SSHO Staffing Services

BCSP-Credentialed SSHO Staffing for Federal Construction

3P Safety Staffing places EM 385-1-1 qualified Site Safety and Health Officers (SSHOs) onto USACE, NAVFAC, AFCEC, VA, GSA, DOE, NASA, and federal civilian construction projects in 48 hours or less. SSHO is a specific named designation under EM 385-1-1 Section 01.A.13 — not a generic safety title. The SSHO is named in the Accident Prevention Plan (APP) before notice to proceed, signs the APP designation, leads the pre-construction safety conference with the USACE QAR or NAVFAC RO, authors AHAs by definable feature of work, runs the three-phase control system, submits weekly safety reports, files monthly exposure reports, and signs ENG 3394 mishap reports for any recordable incident.

Every SSHO we place holds the qualifying experience and credentials required under EM 385-1-1: 5+ years documented construction safety experience, current 40-hour EM 385 training, current annual 8-hour EM 385 refresher, OSHA 30 Construction, First Aid and CPR, and at least one BCSP credential (CSP, CHST, or ASP). Most also hold competent-person designations under Subpart M, P, L, R, AA, and Z. Many are former military with DD-214 supporting CAC and Secret clearance eligibility through prime sponsorship.

Founder Patrick Salazar has been a safety practitioner since 2005 — NCCCO Mobile/Tower/Inspector/Lift Director, OSHA 500, BCSP member. SSHO is a named position in the APP, not a generic title. Every SSHO we place is a documented federal construction safety practitioner with 5+ years of qualified experience, current 40-hour EM 385 training, annual refresher, and prior APP-authorship history.

Placement history covers SSHO designation on MILCON projects across USACE Districts, NAVFAC commands, and AFCEC airfield work; VA hospital construction (administered through USACE Districts and through VA-direct); GSA federal building projects with USACE administration crossover; DOE national lab construction with EM 385 plus 10 CFR 851 overlay; and NASA center construction with NASA STD-8719 overlay.

SSHO Project Types & Federal Customer Categories

Below are the federal project types where SSHO designation under EM 385-1-1 is contract-required.

• USACE-administered MILCON — Army barracks, headquarters, training facilities, motor pools, dining facilities; Air Force facility construction on bases.
• USACE-administered civil works — locks, dams, levees, navigation channels, hydropower facilities, federal water projects.
• NAVFAC Navy and Marine Corps construction — base facility construction with NAVFAC SOH-9510 overlay plus EM 385.
• AFCEC airfield work — runway, taxiway, apron, hangar, fuel hydrant system. EM 385 plus airfield-driving requirements.
• VA hospital construction administered through USACE — most large VA capital projects flow through USACE Districts; EM 385 SSHO required.
• GSA federal building with USACE administration — some federal courthouses, federal office buildings, and border stations administered through USACE rather than GSA-direct.
• DOE national lab construction — Hanford, Savannah River, Oak Ridge, Idaho National Lab, LANL, SNL. EM 385 plus 10 CFR 851 worker safety and health program.
• NASA center construction — KSC, JSC, MSFC, Glenn, Goddard, Langley, Ames, Stennis, JPL. EM 385 plus NASA STD-8719 (NASA Safety Standards).
• FEMA-funded reconstruction — rebuild work that FEMA assigns to the Corps of Engineers for administration after a declared disaster.
• Coastal protection projects — beach renourishment, dune restoration, seawall construction under USACE.
• Environmental restoration under USACE — FUSRAP, IRP, MMRP. EM 385 plus HAZWOPER 40 overlay.
• USACE recreation facility construction — federal reservoir recreation areas.

Federal Primes, Joint Ventures & Small Business Set-Aside Coordination

The customer profile driving SSHO staffing demand.

• Federal prime contractors — Fluor, Parsons, AECOM, Bechtel National, Granite Construction, KBR, Skanska USA Civil, Tetra Tech, Whiting-Turner Federal, Vectrus, IAP Worldwide Services, Booz Allen Federal, V2X.
• SDVOSB primes — Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business primes commonly bid federal construction under SDVOSB set-aside. We coordinate former-military safety pros with DD-214 documentation supporting SDVOSB prime credential alignment.
• VOSB primes — Veteran-Owned Small Business primes.
• 8(a) primes — federal small-business socioeconomic preference primes.
• HUBZone primes — Historically Underutilized Business Zone preference primes.
• WOSB and EDWOSB primes — primes holding Women-Owned or Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business set-asides.
• Joint ventures — a fixture of Corps contracting: big primes teamed with small-business partners to satisfy socioeconomic set-aside rules.
• Mentor-protege arrangements — formal mentor-protege agreements between large primes and small-business protege entities.
• Specialty trade primes — mechanical, electrical, demolition, environmental abatement primes bidding federal construction.
• Subcontractor support — when a subcontractor on a federal project needs supplemental safety coverage in addition to the prime’s named SSHO.
• Owner self-perform — federal customers occasionally bring in contract SSHO bandwidth for in-house construction management.
• OEM construction — equipment OEM contractor scope on federal projects (generator startup, switchgear commissioning) where the OEM needs its own SSHO under the prime’s APP framework.

