Staff, Safety & Health Specialist

Southern Company•Riverdale, GA

About The Position

The purpose of this position is to administer Southern Company Gas’ Safety & Health Management System, to ensure compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards & strengthen the Safety Culture. Responsible for managing and administering company policies and procedures to support OSHA standards, other local/state/federal Health & Safety regulations, and industry best practices to ensure compliance across regionalized Southern Company Gas employee work groups and territories. This position is a Subject Matter Expert (SME) with advanced Safety & Health knowledge, experience, and credibility. Responsible for leading risk-based programs to ensure the safety of employees & contractors; implementing the SOCO Gas Safety & Health Management System & Vision; executing on SOCO Gas number one value of Safety First.

Requirements

BA/BS degree in Occupational Safety, Industrial Hygiene, Engineering or other related technical or science degree or equivalent combination of education or experience in Health and Safety Management, or equivalent of time and experience in a compliance related field.
Minimum of 4-6 year’s experience in occupational safety, motor vehicle safety, process/contractor safety, and/or industrial hygiene.
Working knowledge of OSHA/DOT regulations and programs.
Implements safety programs and initiatives to field operations employees/contractors.
Utilizes compliance software systems and databases.
Develops and conducts safety related training and presentations.
Presents safety related data and proposed action plans to leadership to improve safety performance.
OR: Equivalent academic education and experience.
Ability to manage multiple projects with limited supervision.
Ability to understand and analyze legislation and regulation and translate into corporate summaries and policy.
Strong leadership skills and skills.
Strong verbal and written communication skills to effectively communicate to all levels of the organization.
Knowledge of safe work practices and procedures.
Strong presentation and team facilitation skills.
MS Office Suite – advanced proficiency, ability to learn other databases and technology tools quickly.
Project management skills.
Strong organizational and time management skills.
Competency to work independently, to be a self-starter, and take initiative.
Strong competence in implementation of Safety Culture programs to improve safety performance.
Travel requirements: 20-50% local and overnight air travel.
On-call duties: Ability to respond to urgent EHS issues when contacted.
Physical demands: Prolonged Standing or Walking: This position requires frequently prolonged standing and/or walking.
Ability to lift up to 15 pounds.
Work environment: office environment and may be exposed to varying outdoor weather conditions when working with field operations, conducting facility inspections, facilitating assessments, etc.
Shift work: Ability to workday and night shifts may be required.

Nice To Haves

Certification such as CSP (Certified Safety Professional), CIH (Certified Industrial Hygienist), PMP (Project Management Professional) or equivalent

Responsibilities

Manage the overall company safety strategy & ensure timely completion of safety projects & programs.
Motivate and encourage development of a safety culture by facilitating focus group exercises (e.g. Hazard Analyses, Safety Culture Assessments, Safety Committee Exercises, Job Hazard Assessments).
Drive results & projects of Critical Risk Management teams & regionalized safety committees.
Serve as an OSHA Compliance SME; Identify safety regulations applicable to the natural gas industry and develop procedures to ensure compliance.
Direct and oversee investigations of EHS incidents such as higher severity injuries and motor vehicle collisions and process safety incidents. Monitor implementation of corrective and preventive actions to prevent further incidents.
Lead Event Learnings & develop Safety Bulletins & Operational Experience Alerts to ensure communication across GAS.
Conduct safety presentations to internal & external groups.
Present safety information clearly & confidently to persuade & influence internal stakeholders.
Communicate essential safety information in a clear & timely manner.
Demonstrate good communication and interpersonal skills at all levels within the Company necessary to guide business units and individuals with respect to EHS issues.
Engage regionalized safety committees & teams to ensure consistency and strong safety culture across Southern Company Gas.
Foster Collaboration & teamwork among departments including Safety, Claims, Training, HR, Operations & others to achieve shared results.
Formulate & recommend the annual OPM updates and track according to plan.
Champion the standardization of safety programs. Lead employees to merge programs, determine efficiencies, and drive a consistent safety culture across the enterprise.
Lead benchmarking activities internally across Southern Company Gas to share best practices & learnings.
Serve as company representative with industry organizations such as AGA, SGA, MEA, etc.
Trend & anticipate safety risks & challenges & work with regionalized safety committees to formulate solutions.
Lead pilot projects to test new equipment & controls to improve overall workplace safety.
Serve as role model for safety specialists.
Facilitate department meetings and training sessions to coach and educate other employees and be responsible for their knowledge of safety programs.
Supervisor other employees in the department and provide guidance for the standardization initiatives.
Build team spirit and direction. Train, motivate and guide other employees to work collaboratively with all business units.
Lead and guide other employees to take responsibility for completion of tasks. May supervise other employees in the department to ensure safety related projects and programs are completed according to plan.
Foster a team culture where everyone feels welcomed, valued & respected.
Foster an inclusive work climate.
Leverage diversity to drive team performance, engagement & innovation.
Speak with knowledge & authority about the benefits of inclusion.
Utilize internal and external resources to engage in continuous self-evaluation and ongoing learning.