Safety & Health Trainee

The Florida OSHA Consultation Program is a grant funded program operated by the University of South Florida, housed at the College of Public Health in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health. The program provides free workplace safety and health consultation services for small business owners in Florida with the ultimate goal of reducing injuries, illness and their associated cost. The position reports to the Program Director.

The University of South Florida is a top-ranked research university serving approximately 50,000 students from across the globe at campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg and USF Health. In 2025, U.S. News & World Report recognized USF with its highest overall ranking in university history, as a top 50 public university for the seventh consecutive year and as one of the top 15 best values among all public universities in the nation. U.S. News also ranks the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine in the highest tier, placing it as one of the top 16 medical schools in the nation and inside the top 10 among public universities. USF is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a group that includes only the top 3% of universities in the U.S. With an all-time high of $750 million in research funding in 2025 and as a top 20 public university for producing U.S. patents, USF uses innovation to transform lives and shape a better future. The university generates an annual economic impact of nearly $10 billion for the state of Florida. USF’s Division I athletics teams compete in the American Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu.

Assists with scheduling and conducting consultation visits to small and medium-sized employers throughout Florida. Participates in workplace assessments to identify occupational health and safety hazards, under supervision, and assists employers with developing specific OSHA health and safety programs (i.e. hazard communication, machine guarding, LOTO, etc.).

Supports the analysis of injury and illness trends, employee involvement initiatives, and management commitment in determining the effectiveness of the workplace safety and health management systems and development of specific recommendations.

Learns to prepare and review consultation reports, case files, and supporting documentation to ensure compliance with OSHA standards, the Consultation Policies and Procedures Manual (CPPM), and Internal Quality Assurance Procedures (IQAP).

Assists with the development of training materials, presentations, educational resources, and outreach activities. Participates in seminars, workshops, conferences, local safety and health association and other events that promote workplace safety and health throughout the state.

Receives training in industrial hygiene principles and assists with exposure monitoring activities involving chemical, physical, biological, and ergonomic hazards. Learns proper sampling techniques and maintain the equipment inventory to ensure they are calibrated in a timely manner.

Performs other administrative and operational duties as assigned to support the mission, objectives, and continuous improvement efforts of the Consultation Program.

Associate's degree -OR- equivalent combination of related education and experience.

Senate Bill 1310- The Florida Senate (https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1310) is conditional upon meeting all employment eligibility requirements in the U.S.

SB 1310: Substitution of Work Experience for Postsecondary Education Requirements

A public employer may include a postsecondary degree as a baseline requirement only as an alternative to the number of years of direct experience required, not to exceed:

(a) Two years of direct experience for an associate degree;

(b) Four years of direct experience for a bachelor’s degree;

(c) Six years of direct experience for a master’s degree;

(d) Seven years of direct experience for a professional degree; or

(e) Nine years of direct experience for a doctoral degree

Related work experience may not substitute for any required licensure, certification, or registration required for the position of employment as established by the public employer and indicated in the advertised description of the position of employment.

Minimum Qualifications that require a high school diploma are exempt from SB 1310.

Preferred Qualifications

• BS Occ. Safety and Health, Industrial Hygiene or related field.
• Internship or cooperative education experience in occupational safety and health.
• Coursework in OSHA regulations, industrial hygiene, ergonomics, hazard recognition, risk assessment, or safety management systems.

• Certified Safety Professional/Certified Industrial Hygienist

The University of South Florida is a top-ranked research university serving approximately 50,000 students from across the globe at campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg and USF Health. In 2025, U.S. News & World Report recognized USF with its highest overall ranking in university history, as a top 50 public university for the seventh consecutive year and as one of the top 15 best values among all public universities in the nation. U.S. News also ranks the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine in the highest tier, placing it as one of the top 16 medical schools in the nation and inside the top 10 among public universities. USF is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a group that includes only the top 3% of universities in the U.S. With an all-time high of $750 million in research funding in 2025 and as a top 20 public university for producing U.S. patents, USF uses innovation to transform lives and shape a better future. The university generates an annual economic impact of nearly $10 billion for the state of Florida. USF’s Division I athletics teams compete in the American Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu.