The Field Safety Officer provides safety related services for all research and teaching activities occurring outside the traditional university setting under the direction of the Executive Director of the USU Environmental Health and Safety Office. Responsibilities focus on promoting a culture of safety and the prevention of occupational injuries and illnesses. The population served by this position includes researchers, faculty, staff, students, and visitors that conduct outdoor activities on and off-campus or outdoor outside traditional laboratories and classrooms including, but not limited to: farms, field stations, nature reserves, and remote research sites. This position includes providing technical guidance on how to conduct hazard assessments and the development of safe procedures for conducting field research and teaching.

1. Coordinate the Field Safety Program

• Encourage and assist USU Personnel (PIs, Instructors, Farm Managers, etc.) conducting field activities to develop appropriate Field Safety Plans consistent with USU’s Field Safety Policy and Field Safety Handbook.
• Continually improve available resources, such as the Field Safety Handbook, to assist University faculty and staff apply applicable portions of the Utah Labor Commission's Farming Operations Standards, EPA Worker Protection Standard, and the OSHA General Duty Clause into all University agricultural, field research, and outdoor teaching activities.
• Review Field Safety Plans and conduct periodic site visits of USU research and teaching field sites.
• Develop Job Safety Analyses (JSAs) for mobile and handheld equipment used in field and agricultural research, teaching, and production activities.
• Provide safety training for field activities.
• Participate in the University Safety Committee structure as a member of the Field Safety Committee and as an advisor to that committee.

2. Accident Investigation

• Review and evaluate worker compensation claim forms for all field related accidents and injuries
• Provide quarterly reports of all field accidents, including recommendation, to the appropriate safety representatives prior to each Safety Committee Meeting

3. Travel requirements

• In support of field and farm safety, this position may require some travel (in-state, out-of-state, day trips or involving overnight stay).

4. Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Hygiene, Safety, Public Health, or related field.
• Relevant experience in field related activities including but not limited to:
  • Natural resource industries (Logging, Mining, Oil Exploration)
  • Government service (Forest Service, BLM, National Parks)
  • Agriculture (farming, ranching, gardening, landscaping)
  • Private

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree (MS, MA) in Science, Engineering, Agriculture or Natural Resources
• College/University level course work in fields that commonly do field work/research:
  • Agriculture (Animal, Dairy)
  • Engineering (Biological, Environmental, Civil)
  • Humanities (Anthropology, Sociology)
  • Natural Resources (Environment, Watershed, Wildland)
  • Science (Biology, Geology, Ecology)
• Field research experience (actual time spent on projects outside traditional academic settings)
• Experience working within some aspect of worker safety, industrial hygiene or public health
• Experience in field safety and/or agricultural safety
• Experience working under safety plans in the field
• Knowledge of the basic principles in agricultural and/or field safety gained from formal training, college level educational and/or work experience
• Knowledge of federal, state, and local health and safety codes as applicable to the agriculture and field community
• Leadership experience in planning and executing field research projects
• Fire/EMS experience

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• The ability to apply knowledge and experience to the task of accident prevention, hazard recognition, and risk mitigation
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with field researchers, farm managers, staff members, administrators, and workers
• Skill in working independently and following through on assignments
• Ability to analyze technical data and make recommendations based on the data
• Ability to make persuasive oral and written presentations
• Ability to develop and provide valuable, informative, and engaging training
• Ability to clearly and concisely provide information and explain procedures or policies
• Skill in writing concise, logical, and grammatically correct analytical reports
• Ability to use a personal computer, mobile device, and related business software
• Ability to respond to accidents and incidents after normal university business hours
• Willingness to travel to off-campus locations to provide training, assist with program implementation, conduct safety inspections and accident investigations

Along with the online application, please attach:

1. Resume/CV to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Resume/CV”
2. Two Letters of Recommendation to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Documents 1-10”
3. Cover Letter to be typed/pasted at the end of your application 

**Document size may not exceed 10 MB.**

Employees work indoors and are protected from weather and/or contaminants, but not, necessarily, occasional temperature changes.  The employee is regularly required to sit and often uses repetitive hand motions.

The Office of Research is committed to supporting and growing nationally and internationally relevant programs of basic and applied research, scholarship, and creative inquiry. The Office of Research supports USU’s mission by facilitating a culture of excellence in research, scholarship and creative activity of faculty and students through operational, training, funding, outreach and compliance support.

The Environmental Health and Safety Office is here to assist faculty, staff and students maintain a safe place to work and study. We are a service organization that provides expertise and advice for compliance with federal, state and local safety and health regulations as well as current professional practices and guidelines. Our goal is to prevent injury, illnesses and environmental damage through the recognition, evaluation and control of potential hazards arising from university activities.

Utah State University (USU) was founded in 1888 and is Utah’s land-grant and space-grant university. USU is one of only 146 research institutions in the U.S. classified as R1 “very high research activity” by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. As one of the two premier research institutions in Utah, USU provides a high-quality education at an affordable price. With its main campus in Logan, the university serves approximately 27,500 students, including 24,255 undergraduates and 3,171 graduate students. USU Online has served students from all 50 states and 55 countries for 25 years.

USU’s statewide system features three residential campuses, 30 total campus locations, and 23 Extension education centers. The university employs 903 full-time faculty members, 124 executive administrators, and 1,649 full-time support staff. USU offers 115 undergraduate majors, as well as 91 master’s and 42 doctoral degrees. Learn more about USU.

A core characteristic of USU is engagement with communities and people in economic development, improvements to quality of life, and human capital. Through the practical application of knowledge, the University and its faculty engage and share expertise with the state, nation, and world, preserving the historical land-grant tradition of partnering with communities to address critical societal issues in the interest of the public good.

The USU main campus is located in beautiful Logan, Utah, a city of about 50,000 situated in a picturesque mountain valley about 80 miles north of Salt Lake City. Outstanding recreational opportunities abound in the nearby mountains and proximate region.

USU is sensitive to the needs of dual career couples and provides a Dual Career Assistance program to support careers for partners who are also seeking employment.

USU endeavors to provide reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access in all aspects of employment to qualified persons with disabilities. To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability, please contact the university’s ADA Coordinator in the Human Resource office at 435-797-0122 or submit a request at hr@usu.edu.

USU Land Acknowledgment

Please visit our website to learn about Utah State’s land acknowledgment of the eight tribes of Utah.

Notice of Non-discrimination

In its programs and activities, including in admissions and employment, Utah State University does not discriminate or tolerate discrimination, including harassment, based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by University policy, Title IX, or any other federal, state, or local law.

The following individuals have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the application of Title IX and its implementing regulations and/or USU’s non-discrimination policies:

Executive Director of the Office of Equity Matthew Pinner, discrimination@usu.edu, Distance Education Rm. 401, 435-797-1266

Title IX Coordinator Matthew Pinner, titleix@usu.edu, Distance Education Rm. 404, 435-797-1266

Mailing address: 5100 Old Main Hill, Logan, Ut 84322

For further information regarding non-discrimination, please visit https://equity.usu.edu/, or contact:

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 800-421-3481, OCR@ed.gov

U.S. Department of Education, Denver Regional Office, 303-844-5695, OCR.Denver@ed.gov

*updated 11/2022