SSHO Daily Workflow & Document Responsibilities

The SSHO role is document-heavy and prescriptive. Below is the daily and weekly workflow our placed SSHOs run.

• APP authorship and maintenance — site-specific Accident Prevention Plan; named SSHO signature before notice to proceed. APP updated when major scope changes occur (new definable features, scope additions, scope changes).
• AHA library by definable feature of work — Activity Hazard Analysis for each definable feature. JHA on steroids: hazards, controls, training requirements, inspection requirements. Submitted to QAR before that activity begins; followed during preparatory and initial phase.
• Pre-construction safety conference — before work starts, the SSHO runs the kickoff meeting with the QAR, the owner’s reps, the prime superintendent, and every subcontractor; minutes documented and filed.
• Three-phase control system — a preparatory meeting ahead of every definable feature of work, an initial inspection when that work first goes in, and recurring follow-up checks for as long as the activity runs, with written minutes at each phase.
• Daily safety walkthroughs — documented daily inspections of all active work areas; deficiencies tracked and closed.
• Weekly safety report — required submission to USACE QAR every week of project execution; captures hours worked, incidents, near-misses, inspection findings, AHA-driven activities, training delivered.
• Monthly exposure report — USACE form capturing hours worked and incident counts for the month.
• ENG 3394 mishap reports — incident-specific report for any recordable injury, illness, or property damage event. Notification timeline measured in hours for Class A mishaps.
• Safety stand-down facilitation — required after certain incidents; SSHO leads the all-hands meeting and documents attendance.
• Subcontractor compliance verification — SSHO has authority to stop work on subcontractor non-compliance and to require corrective action before work resumes.
• Training records management — verifying worker training before site access; maintaining training matrix for project workforce.
• OSHA inspector interface — if OSHA arrives at the gate, SSHO is the named point of contact for the inspection walkthrough and citation response.

EM 385-1-1 Framework & Related Federal Standards

The framework inventory below is what our placed SSHOs work against.

• USACE EM 385-1-1 — the Corps’ Safety and Health Requirements Manual (2014 edition plus revisions), the governing baseline on Corps construction.
• NAVFAC SOH-9510 — Navy Occupational Safety and Health Program for facility construction; parallels EM 385 with Navy-specific adjustments.
• AFCEC standards — Air Force Civil Engineer Center construction standards; airfield-specific overlay.
• FAR Part 52.236-13 Accident Prevention — federal construction contract clause requiring SSHO designation and EM 385 compliance.
• OSHA 29 CFR 1926 — federal construction safety baseline. EM 385 generally more conservative.
• OSHA 29 CFR 1910 — general industry for occupied-facility crossover.
• DA PAM 385-30 — Department of the Army Pamphlet on safety supplementing EM 385 for Army-specific work.
• UFC 4-010-01 — DoD Minimum Anti-Terrorism Standards for Buildings.
• UFC 3-260-01 — Airfield and Heliport Planning and Design.
• EM 385-1-97 — the companion manual governing explosives and ordnance safety requirements.
• 10 CFR 851 — DOE worker safety and health program for DOE site construction.
• NASA STD-8719 — NASA Safety Standards for center contractor work.
• VA Construction Safety Manual — for VA hospital construction administered through USACE.
• PBS-100 / PBS-P100 — for GSA federal building construction with USACE administration crossover.
• Service-specific overlays — Army Garrison-specific safety requirements, Air Force AFI 91-203, NAVFAC P-307 for Navy weight-handling equipment.

SSHO Placement Process — Intake to Mobilization

SSHO intake centers on APP document review, qualifying-experience verification, and CAC and clearance verification.

