Safety Program Manager (4934-50)

Hamilton County Government • Cincinnati, OH

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Hamilton County Engineer’s Office is seeking an experienced safety professional with the judgment and technical expertise to evaluate an organization’s safety practices and develop, strengthen, and implement practical systems to address identified needs and risks. The Safety Program Manager is HCEO’s lead occupational safety professional, a member of the senior leadership team, and a key advisor to senior leadership on workplace safety, safety-related operational risk, and regulatory compliance.

This is a hands-on individual contributor role with significant independence and organization-wide responsibility. The successful candidate will assess existing safety practices, programs, and processes; identify hazards, gaps, and priorities; determine what is working effectively and what should be revised, strengthened, formalized, or newly developed; and carry improvements through implementation and evaluation. The position works directly with employees, supervisors, managers, and senior leadership across roadway maintenance, fleet and equipment operations, facilities, engineering, field inspection, and office environments.

General Description
The Safety Program Manager provides independent professional leadership for HCEO’s safety program and works across the organization to integrate safety into work planning, training, field and facility operations, emergency response, and day-to-day work practices. The position evaluates existing practices and program needs; develops, revises, strengthens, formalizes, or establishes safety systems and processes as appropriate; interprets and translates applicable safety and regulatory requirements into practical operational expectations; advises management, supervisors, and employees on safety matters; and promotes a proactive safety culture centered on hazard recognition, prevention, accountability, employee engagement, and continuous organizational learning.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in Safety Management or a related field, and five (5) years of safety management experience and demonstrated safety training experience; or any equivalent combination of education, experience, and training which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license issued by the state of residency and remain insurable under the County’s vehicle insurance requirements.
• The selected candidate must obtain OSHA Outreach Training Program trainer authorization appropriate to HCEO operations within one (1) year of appointment and maintain such authorization thereafter.

Nice To Haves

• Experience assessing, developing, implementing, or substantially improving safety programs in public works, transportation, construction, utilities, fleet, maintenance, industrial, or another complex field-operational environment.
• Demonstrated experience reviewing, developing, or improving safety manuals, policies, SOPs, JHAs, training programs, corrective-action systems, and incident/root-cause investigation practices.
• Experience working with Ohio public-sector safety requirements, including PERRP and BWC, or comparable public-sector occupational safety requirements.
• Relevant occupational safety and health training and professional certifications, such as OSHA 30-hour training, Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Associate Safety Professional (ASP), Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST), or other comparable safety credentials.
• Current OSHA Outreach Trainer authorization is desirable but is not required at the time of appointment.

Responsibilities

• Assess, develop, implement, administer, and continuously improve HCEO’s safety and loss prevention program. Review existing systems and practices and, as appropriate, maintain, revise, strengthen, formalize, or establish the Safety Manual, policies, SOPs, JHA processes, hazard and near-miss reporting processes, corrective-action tracking, and other program systems.
• Conduct job-site, facility, equipment, and operational inspections and risk assessments; identify hazards and unsafe practices; evaluate procedures, training, PPE, and other controls; work with supervisors and employees to determine appropriate corrective measures; follow identified issues through resolution; and stop HCEO work when an imminent danger or immediate threat to life or health is identified.
• Assess safety training needs and develop, review, coordinate, schedule, and deliver recurring, job-specific safety training. Develop or revise training content and materials as needed, coordinate qualified external resources when appropriate, maintain training records and certifications, and evaluate training effectiveness.
• Interpret PERRP, applicable OSHA standards, BWC requirements, NFPA and ANSI standards, transportation requirements, and other applicable safety and health rules; evaluate existing practices for continued compliance; translate requirements into practical HCEO policies, procedures, training, and work practices; and coordinate responses to regulatory inspections and inquiries.
• Lead investigations of employee injuries, accidents, near misses, property damage, and other significant safety events; identify immediate and underlying causes; develop corrective and preventive actions; prepare reports; track corrective actions through completion; and use lessons learned to evaluate and improve policies, procedures, JHAs, training, and other safety practices.
• Administer and evaluate HCEO’s drug-free safety program and DOT/FMCSA commercial driver alcohol and drug testing program, including policy maintenance, testing coordination, employee education, supervisor training, post-accident testing coordination, recordkeeping, and related compliance activities.
• Evaluate and recommend engineering, administrative, work-practice, and PPE controls; review safety equipment and supplies; assist with safety-related budget planning and purchasing; and administer safety-related consultant or vendor services and contracts as assigned.
• Maintain and analyze safety records, inspection findings, training documentation, incident and near-miss data, and corrective actions to identify trends, evaluate program effectiveness, and provide recommendations to leadership.
• Participate in and help evaluate and improve emergency preparedness, evacuation planning and drills, winter and severe-weather safety planning, safety committees, after-action reviews, and coordination with County departments, contractors, consultants, utilities, and public agencies.

Benefits

• 11 Paid Holidays, immediately begin accruing paid vacation and sick time, earned personal days, and paid parental leave.
• Ohio Public Employees Retirement System, including a 14% employer contribution and a defined benefit option.
• Comprehensive benefits including medical, HRA, dental, vision, employer-paid life insurance, long-term disability, tuition reimbursement, Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility, free on-site parking, wellness incentives, an Employee Assistance Program, access to free medical and prescription services through the County’s designated provider, and behavioral and mental health resources.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior