Safety Inspector

PACO Group, Inc.; New Jersey; On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) and 401(k) Employer Matching

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Group Life Insurance, LTD and AD&D

Paid Time Off

Paid Holidays

Professional Development Assistance

Job summary

PACO Group, Inc. seeks a Safety Engineer to provide field-based safety oversight for heavy civil construction projects in the NJ/NY Metro area, collaborating with NJ TRANSIT, contractors, and management to identify hazards and ensure OSHA compliance.

This role requires a bachelor's degree in a related engineering field, 5+ years of experience, and professional safety certifications; you will review JHAs, conduct inspections, lead safety meetings, and promote a strong safety culture on active

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and minimum 5 years of relevant construction safety experience; or 10 years of experience in lieu of a degree.
• Experience in heavy civil, transportation, rail, tunnel, underground, utility, or major infrastructure construction.
• Must possess CHST, ASP, CSP, or OSHA 30-Hour Construction certification.
• Working knowledge of OSHA 29 CFR 1926.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day field safety oversight, inspections, observations, and audits.
• Monitor contractor and subcontractor compliance with NJ TRANSIT requirements, project safety plans, OSHA regulations, and applicable safety standards.
• Review JHAs, AHAs, Safe Work Plans, and contractor safety documentation.
• Identify safety deficiencies, coordinate corrective actions, and track issues through closure.
• Participate in incident investigations and root-cause analyses; support corrective actions.

Skills

Field safety oversight

Strong written, verbal, organizational

Education

Bachelor's degree in Safety Engineering, Occupational Safety and Health, Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Engineering, or a related discipline

Job description

• Bachelor's degree in Safety Engineering, Occupational Safety and Health, Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Engineering, or a related discipline

Employment Type

Full time

Education Requirements

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

• Bachelor's degree in Safety Engineering, Occupational Safety and Health, Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Engineering, or a related discipline

Hourly Rate

$60-70

Safety Inspector

Location: New Jersey / New York Metropolitan Area

Employment Type: Full-Time

Position Summary

The Safety Engineer will provide field-based safety oversight for construction activities associated with the NJ TRANSIT Gateway–Hudson Tunnel Project, supporting heavy civil, rail, tunneling, underground, utility, and infrastructure construction. The Safety Engineer will work with NJ TRANSIT, project management, contractors, subcontractors, and other stakeholders to identify and mitigate hazards, monitor contractor compliance, and ensure work is performed in accordance with project safety requirements, OSHA regulations, and applicable federal, state, and local standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day field safety oversight, inspections, observations, and audits.
• Monitor contractor and subcontractor compliance with NJ TRANSIT requirements, project safety plans, OSHA regulations, and applicable safety standards.
• Review Job Hazard Analyses (JHAs), Activity Hazard Analyses (AHAs), Safe Work Plans, and contractor safety documentation.
• Evaluate hazards associated with tunneling, underground construction, excavation, confined spaces, cranes and rigging, heavy equipment, electrical work, hot work, fall protection, utilities, and rail operations.
• Participate in pre-task planning, job briefings, toolbox talks, safety meetings, and major work-planning activities.
• Monitor construction within or adjacent to active railroad, station, roadway, utility, and public environments.
• Identify safety deficiencies, coordinate corrective actions, and track issues through closure.
• Immediately communicate serious or imminent hazards and support appropriate corrective measures.
• Participate in incident, injury, near-miss, and property-damage investigations, including root-cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Maintain inspection reports, safety observations, incident documentation, photographs, and corrective-action records.
• Review safety trends and contractor performance to identify recurring hazards and opportunities for improvement.
• Support emergency preparedness, orientations, training, and safety stand-down activities.
• Provide safety input for major construction activities, shutdowns, outages, heavy lifts, excavations, utility relocations, tunneling operations, and work affecting railroad operations.
• Prepare safety reports and updates for project management and NJ TRANSIT stakeholders.
• Promote proactive hazard recognition and a strong project-wide safety culture.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Safety Engineering, Occupational Safety and Health, Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Engineering, or a related discipline with a minimum of 5 years of relevant construction safety experience; OR a minimum of 10 years of relevant construction safety experience in lieu of a bachelor's degree.
• Relevant experience should include heavy civil, transportation, rail, tunnel, underground, utility, or major infrastructure construction.
• Must possess at least one of the following professional safety certifications:
• Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST)
• Associate Safety Professional (ASP)
• Certified Safety Professional (CSP)
• OSHA 30-Hour Construction certification.
• Working knowledge of OSHA construction standards, including 29 CFR 1926.
• Demonstrated experience conducting field safety inspections, audits, incident investigations, and contractor safety reviews.
• Ability to recognize construction hazards and develop practical corrective and preventive measures.
• Ability to review and interpret safety plans, JHAs/AHAs, construction drawings, work plans, and technical documentation.
• Strong written, verbal, organizational, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to effectively communicate safety requirements with contractors, supervisors, engineers, construction managers, and field personnel.
• Ability to work in active construction environments and accommodate varying shifts as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience on NJ TRANSIT, Amtrak, Port Authority, MTA, FRA, FTA, or comparable major rail/transit infrastructure projects.
• Experience with tunnel, underground, station, bridge, or heavy civil construction.
• Experience working within or adjacent to active railroad operations and right-of-way environments.
• Knowledge of tunneling, excavation, confined-space, cranes and rigging, fall-protection, electrical, and heavy-equipment safety requirements.
• First Aid/CPR/AED certification.
• Specialized or competent-person safety training applicable to major construction activities.
• Familiarity with FRA and rail/transit-specific safety requirements.

Compensation

Good-faith compensation rate range is around $60-$70 per hour, depending on experience, qualifications, certifications, technical expertise, and client requirements.

Benefits Summary

• 401(k) and 401(k) Employer Matching.
• Health Insurance.
• Dental Insurance.
• Group Life Insurance, LTD and AD&D.
• Paid Time Off.
• Paid Holidays.
• Professional Development Assistance.

EEO Diversity Statement

PACO Group, Inc. is committed to furthering opportunities for everyone in the national construction market. The firm periodically reaffirms this commitment through an active affirmative action plan. It provides Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) to all employees without unlawful discrimination regarding race, creed, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, religion, military status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, or citizenship status. As an equal opportunity employer, we have recruited, hired, promoted, and retained an ethnically and socially diverse professional staff. Our efforts to date have produced a multidisciplinary workforce - a record of diversity that extends to the highest levels of the firm's management.

Work Environment

This is primarily a field-based position requiring regular access to active construction sites, including underground environments and areas involving heavy equipment, elevated noise, dust, varying weather, confined work areas, uneven surfaces, and active transportation infrastructure.

The position may require prolonged standing and walking, climbing stairs or ladders, accessing underground or restricted areas, and wearing required PPE. Night, weekend, holiday, extended, or other non-standard shifts may be required based on construction operations.