“Join the Acme Brick Family”
Health and Safety Specialist
FLSA Status: Exempt
Acme Brick Company (a Berkshire Hathaway Company) has been operating for 130 years in 13 states in the south central/south eastern United States. We manufacture brick and distribute our own brick as well as brick and associated products manufactured by others. Our vision is to be THE trusted materials solution for enduring beauty, safety, and strength in building communities. Our associates are our greatest asset and we strive to be a great place to work every day.
Summary
Acme Brick Company is seeking a Health and Safety Specialist to join the Corporate EHS Department, reporting to the EHS Director. The Specialist will support our manufacturing plants, clay mines and sales yards. The Specialist will develop and implement programs that prevent injury and illness, strengthen the safety culture of our operations, and ensure compliance with all applicable OSHA, MSHA and EPA requirements.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities (other duties may be assigned) This is a safety sensitive position.
- Conduct scheduled site visits to plants and sales yards to evaluate how work is performed in practice and identify gaps between procedures and field conditions
- Provide technical guidance and support to Plant EHS Coordinators, Plant Management
- Lead or co-lead investigations of DART injuries and events with serious injury or fatality (SIF) potential; determine the conditions, systems and decisions that contributed to the event, and verify that corrective actions are effective
- Facilitate Learning Teams with associates who perform the work, with emphasis on recurring issues not resolved through standard corrective action (e.g., powered industrial trucks, lockout/tagout, kiln and dryer operations, heat stress)
- Identify high-consequence tasks and exposures, define the critical controls required for each, and verify their effectiveness in the field
- Write, review and implement written programs, SOPs and policy (lockout/tagout, confined space and kiln entry, hot work, hazard communication, PPE, powered industrial trucks).
- Support the hazard identification and risk management program, including Job Hazard Analyses, risk ranking and application of the hierarchy of controls
- Manage and support exposure control programs, including but not limited to respirable crystalline silica (29 CFR 1910.1053) and hearing conservation (29 CFR 1910.95)
- Promote reporting of near misses and hazards, and track hazards, incidents and corrective actions in the EHS management system
- Develop and deliver training at all levels of the organization
- Conduct program audits (lockout/tagout at plants, semi-annual audits at sales yards), and support locations during OSHA, MSHA and state agency inspections
- Participate in the design of new equipment, processes and plant upgrades to ensure safety and human factors are addressed during design
Skills and Experience Required for Success
- 5+ years of safety experience in manufacturing environment, including significant field experience
- Working knowledge of OSHA general industry (29 CFR 1910), MSHA (30 CFR Parts 46/56) and EPA regulations
- Knowledge of just culture principles and learning-based investigation methods preferred
- Experience leading incident investigations and systems-based root cause analysis
- Strong written and verbal communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to work effectively with associates at all levels
- Proficiency in MS Office and EMIS systems (VelocityEHS and JDE experience a plus)
- Ability to climb, reach, grasp, bend and twist at the waist, and work in plant and pit conditions
- Ability to wear PPE (personal protective equipment) – required and provided
- Valid driver's license and acceptable driving record
Competencies Required for Success
- Integrity
- Curiosity
- Relationship Building
- Communication
- Improvement Mindset
- Quality Focused
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in occupational safety and health, industrial hygiene, engineering or related technical field
Travel
- Must be willing to travel (domestically), approximately 50% of the time, including overnight stays
We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing.