Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Nathan A Smiley, CSP

I oversee the Occupational Safety and Health program for the the USGS Southeast Region (SER) (DOI Regions 2, 4, 6).  

Responsibilities:

I work with science center management and safety staff throughout 14 states and 2 US territories on interpretation and application of and compliance with OSHA, DOI, and USGS safety policy; emergency management; accident prevention, response and investigation; and conduct safety assistance visits and audits. I work with a staff of more than 30 full-time and part-time safety staff at centers around the SER.

 

Biography:

I attended the US Naval Academy (Annapolis, MD) as an Oceanography major and the University of South Florida (Tampa and St. Petersburg, FL) in the Environmental Science and Marine Science programs.

I began working for the USGS in 2000 at what is now the Caribbean Florida Water Science Center as a Hydrologic Aid working out of the Tampa office studies section. In 2002, I transferred to St Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center to work with Kim Yates and Bob Halley on coral reef and seagrass calcification studies. My primary duties were lead diver, operations and logistical specialist, and designing, constructing and deploying seafloor-based monitoring and experimental equipment focusing on carbonate chemistry and water quality parameters. During this period, I spent extensive time in the field on both foreign and domestic travel trips that ranged from 1 to 6 weeks and we were often on 40-65 ft vessels for the duration of the trip. At the time, I was certified by the Coast Guard as an Operator Uninspected Passenger Vessel (OUPV) or “6-pack” boat captain.

In 2013, after 12 years in the dive program, I became the SER Dive Safety Officer overseeing 40+ divers in 6 offices and am a member of the Dive Safety Board. In 2016-2017, I served as Assistant Marine Operations and Facility Manager at the St Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC). From 2017-2020, I served as the Collateral Duty Safety Program Coordinator (CDSPC) at SPCMSC, during that time I received a certificate as Certified Safety Professional (CSP) from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals.

I began a detail with the SER as a Safety and Occupational Health Manager in January 2020 and it became a permanent position in April 2020.