Environmental Health and Safety, Periodic Labs, CA, US

About Periodic Labs

We are an AI + physical sciences lab building state of the art models to make novel scientific discoveries. We are well funded and growing rapidly. Team members are owners who identify and solve problems without boundaries or bureaucracy. We eagerly learn new tools and new science to push forward our mission.

About The Role

Join a world-class team of scientists and engineers pushing the boundaries of materials research in a groundbreaking lab where AI and automation unlock discoveries at unprecedented speed and scale.

The Periodic Labs team is developing AI that can both simulate science as well as verify its predictions to train on the full scientific method. As part of this mission, the team is building a high throughput experimental materials science lab. We believe EHS is integral to this ambition and our training of our AI will be incomplete without a world-class Environmental Health & Safety Lead to lead the definition and implementation of our safety architecture across EHS domains, from permitting and hazardous materials documentation to life safety system integration and process hazard analysis.

Responsibilities

• Own and manage all permitting processes with local, state, and federal agencies: Fire Department / CUPA via Accela, CERS submissions for hazardous materials, AQMD/BAAQMD air permits, TSDF coordination for hazardous waste
• Maintain and update chemical inventory systems, SDS library, and hazard labeling in compliance with OSHA and CalEPA and permitted MAQ thresholds.
• Lead Hazard Communication (HazCom) and SDS training programs for lab staff.
• Coordinate EHS inspections and maintain required documentation and postings.
• Design and review life safety systems, including fire suppression, e-stop networks, gas detection, interlocks, and alarm interfaces and emissions/waste abatement systems (e.g., baghouses, scrubbers)
• Supports process safety design by utilities analysis and upgrade of facilities equipment as needed to achieve safe operations
• Conduct and document HAZOPs, PHA/FMEA, and risk assessments for new processes and lab systems.
• Collaborate with automation, facilities, and reliability teams to implement functional and operational safety protocols (e.g., LOTO, fail-safes, Industrial Hygiene).
• Develop and maintain SOPs, incident response protocols, and lab safety procedures.
• Collaborate with ML/AI engineers on training an LLM to be able to reason through the associated risks above during experimental planning and execution
• Hire and build a team to support the above missions
  
  

Qualifications

• 5+ years experience in EHS, process safety, or chemical operations in labs, pilot plants, or manufacturing environments, preferably related to solid-state chemistry or materials science processing and lab automation
• Familiarity with hazardous materials permitting and systems like CERS, Accela, and AQMD/BAAQMD portals.
• Demonstrated experience conducting HAZOPs or FMEAs and designing or reviewing functional safety systems.
• Demonstrated drive to not only achieve fluency in industry relevant codes/standards but also contribute to their development and definition as the field evolves through contribution in technical committees (e.g.): OSHA, Cal/OSHA, NFPA, EPA, RCRA, DOT, as well as IEC 61511 / ISO 13849 / ISO/TS 15066.
• Ability to interface effectively with external agencies and internal engineering teams.
• Comfortable working on-site in a fast-paced, high-complexity lab environment.
  
  

Bonus Qualifications

• Demonstrated accomplishments recognized in your field