OHS Officers - Multiple Positions (Rural Alberta)

Role Responsibilities

Occupational Health and Safety Officers enforce compliance with provincial laws through work site inspections, and the issuance of orders, administrative penalties, violation tickets and other enforcement tools.

Our Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) team monitors compliance with the OHS Act, Regulation and Code. We work with health and safety associations, and labour and employer groups as a part of our prevention system to improve education and awareness about occupational health and safety to prevent illnesses, injuries, and fatalities in Alberta’s workforce.

OHS Officers have broad legislative authorities to engage with employers from various industries, to reduce risk and keep workplaces healthy and safe through enforcement and education. OHS Officers are required to become Alberta Peace Officers Level Two as appointed by the Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services.

As an OHS officer appointed on behalf of the Government of Alberta you will continue to make a positive, tangible difference by:

• Inspecting Workplaces: to ensure that a safe work environment is being maintained and conveying the potential hazards, risks, and /or controls.
• Enforcing Legislative Accountability: Ensuring all workplaces understand their responsibilities under the OH&S Act, Regulation and Code.
• Applying Enforcement Tools: Issuing tickets and administrative penalties to ensure compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) Act, Regulation and Code.
• Collaborating with Industry: Promoting and supporting initiatives that foster safer workplaces.
• Upholding Public Service Standards: Modeling the values of respect, integrity, accountability, and excellence in all interactions.

As an OHS Officer the ability to work effectively in both a team setting and independently in the field conducting site inspections, supporting reportable incident investigations, monitoring compliance with the legislation, providing presentations and participating in various safety and health related projects.

There will be occasional exposure to emotionally stressful situations, frequent travel, physical and emotional isolation while working alone in the field, and extended work hours.

Please click on this link to view the job description for this position.

APS Competencies

Competencies are behaviors that are essential to reach our goals in serving Albertans. We encourage you to have an in depth understanding of the competencies that are required for this opportunity and to be prepared to demonstrate them during the recruitment process.

This link will assist you with understanding competencies: https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/custom_downloaded images/psc-alberta-public-service-competency-model.pdf.

To effectively fulfill the responsibilities of the, OHS Officer role, the following competencies are essential:

• Systems Thinking
  
  
  • Sound judgment and Political acumen
    Interpreting policy, assessing regulatory implications, and delivering well-reasoned enforcement decisions—particularly in politically sensitive contexts.
    
    
  • Technical Proficiency
    Knowledge of workplace processes, equipment, and technology to make workplaces safer while working within the confines of the legislation and operational procedures.
    
    
• Creative Problem Solving
  
  
  • Time Management & Decision Making
    Skills to prioritize workloads, respond effectively to changing priorities and demands, and make timely decisions independently and objectively.
    
    
• Agility
  
  
  • Agility & Adaptability
    Responding positively to evolving regulations, policies, procedures, and organizational priorities; reprioritizing tasks and adjusting strategies to meet compliance requirements.
    
    
  • Stress Management
    Maintaining operational effectiveness during fluctuating workloads and emotionally demanding inspections or investigations.
    
    
• Drive for Results
  
  
  • Psychological Resilience & Emotional Intelligence
    Navigating high-pressure environments with composure; managing interactions with distressed individuals and exposure to trauma while maintaining professionalism.
    
    
• Building Collaborative Environments
  
  
  • Advanced Communication & Conflict Management
    Adapting messages to diverse audiences, de-escalating volatile situations, and conveying hazards, risks, and controls to secure compliance.
    
    
• Developing Self and Others
  
  
  • Commitment to Continuous Learning
    Curiosity, desire to learn and develop new skills while sharing own knowledge and expertise with others.

As an OHS Officer you will receive comprehensive training to ensure the high-quality standards of service that Alberta employers and workers expect are met. During this training, you will become competent in a wide variety of industry sectors and the safety hazards and controls within those sectors. 

Qualifications

A university degree plus a minimum of three years of recent related work experience required or equivalencies below.

Equivalencies:

Directly related education or experience will be considered based on:

• Directly related education or experience will be considered based on other relevant education, such as diplomas or certificates in related fields; or relevant training, including trades qualifications; combined with suitable and related work experience.
  
  

Other requirements:

• Ability to obtain Alberta Peace Officer Level 2 appointment under the Alberta Peace Officer Act. The requirements to obtain Alberta Peace Officer Level 2 can be found here: https://www.alberta.ca/peace-officers-overview.
  
  

Position Assets:

• Knowledge of OHS legislation.
• Technical knowledge of safety, health, biological, ergonomic, chemical, and physical hazard identification, assessment, and control measures.
• Experience working with health and safety in a variety of industry sector.
• Experience conducting inspections, investigations, and/or engaging in compliance or enforcement activities.
• Experience effectively managing caseloads and writing compliance or decision-based reports.
• Demonstrated experience working within a regulatory environment.
  
  

Minimum recruitment standards outline the minimum education and experience required for appointment to a job classification.
 

Refer to https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-minimum-recruitment-standards.

Notes

There are various permanent positions available. Hours of work are Monday to Friday from 8:15-4:30 for 36.25 hours per week.

The successful candidates will be required to work some evenings and weekends.

This position is part of a unionized workforce and is covered under the Alberta Union of Provincial employees (AUPE Collective Agreement).

Work Arrangement:

Please note that this position is considered remote or field-based, and therefore hybrid work agreements do not apply. The nature of the role requires work to be conducted outside of a traditional office setting, either remotely or directly in the field.

A cover letter and resume are required as part of the application documents. The final candidates for these positions will undergo an academic check, reference checks, and provide a suitable security screening/criminal record check.

Final candidates will also be asked to provide a Driver's Abstract. Travel is involved and a valid Alberta Class 5 driver's license is required. Successful candidates will be required to be part of an on-call/standby roster. Although a Government of Alberta vehicle may be provided, use of your own personal vehicle may be necessary.

Any costs associated with obtaining the required documents/checks as noted or interview travel expenses, will be the responsibility of the candidate. Out-of-province applicants can obtain the required documents/checks from the province they currently reside in.

Links and information on what the Government of Alberta has to offer to prospective employees:

• Working for the Alberta Public Service - https://www.alberta.ca/advantages-working-for-alberta-public-service.aspx.
• Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP) - https://www.pspp.ca.
• Alberta Public Service Benefit Information - https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-benefits.
• Professional learning and development - https://www.alberta.ca/professional-development-support-directive.
• Research Alberta Public Service Careers tool – https://researchapscareers.alberta.ca.
• Positive workplace culture and work-life balance.
• Leadership and mentorship programs.