Mr. Howell has taught and developed curriculum for various OSHA Training Institute Education Centers since May 2009. He teaches various safety and health related courses. Mr. Howell previously worked for OSHA from November 1987 to October 2011. When he retired from OSHA he was serving as the Oakland Area Director. He previously served as an Enforcement Team Leader (Directorate of Enforcement and Investigation/Region 9), Assistant Area Director (Boise Area OSHA Office), Compliance Assistance Specialist (Boise Area OSHA Office) and as an OSHA Safety Compliance officer (Walnut Creek Area Office and the Boise Area OSHA Office). During his tenure with OSHA Mr. Howell conducted over 1,200 inspections in all types of industries.
From 1982 to 1987, Mr. Howell served as a Safety and Health Manager for the U.S. Navy. He was stationed at Rough and Ready Island in Stockton, California where he was responsible for the industrial safety program. Mr. Howell was also responsible for the crane inspection program for overhead, portal and mobile cranes. His most notable accomplishment was reducing the lost work day injury rate from approximately 20 to less than 1 case per 200,000 man hours worked. Mr. Howell initiated, organized and/or conducted training seminars for employers and employees on the following topics: Crane Safety, Rigging Safety, Confined Space Entry, Trenching and Excavation, Fall Protection, General Construction Requirements, Chemical Hazard Communication, Electrical Safety, and Control of Hazardous Energy. He taught many of these courses in partnership with organizations such as Association of General Contractors, National Electrical Contractors Association, the Idaho Electrical League, Boise State University, Washington Group International, etc. Mr. Howell has published multiple safety and health programs for employers that have been used throughout the country. In addition, Mr. Howell published various monthly articles on safety and health.