alternate exposure control devices in support of the chemical exposure control program.Conducts evaluations in support of validation of autoclaves across campus. Conducts testing, records results in our safety management system.On varying schedules, tracks and calibrates and/or tests equipment that EHS and select departments use for exposure monitoring, such as 4-gas monitors used by EHS and Facilities.

 

Surveys, Testing and Package ReceiptConducts Health and Safety Surveys of laboratories, lasers, radioactive materials use spaces, professional trades shops, swimming pool facilities, Reunions sites, Dining Services facilities, and laser facilities using checklists developed by EHS professional staff. Immediately notifies EHS professional staff and affected individuals of any imminent hazard. Prepares and submits reports to responsible parties. Conducts follow-up surveys and consults with affected individuals on mitigation.Conducts radiation surveys, including smear surveys, package receipt surveys, and meter readings for determination of radioactive contamination. Analyzes radioactivity of smear surveys using scintillation counter. Tracks and receives packages of radioactive materials and controlled substances. Logs materials into the radioactive materials or controlled substances systems in Prime, places inventory tags, as needed, and delivers the materials to the appropriate lab, along with any required chain of custody and tracking documents.

Assists with the investigation of indoor air quality concerns through utilizing monitoring equipment and/or performing visual assessments to evaluate environmental conditions.

 

Sampling and MonitoringConducts sampling of employee/student work environments, including laboratories, to evaluate/document potential exposures to hazardous substances, i.e., asbestos, lead, carbon monoxide, and other potential contaminants. Determines the method for collecting and analyzing the material. Submits samples to outside laboratories and interprets results. Prepares reports for clients and/or EHS staff. Conducts quality assurance efforts to ensure accuracy and data integrity. Maintains database of all sampling information. Reconciles invoices for cost-sharing determination.Conducts noise monitoring and dosimetry, either for employees or students working in potentially high noise environments or for environmental or nuisance noise complaints.

 

Administrative and Support Tasks

With direction from EHS senior staff, curates safety information resources and data utilizing the SHIELD (SciShield) com