• Step 1 — Discovery call (45-60 minutes). Federal customer (USACE District, NAVFAC command, AFCEC, VA, GSA, DOE, NASA), prime contractor structure (large prime, SDVOSB, VOSB, 8(a), HUBZone, JV), project type (MILCON, civil works, hydropower, VA hospital, GSA federal building, DOE site, NASA center), APP status (existing or authorship needed), clearance requirements, anticipated duration and shift schedule, named QAR or customer safety officer if known.
• Step 2 — Roster match (within 24-48 hours). Narrow to SSHO-qualified federal sub-roster (5+ years documented construction safety experience, current EM 385 40-hour and 8-hour refresher, prior APP authorship experience). District-specific or customer-agency-specific matching prioritized.
• Step 3 — Proposal package. Resume with documented prior SSHO designations, BCSP credentials, OSHA 30 card, EM 385 certificates with dates, First Aid/CPR current, DD-214 if former military, prior District/command references with named former QAR or customer safety officer, clearance level eligibility, all-inclusive rate.
• Step 4 — Customer interview. USACE QAR or NAVFAC RO often interviews with prime project manager on the call. Federal civilian customers (VA, GSA, DOE, NASA) add customer agency safety officer.
• Step 5 — CAC processing, badging, APP review. CAC application (7-21 days for first-time on installation), clearance verification if applicable, base or facility badging, APP document review, AHA inventory familiarization, three-phase system orientation.
• Step 6 — Pre-construction conference and SSHO designation. At the pre-con, your SSHO reviews the accepted APP with the QAR, owner, prime, and subs, lays out the AHA structure, walks the ground, executes the designation letter, and locks in the weekly safety report plus monthly exposure-hour cadence.

Typical schedule: proposal inside 48 hours; mobilization in 14-30 days where clearances are involved (CAC issuance drives the timeline) or 7-14 days for CAC-only scopes. For a fresh award needing an APP written from scratch, budget 30-60 days of authorship ahead of SSHO arrival.

Cost of SSHO Staffing & APP Authorship

SSHO rates reflect the federal credential stack and the document workflow intensity.

• Mid-tier SSHO (5-10 years of federal work, current EM 385, ASP or CHST): $125-$155 per hour, all-inclusive.
• Senior SSHO (10+ years federal, CSP, multi-customer history): $155-$200 per hour.
• SSHO with active Secret clearance (prime sponsorship): $165-$215 per hour.
• SSHO with TS clearance (SCIF, SCIF-adjacent, ICD-705 scope): $180-$240 per hour.
• DOE site SSHO (10 CFR 851 plus EM 385, radiological worker training): $165-$220 per hour.
• NASA center SSHO (NASA STD-8719 plus EM 385): $155-$210 per hour.
• Environmental restoration SSHO (HAZWOPER 40, EM 385-1-97 explosives): $155-$210 per hour.
• APP authorship as standalone deliverable — fixed-fee $8K-$35K depending on project complexity. Includes AHA library development for anticipated definable features.
• APP audit and update — for existing APP needing scope-change update or QAR-requested revision: $4K-$12K fixed-fee.

All-inclusive covers payroll, workers comp, GL, mileage within 75 miles, weekly safety report and monthly exposure reporting submission, standard PPE, EM 385 document workflow (AHA authoring support, three-phase meeting documentation, ENG 3394 reporting). Add-ons: per diem beyond 75 miles, specialty PPE, AHA library expansion for unusual definable features, customer-specific training (DOE radiological worker, NASA center orientation).

Engagements typically run 18-36 months for major MILCON, 6-18 months for modernization, 60-180 days for shorter scopes. Federal contracts often include option years; we accommodate base-period plus option-year engagements with milestone planning.

SSHO Required Credentials & Documented Experience

SSHO designation under EM 385-1-1 requires specific credentials and documented experience. Below is what we vet for every SSHO placement.

• 5+ years documented construction safety experience — verifiable through prior project references with named former QAR or prime construction managers.
• EM 385-1-1 40-hour course — the five-day training every designated SSHO must hold, mapped to the manual’s sections; card shows the completion date.
• EM 385-1-1 8-hour annual refresher — required annually for SSHO designation continuity; current card with date.
• OSHA 30 Construction — baseline; 500 trainer endorsement for senior SSHOs.
• BCSP credentials — CSP, CHST, or ASP minimum. Verifiable at bcsp.org by name and credential number.
• First Aid / CPR / AED — current AHA BLS or Red Cross.
• Competent person designations under OSHA Subparts M, P, L, R, AA, and Z — covering falls, excavation, scaffolding, steel erection, confined spaces, and hazardous substances.
• NCCCO credentials for crane-heavy scopes — Mobile Crane, Tower Crane, Crane Inspector, Lift Director, Signal Person, and Rigger; Patrick himself carries Mobile, Tower, Inspector, and Lift Director cards.
• Prior APP authorship experience — verifiable through references; SSHO has authored or co-authored APPs on prior federal projects.
• HAZWOPER 40 — for environmental restoration scope under USACE FUSRAP/IRP/MMRP.
• EM 385-1-97 Explosives Safety — required on MMRP, range-clearance, and other ordnance scopes.
• UXO Awareness — for MMRP and range clearance scope.
• DD-214 (former military) — establishes the service history that supports clearance eligibility via prime sponsorship.
• CAC eligibility — required for most federal installation work.
• Secret or TS clearance eligibility — through prime sponsorship; documentation of clearance level, last active date, eligibility window.
• Customer-specific credentials — DOE radiological worker, NASA center orientation, VA Construction Safety Manual familiarity, GSA PBS-100 familiarity.

