Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) Specialist

O&K American Corp.•Chicago, IL

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

An Environmental, Health & Safety Specialist performs various functions to ensure compliance with applicable government regulations with a primary focus on making sure that hazardous situations in the workplace are identified and eliminated, with the goal that the safety of employees/workers is ensured at all times.

Requirements

Extensive knowledge of OSHA guidelines and other state and local safety regulations applicable to manufacturing.
Attention to detail.
Critical thinking, analytical and problem-solving skills.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Computer literacy skills, including Microsoft Office products.
Excellent interpersonal skills to relate effectively with workers and managers.
Ability to effectively motivate other employees one-to-one, as well as in both small teams and large groups.
Willingness to work as part of a team and even to lead a team if required to do so.
Strong skills for organizing, coordinating and leading others to achieve team priorities, action items and goals.
Experience with conducting incident/injury investigations.
Experience conducting training sessions with large and small groups.
Fluency in English speaking, reading and writing.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Safety Management, Engineering or another appropriate field of study preferred.
3 years work experience in safety compliance at an established company preferred.
One or more relevant safety management certifications is a plus.
Ability to communicate in Spanish is a plus.
Manufacturing experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

Implement, manage and monitor our environmental, health and safety (EHS) programs, policies, and procedures to ensure our organization maintains compliance with all current applicable federal, state and local regulatory requirements from agencies such as OSHA, EPA, Chicago, MWRDGC and others.
Periodically review existing EHS programs, policies and procedures, and update them as necessary, including Job Safety Analysis documents for all job tasks.
Lead our auditing program at our Chicago facility of employee safety behavior (compliance with PPE usage, safety procedures, etc.)
Evaluate the effectiveness of our organization’s procedures, facilities and equipment by conducting periodic inspections to identify unsafe conditions and/or behaviors.
Facilitate cross-departmental discussion to define solutions to identified hazards and then implement improvements to safeguard employees.
Lead incident investigations, generate reports, and keep records of all safety-related incidents.
Effectively communicate with and train employees so that they are aware of safety requirements and are properly prepared to follow safety procedures.
Conduct periodic (at least monthly) group training required by OSHA as well as other appropriate safety topics.
Identify and develop relevant training programs for company workers and management, including authoring training modules for our on-line Learning Management System (LMS).
Understanding operation of the air and water pollution control equipment and systems used at our facilities
Willingness to occasionally travel to our Seymour, Indiana facility for training and/or assisting in compliance or investigation activities.
Periodically prepare and submit reports required by federal, state and local regulatory agencies.
Stop the continuation of processes or activities that are deemed imminently dangerous to the health of workers.
Look for opportunities for reduced costs and regulatory exposure through resource conservation, elimination of waste generation and promotion of new technologies.
Assisting with other projects as necessary.