Safety Manager

Vermont League of Cities and Towns; Burlington, Northern (VT, KY); Hybrid; USD 88,000 - 98,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work - up to 1 day/week

Job summary

City of Burlington is seeking a Safety Manager to expand and support a citywide culture of safe behavior and healthful working conditions, focusing on the Department of Public Works and Parks, Recreation and Waterfront. The Safety Manager supports departmental safety committees, collaborates with management to develop and implement safety policies and serves as a technical resource for safety programming.

The role monitors regulatory compliance (local, state, and federal) to safeguard employees

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in safety-related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Two years of experience in safety environment/operations required.
• Ability to review VOSHA/OSHA, DOT, NFPA regulations and develop compliance programs.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and improve the City-wide safety strategy and structure; document departments with safety committees and contacts; annually assess and adjust.
• Establish safety committees in high-risk departments and coordinate safety training programs.
• Develop safety objectives, procedures, awareness initiatives, and an internal safety portal; coordinate compliance tracking.
• Create job hazard analyses and safety checklists; work with managers to implement safe procedures.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA, DOT, NFPA; liaison with regulators and insurers; interface with department contacts and third-party administrators.
• Conduct site inspections, needs assessments, and corrective actions; participate in procurement for safety compliance.
• Maintain training calendar; administer training requirements and portfolios; conduct new employee orientations.
• Develop and present safety reports and metrics; pursue goals to reduce workers' comp claims and costs.
• Ensure job descriptions reflect safety and health requirements; assign annual compliance training via LMS.
• Oversee compliance programs such as CDL, hearing conservation, and PPE; support RTW and hazard communication programs.
• Communicate safety issues to department heads and maintain confidentiality; collaborate with diverse stakeholders.

Skills

Regulatory compliance

Policy development

Safety program management

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor of Science in Occupational or Industrial Hygiene/Safety

Tools

Database

Spreadsheet

Word processing

Job description

This position is responsible for expanding and supporting a citywide workplace culture of safe behavior and healthful working conditions, with a focus on the Department of Public Works and Parks, Recreation and Waterfront. The Safety Manager supports departmental safety committees, collaborates with management to develop and implement safety policies and serves as a technical resource for safety programming. This position monitors regulatory compliance (local, state, and federal) to safeguard employees and serves as a resource to those responsible for City building and facility safety and liability insurance administration.

Union Affiliation: Non-Union
Pay Grade 20: $87,977 - $98,179 Annually
Remote Tier 2: Up to one (1) day remote/week

Essential Job Functions

Maintain and improve the City-wide safety strategy and organizational structure, ensuring departments with required safety committees and designated safety contacts are clearly documented; annually assess the strategy and structure and make recommendations to achieve safety goals.

Support the establishment of safety committees in departments with high-risk activities or high injury rates

Develop and maintain safety objectives, policies, procedures, awareness initiatives, manuals and an internal safety portal; coordinate implementation, compliance tracking, and recordkeeping with department leadership and safety contacts to foster a safe working environment.

Work with diverse teams to develop and implement job hazard analysis and individual task risk assessments; collaborate with managers to create safe work procedures and design safety checklists and templates.

Ensure compliance with all applicable VOSHA/OSHA, DOT, NFPA, and DMV driver-related regulations; serve as the City's liaison with federal and state regulatory officials and primary contact during safety regulatory compliance inspections; interface with

department safety contacts, third-party administrators, and insurance companies as needed.

Assess each department's safety compliance; assist in developing needs assessments and corrective measures; conduct site inspections to ensure compliance with safety standards and identify any hazards; and participate in equipment and materials procurement committees to ensure compliance with safety standards.

Update and maintain the training program/calendar; work with department safety contacts to administer training requirements and maintain individualized training portfolios (primary certifications, annual certifications, and recommended trainings); conduct or oversee new employee safety orientation.

Develop, review, and present safety reports, presentations, metrics, and communications; recommend measurable goals to the Director of HR, Department Heads, departmental safety contacts, and Liability Insurance Administrator to reduce Workers' Compensation claims, liability, and safety costs; implement programs to achieve those goals.

Work with department safety contacts, the HR Department, and third-party providers to ensure the physical/mental reasoning and work environment sections of City job descriptions are accurate and current.

Assign compliance training to all employees annually and upon hire through the City’s Learning Management System

Oversee that City departments complete the following safety and health programs such as, but not limited to, commercial driver licenses (CDL), hearing conservation, fire extinguisher maintenance, safety glasses, bloodborne pathogens, and needle exposure plans. Ensure that each of these programs comply with current regulatory standards.

Assist in developing or outsourcing and ensuring departments are appropriately implementing, required safety and health training programs or activities such as defensive driving, HazCom, GHS, machine shop safety, lockout/tagout, bucket rescue, confined space entry, fire protection, hazardous waste operations, and Return-to-work (RTW) programs.

Update Department Heads regarding safety issues within department as well as status of departmental safety committee or contact.

Recommend solutions to issues, improvement opportunities or new prevention measures.

Non-Essential Job Functions

Performs other duties as required.

Qualifications/Basic Job Requirements

Ability to actively support City diversity, equity, and cultural competency efforts within stated job responsibilities and work effectively across diverse cultures and constituencies.

Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion as evidenced by ongoing trainings and professional development.

Bachelor of Science in Occupational or Industrial Hygiene/Safety, Safety Engineering or other related field.

Additional experience may be substituted for a degree requirement on a two-for-one per year basis.

Two (2) years of experience in safety environment/operations required.

Valid Vermont Driver’s license required; position requires 24-hour on-call availability for safety emergencies.

Demonstrated ability to develop coordinate, conduct, monitor, and evaluate safety programs preferred.

Ability to work independently; develop solutions to safety problems with minimal supervision, and maintain a high degree of competency in safe work procedures.

Ability to review and interpret VOSHA/OSHA, DOT, and NFPA regulations; develop compliance programs and communicate requirements effectively throughout the City

Required to wear appropriate safety equipment (e.g. safety glasses, hard hat, fire retardant clothing, etc.).

Ability to work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders including the Department of Finance and Administration, City Attorney, Burlington Electric Safety/Risk Management, Liability Insurance Administrator, City Commissioners, Third Party Administrators, adjusters, medical providers and outside professionals.

Must have advanced personal computer and computer software skills with an emphasis on database, spreadsheet and word processing.

Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing required.

Ability to foster good communication between employees and departments.

Ability to organize and prioritize workload, complete multiple projects and meet established deadlines required.

Must maintain strict confidentiality on specific issues.

Must have a high level of personal initiative and enthusiasm.

Regular attendance is necessary and is essential to meeting the expectations of the job functions.

Ability to understand and comply with City standards, safety rules and personnel policies.

Willingness to attend specified utility training seminars/workshops/classes is required.

Willingness to be a member of the National Safety Council.

Additional Information

Promoting a culture that reveres diversity and equity.

The City of Burlington is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and we are strongly committed to creating a dynamic and equitable workforce that mirrors the population and world that we serve. We do not discriminate on the basis of political or religious affiliation, race, color, national origin, place of birth, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, crime victim status, veteran status, disability, HIV positive status, or genetic information in employment or the provision of services.

In addition to being an equal opportunity employer, we actively encourage applicants who can contribute to our growing diversity to apply.