SSHO Staffing for USACE Projects.
On a contract that falls under EM 385-1-1, work can't start until the Contracting Officer or COR accepts your SSHO designation. We place Site Safety and Health Officers on federal construction projects that fall under EM 385-1-1, wherever the project is, and we help you get the designation right the first time.
What EM 385-1-1 Asks of an SSHO
The 15 March 2024 edition of EM 385-1-1 splits the SSHO role into three levels, and the level your contract calls for decides who can fill the seat. The manual requires a minimum of one Level 1 SSHO at each project site, at the site of work whenever work is performed, unless the Contracting Officer and the local Safety and Occupational Health Office modify that requirement in the contract documents (paragraph 2-8.b).
Level 1 SSHO
Full-time safety and occupational health responsibility. OSHA 30-hour training, 24 hours of documented SOH training within the past five years and 24 more every three-year period of the contract, and five years of cumulative safety experience within the last ten on similar projects. Three years is enough with a safety-related degree or a qualifying accredited certification (paragraph 2-3.b).
Level 2 SSHO
Collateral duty safety responsibility, with the same OSHA 30-hour and 24-hour training requirements and three years of experience, or two with a qualifying degree or certification. A Level 2 cannot be assigned to a project with a residual RAC of high or extremely high (paragraph 2-2.x).
Level 3 SSHO
A designated Qualified Person or Competent Person with safety responsibility and the experience to identify hazards and put controls in place for the work being performed. The same high and extremely high RAC limit applies (paragraphs 2-2.x and 2-3.b).
What Our SSHOs Do Every Shift
The duties come straight from paragraph 2-4.b of the manual. The difference we bring is how they get done: working alongside your superintendent and foremen, not over them.
- Daily safety and health inspections, with a deficiency tracking system kept current
- Reporting and investigating accidents and near misses, including ENG Form 3394
- Attending pre-construction conferences, preparatory meetings, tail-gate meetings and in-progress meetings
- Keeping the Accident Prevention Plan current and site-specific, with revisions submitted to the prime contractor for review and approval
- Site safety orientation for every worker, subcontractors included, with the records to show it
- Escorting and briefing visitors on the hazards and controls on site
- Keeping the manual, Safety Data Sheets, the APP and manufacturer instructions at the site of work
From Your Request to an Accepted Designation
It starts with a few details from you: the expected duration, weekly hours including any nights or weekends, the SSHO level your contract requires, anything beyond it such as a CHST, and your start date. Once questions are answered on both sides, we come back with potential placements. We won't promise you a name before that, because the right person depends on your scope, your schedule and your site.
Your company designates the SSHO in writing on ENG Form 6282, the Site Safety and Health Officer Designation Letter, signed by your Corporate Safety Official and by the SSHO, and work does not start until the Contracting Officer or COR accepts it (paragraph 2-8.b). We put together the resumes, training records and certs for every placement we make, so the submittal goes in complete.
Projects don't stop for vacations or emergencies. If a Level 1 SSHO has to be off site for longer than a day, the manual calls for an alternate Level 1 at the site of work whenever work is performed. Tell us early if your contract needs alternate or second-shift coverage and we'll plan for it from the start.
We're a small business, which gives us more flexibility on schedules, durations and coverage than a large staffing firm usually has, and you work directly with the people who manage the placement.
Federal Construction Is Our Home Ground
Our founder, Kali Irvin, is a CSP and a CHST, both through BCSP, and currently serves as an SSHO on a federal construction project under EM 385-1-1. We're based in Dayton, Ohio, and we go where the project is.
We also teach the competent person classes federal projects ask for, in person, at your site or ours. See our training courses or the full list of consulting services.
Need an SSHO for Your Next Federal Project?
Send us your contract requirements and start date and we'll get you what you need to weigh us against hiring direct.