Job Details

Chemical Hygiene Officer and Dangerous Goods Shipping Specialist

Position Number: 9884305
Location: Kingston, United States
Position Type: Occupational and Environmental Safety

Chemical Hygiene Officer and Dangerous Goods Shipping Specialist

Posting Number: SF02230
Position Type: Professional Staff
Union: PSA/NEA - Professional Staff Assoc
Pay Grade Level: Grade Level: 11
Pay Grade Range: Salary Hiring Range: $65,571 - $80,222
Department: Environmental Health & Safety
Campus Location: Kingston

Job Description Summary:
Search will be open until filled. First consideration will be given to applications received by
10/28/2026. Applications received after 10/28/2026 may be reviewed depending on search progress and needs but are not guaranteed full consideration.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________

THE POSITION SCHEDULE IS ELIGIBLE FOR HYBRID: 3 DAYS IN-PERSON, AND 2-DAYS REMOTE WORK.

POSITION SUMMARY:

Establish and maintain appropriate protocols and oversight for all areas of the University that contain hazardous chemicals. Ensure proper management of chemicals including storage, inventory, usage, and disposal. Assist University faculty, students and staff ship dangerous goods and other regulated hazardous materials in adherence with federal and state regulations. Perform all responsibilities as required of a university Chemical Hygiene Officer by federal regulations. Provide training for all University personnel, including faculty, staff, and students, who work with chemicals and/or who may manage waste.

Duties and Responsibilities:
KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Provide training for all laboratory and support personnel exposed to chemicals, including instruction regarding the safe use, storage, and disposal of chemical waste, as well as emergency procedures and regulatory requirements.

Inspect laboratories and other areas of campus that contain hazardous chemicals to ensure compliance with environmental health and safety and hazardous waste regulations. Document inspections using web-based inspection software. If necessary, conduct follow-up inspections to ensure the areas come into compliance.

Manage all aspects of the dangerous goods shipping program by ensuring items are classified properly in compliance with domestic and international dangerous goods regulations (DOT, IATA, IMDG), and applicable regulations pertaining to the shipment and/or storage of hazardous materials.

Assist faculty, staff, and students in procurement of appropriate shipping and packaging containers. Pick, pack and process packages of hazardous materials/dangerous goods for shipment. Use shipping software to ship hazardous materials/dangerous goods. Provide day-to-day regulatory guidance on packaging specifications, marking, labeling, and shipping documents.

Maintain subject matter expertise and certifications for shipping dangerous goods in compliance with all federal and state regulations.

Provide assistance to Principal Investigators (PIs) and lab users in preparing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for use of certain chemicals, procedures or equipment.

Respond to and contain hazardous chemical spills during business hours by performing defensive and offensive response actions to stop a hazardous material spill within laboratories and other University locations.

Response actions are limited to cleaning small chemical spills (4L liters of less) of limited hazards (not particularly hazardous substances or radioactive materials), where a cartridge air-purifying respirator is sufficient means of respiratory protection. A powered air purifying respirator may be used in lieu of air purifying respirator. Be able to calibrate and use portable gas detectors (e.g., photoionization detector, 4-gas meter, ammonia meter) to assess respiratory hazards.

Containerize spill cleanup material and other waste in appropriate containers.

Perform air monitoring (if necessary) to ensure space is safe to occupy.

Maintain spill supplies, sampling equipment and PPE, including respiratory protection.

Provide guidance and develop training materials to assist University personnel in complying with EPA and DEM requirements in order to ensure regulatory compliance with hazardous waste (RCRA) disposal regulations and the University Chemical Hygiene Plan.

Track and report on the following: employee training, hazardous waste manifests, chemical acquisitions and inventories, summaries of work completed, etc., and related reports.

Collect data and prepare reports for regulatory agencies and assist in the implementation of corrective actions and recommendations that result from inspections by these agencies.

Serve on the University's Waste Minimization Committee to assist the campus in the following:reducing usage of hazardous chemicals, substituting safer chemical alternatives, reducing exposure to hazardous chemicals, promoting recycling and proper management of campus waste.Conduct regular inspections to ensure that laboratory safety standards are rigorously followed.

Develop emergency plans for handling accidental spills and personnel contamination and for investigating laboratory accidents.

Provide advice on chemical laboratory security.
OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Be on call to respond to incidents involving chemical handling, storage, disposals, environmental spills, and biosafety issues.

Attend training classes on safety and regulatory compliance topics in order to stay current on these topics.

Maintain annual Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) refresher training per OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1910.120, specifically 8-hour Hazardous Materials Technician Level III, as provided by the University.

Perform other duties as required.

LICENSES, TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT:

Personal computers, printers; cell phone; word processing, spreadsheet, and database management software. Valid driver's license.

Posting Date: 10/07/2026

To apply, visit https://jobs.uri.edu/postings/17175