Emergency Response, QAR Stop-Work & APP Surge

SSHO-related emergencies tend to follow three patterns.

• Scenario 1 — QAR stop-work on a Corps job. When a Quality Assurance Representative halts prime contractor work over safety, we put a senior EM 385 SSHO on site inside 48 hours to help author the corrective action plan, reset the three-phase system, and take over the SSHO seat where needed.
• Scenario 2 — APP needed on a bid clock. Award is imminent (or issued) and the Accident Prevention Plan is due 30-60 days ahead of notice to proceed. We write the APP as a fixed-fee deliverable and pair it with SSHO mobilization when NTP hits.
• Scenario 3 — Existing SSHO sudden departure. Named SSHO resigned, was terminated, or is on extended leave. Federal contract requires SSHO designation continuity. We bridge with replacement SSHO mobilized within 48-72 hours, coordinated with QAR for designation change approval.

24/7 dispatch: 252-229-5238. QAR stop-work and emergency SSHO replacement calls go straight to Patrick.

Pre-bench retainer for federal primes. If your firm runs 3+ concurrent federal construction projects requiring SSHO designation, we pre-bench EM 385-experienced SSHOs against your forward schedule. CAC and clearance verification completed in advance to minimize mobilization timeline.

Customer-specific bench depth. Federal sub-roster includes practitioners with documented prior work at USACE Districts (LRD, NAO, SAM, SPK, POH, SWT, SWG, SAC, SAS, SAJ), NAVFAC commands (Atlantic, Pacific, Marianas), AFCEC, VA medical center construction, GSA federal building construction, DOE national labs (Hanford, Savannah River, Oak Ridge, INL, LANL, SNL), and NASA centers (KSC, JSC, MSFC, Glenn, Goddard).

Frequently Asked Questions About SSHO Staffing Services

What credentials and experience are required for SSHO designation under EM 385-1-1?
Named individual signature in the APP before notice to proceed. Required credentials: USACE EM 385-1-1 40-hour training course completion plus current annual 8-hour refresher, OSHA 30 Construction card, First Aid and CPR current, at least one BCSP credential (CSP, CHST, or ASP). Required experience: 5+ years of documented construction safety experience verifiable through prior project references. Senior SSHO placements typically require CSP plus 10+ years.

Can you author an Accident Prevention Plan (APP) as a standalone deliverable?
Yes. APP authorship is a fixed-fee deliverable typically $8K-$35K depending on project scope and complexity. Authorship covers Section 01 General Program structure, AHA library development for anticipated definable features of work, three-phase control system implementation, mishap notification and investigation procedures, and District-specific or customer-agency-specific QAR submission formatting.

Do you have SSHOs with active Secret or TS clearance through prime sponsorship?
Yes. Our federal bench includes veterans whose Secret or TS eligibility originated with their military service. Reactivation is handled by the prime’s FSO under FAR 52.204-2 sponsorship, and the proposal package documents the level, eligibility window, and prior sponsoring agency. Cleared SSHOs price at the higher rate tiers.

Which federal customer agencies have your SSHOs worked?
Sub-roster includes practitioners with documented prior SSHO placements across USACE Districts (LRD, NAO, SAM, SPK, POH, SWT, SWG, SAC, SAS, SAJ, LRP, LRB, LRE), NAVFAC commands (Atlantic, Pacific, Marianas), AFCEC, VA medical center construction administered by USACE, GSA federal building, DOE national labs (Hanford, Savannah River, Oak Ridge, INL, LANL, SNL), and NASA centers (KSC, JSC, MSFC, Glenn, Goddard, Langley, Ames, Stennis, JPL).

What does SSHO staffing cost?
All-inclusive hourly rates run $125-$155 mid-tier SSHO, $155-$200 senior CSP SSHO with multi-customer history, $165-$215 SSHO with active Secret clearance, $180-$240 TS-cleared for SCIF scope, $165-$220 DOE site SSHO with 10 CFR 851 and radiological worker training, $155-$210 NASA center SSHO with NASA STD-8719, $155-$210 environmental restoration SSHO with HAZWOPER 40. APP authorship as standalone deliverable $8K-$35K.

Can you mobilize a replacement SSHO if my named SSHO leaves mid-project?
Yes. Sudden SSHO departure is one of our most common rapid-response scenarios. We mobilize a replacement EM 385-qualified SSHO within 48-72 hours, coordinated with the USACE QAR or NAVFAC RO for designation change approval. The replacement SSHO assumes APP responsibility, takes over the AHA library, continues weekly safety report and monthly exposure reporting cadence, and signs new SSHO designation under the APP.