What Are the USACE Site Safety and Health Officer Requirements?

A Site Safety and Health Officer (SSHO) under USACE EM 385-1-1 is a contractor employee responsible for overseeing and carrying out the prime contractor's safety and occupational health program, and the manual defines three levels with different training and experience requirements (EM 385-1-1, 2-2.x). Level 2 and Level 3 SSHOs cannot be assigned to projects with a residual risk assessment code of high or extremely high.

Level 1. A Level 1 SSHO has full-time safety responsibility. The SSHO must complete OSHA 30-hour training, or equivalent training the contracting officer accepts with the local Safety and Occupational Health Office. The SSHO must have taken 24 hours of documented safety training within the past five years and must take 24 hours in each three-year period of the contract. The OSHA 30-hour course does not count toward the 24 hours. Five years of safety experience within the last ten years is required, or three years with a qualifying degree or accredited certification (EM 385-1-1, 2-3.b(1)).

Level 2. A Level 2 SSHO has collateral safety duties. The training rules match Level 1, and the experience requirement is three years within the last ten, or two years with a qualifying degree or certification (EM 385-1-1, 2-3.b(2)).

Level 3. A Level 3 SSHO is a designated qualified or competent person with the experience to identify hazards in the work (EM 385-1-1, 2-3.b(3)).

Duties. SSHOs must be present at the site of work with full mobility and access to major operations. Duties include daily inspections, a deficiency tracking system, accident and near miss reports on ENG Form 3394, safety orientation records, and signing ENG Form 6282. The contractor's corporate safety official designates SSHOs on that form (EM 385-1-1, 2-4.b and 2-4.f).

Training records. The FAQ on what compliance training is covers documentation. The FAQ on NIOSH and OSHA explains the agencies behind the OSHA course, and the FAQ on the DER role in a drug-free workplace covers a related contractor role.

The FAQ on EM 385-1-1 contractor applicability explains coverage, and the FAQ on activity hazard analyses covers planning.