SAFETY & HEALTH OFFICER

This profile defines the minimum qualifications for a Site Safety & Health Officer (SSHO) who can take ownership of safety compliance on a CJW federal project on Day 1. The SSHO owns the Accident Prevention Plan (APP), Activity Hazard Analyses (AHAs), site safety inspections, incident investigation, and all safety documentation and reporting. The SSHO role is dedicated to safety — not a dual-hat with superintendent or QC functions on complex projects.

1. FEDERAL SAFETY EXPERIENCE — NON-NEGOTIABLE

• Minimum 7 years of experience as a designated SSHO or Site Safety Officer on federal government construction projects — commercial safety experience does not count toward this threshold.
• Must have served as the named SSHO (not just safety assistant) on at least three completed federal projects under NAVFAC, USACE, GSA, or similar agency contracts.
• Must have direct experience implementing safety programs under EM 385-1-1 (USACE Safety and Health Requirements Manual) — can cite specific sections without prompting.
• Must have experience on DoD military installations with active force protection requirements, controlled access points, and base-specific safety overlays.
• Prior SSHO experience on federal projects in the DC Metro region is strongly preferred: Indian Head, JBAB, NRL, Bethesda, Fort Belvoir, Dahlgren, or similar NAVFAC/USACE installations.

2. CERTIFICATIONS — MUST BE ACTIVE ON DAY ONE

✓  OSHA 30-Hour Construction — active, not expired. Absolute minimum.

✓  EM 385-1-1 Competent Person training — must demonstrate working knowledge, not just awareness

✓  First Aid / CPR / AED — current certification

✓  Valid driver’s license

Preferred — significant differentiators:

✓  CHST (Construction Health and Safety Technician) — BCSP credential

✓  CSP (Certified Safety Professional) — BCSP credential

✓  USACE / NAVFAC Competent Person certification for specialty areas: confined space, fall protection, excavation, scaffold, steel erection

✓  Active CAC or DBIDS base access credential

✓  Procore — familiar with safety module for AHA uploads and incident logging

3. ACCIDENT PREVENTION PLAN (APP) OWNERSHIP

• Must be able to develop a project-specific Accident Prevention Plan from scratch in accordance with UFGS 01 35 26 and EM 385-1-1 — not just fill in a prior template.
• Must update the APP to reflect scope changes, new DFOWs, changes in workforce, and government-directed modifications — treats the APP as a living document.
• Must prepare the APP for government review and submission, respond to government comments, and track re-submission cycles.
• Minimum APP content fluency: Emergency Action Plan, Medical Support Plan, Site Safety Rules, PPE matrix, Hazard Communication program, fall protection plan, confined space program, hazardous materials handling, and site-specific hazard identification.

4. ACTIVITY HAZARD ANALYSIS (AHA) PROGRAM

• Must develop AHAs for every Definable Feature of Work — not sign a template prepared by a sub, but author content that reflects the actual means, methods, and hazards for that specific activity on that specific site.
• Must review and approve subcontractor-submitted AHAs before work begins — verifies accuracy, identifies gaps, requires revision before sign-off.
• Must brief crews on AHA content at the pre-task meeting — confirms that all workers understand the identified hazards and required controls before work starts.
• Must update AHAs when scope, sequence, or conditions change mid-activity — no stale AHAs on site.
• Must maintain a complete AHA library as a project record, organized by DFOW, accessible for government audit.

5. SITE SAFETY INSPECTIONS & ENFORCEMENT

• Must conduct daily safety inspections of the entire project site — not a walkthrough, a documented inspection with written findings and corrective action tracking.
• Must identify EM 385-1-1 violations on the spot — fall protection, struck-by, caught-in, electrical, scaffold, excavation, confined space, and housekeeping hazards.
• Must issue Stop Work Orders immediately and without hesitation when an imminent danger is identified — and have done so at least once in their career with documented follow-through.
• Must conduct and document Toolbox Talks at minimum weekly frequency — topic must be relevant to current site activities, not a generic canned topic.
• Must conduct and document new worker site safety orientations — every person on site receives orientation before performing any work.
• Must manage the subcontractor safety compliance program — reviews each sub’s safety plan, holds them accountable to APP and AHA requirements, documents violations and corrective actions.

6. INCIDENT INVESTIGATION & RECORDKEEPING

• Must conduct a formal root cause investigation for any near miss, first aid, recordable incident, or lost-time accident — produces a written investigation report within 24 hours.
• Must maintain accurate OSHA 300 log — classifies incidents correctly, reports recordable events to the government within contract-required timeframe.
• Must submit required government safety reports — NAVFAC/USACE incident notification requirements, preliminary reports, and final investigation reports.
• Must track leading indicators — near miss frequency, toolbox talk attendance, inspection findings, AHA compliance rates — and report trends to PM monthly.
• Must document all safety findings, corrective actions, and closure in the project safety log — a contemporaneous record that can stand up to OSHA or government audit.

7. GOVERNMENT SAFETY INTERFACE

• Must interface directly with the NAVFAC QAR, USACE Safety Officer, or installation safety office on a regular basis — provides daily safety documentation, coordinates safety-related government inspections.
• Must respond in writing to any government-issued safety deficiency notice within the contract-required timeframe — knows the escalation path for unresolved safety findings.
• Must understand the difference between OSHA 29 CFR 1926 minimums and the elevated EM 385-1-1 standards required on DoD installations — can clearly explain the delta to subcontractors at site orientation.
• Must be familiar with Army Corps of Engineers’ Safety Violation Assessment procedures and NAVFAC’s Contractor Performance Assessment (CPARS) safety evaluation criteria.
• Must prepare and submit the required monthly safety summary report to the government — recordable rate, near miss count, inspection findings summary, AHA compliance status.

8. SPECIALTY HAZARD COMPETENCY

Must demonstrate documented competency in the following high-hazard areas relevant to CJW’s project portfolio:

• Structural steel and PEMB erection safety — OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart R and EM 385-1-1 Section 18.
• Confined space entry program — permit-required confined spaces, atmospheric testing, rescue provisions.
• Excavation and trenching safety — competent person designation, soil classification, protective systems.
• Fall protection — 100% tie-off requirements on federal projects, leading edge work, hole covers, PFAS systems.
• Asbestos and lead paint awareness — recognition of ACM/LBP in renovation work, contractor notification obligations, abatement coordination.
• Hazardous energy control (Lockout/Tagout) — especially critical during MEP replacement work in occupied buildings.
• Hot work permit program — fire watch requirements, coordination with building fire alarm systems on occupied federal facilities.

9. BEHAVIORAL & CULTURE FIT INDICATORS

• Non-negotiating on safety — does not accept ‘we’ll be done in a minute’ as a response to a stop work. Comfortable with the friction that comes from being the safety authority on site.
• Respected by crews — builds credibility in the field through knowledge and consistency, not just enforcement authority.
• Documentation-first — treats every inspection, toolbox talk, and AHA briefing as a legal record. Never reconstructs documentation after the fact.
• Collaborative with the Superintendent — safety and production are partners, not adversaries. Pre-coordinates upcoming high-hazard activities with the super a week in advance.
• Geo-flexible — willing to work per diem across MD, VA, DC, PA, FL, IN, and WA as project assignments require.

10. AUTOMATIC DISQUALIFIERS

✗  No OSHA 30-Hour (or expired) — absolute minimum

✗  No federal construction safety experience — commercial safety experience alone is insufficient

✗  Never served as named SSHO on a federal project (only safety laborer or helper role)

✗  No EM 385-1-1 working knowledge — cannot cite specific sections during interview

✗  OSHA recordable incidents on projects where they were the named SSHO, without documented corrective action

✗  Has never issued a Stop Work Order — is uncomfortable with the authority

✗  Background check disqualifiers preventing federal base access