Safety Specialist

WestRock Company; Covington (VA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive training opportunities

Attractive salary

Benefits package including medical and 401k with match

Job summary

A global packaging company is seeking a Mid-Level Safety Specialist in Covington, Virginia. This role involves leading safety initiatives, ensuring compliance with OSHA standards, and providing safety training. Ideal candidates will have a Bachelor’s degree in Health/Safety, experience in a manufacturing environment, and a CSP certification. The position offers a competitive salary and benefits package, and is aimed at creating a culture of safety excellence within the organization.

Qualifications

• 5–10 years of safety professional experience in manufacturing.
• 5+ years collaborating across functions and organizations.
• 5+ years managing projects preferably.
• Strong knowledge of OSHA regulatory programs.

Responsibilities

• Support mill safety by ensuring compliance with regulations.
• Develop HS plans focused on risk reduction.
• Lead audit preparation and response processes.
• Provide training for safety information to employees.
• Participate in accident and near-miss investigations.

Skills

Health and Safety Management

Communication Skills

Analytical Skills

Project Management

Human Performance Concepts

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Health/Safety or closely related field

Certified Safety Professional (CSP)

Certified Safety & Health Management (CSHM)

Tools

MS Word

PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

Position: Safety Specialist
Job Code: OPHSP2 + Specialist, Safety
Location: Covington, VA

The Opportunity

Smurfit Westrock is currently seeking a Mid‑Level Safety Specialist at our Covington Mill. The Sr. Health & Safety Coordinator is responsible for the leadership & technical support of matters pertaining to facility safety and employee health. The successful candidate will be a key leader at the location, helping to create a culture of safety excellence by working with team members to design, modify, recommend, and implement safety and health programs to assure a safe work environment. The successful candidate will provide direct safety support to the plant’s major manufacturing areas.

How you will impact Smurfit Westrock

• Support the mill by offering practical and compliant solutions for working safely, supporting compliance with all applicable safety and health regulations, corporate requirements as well as audit processes.
• Develop and execute strategic and tactical HS plans to drive fatality prevention, increase risk recognition and reduce injuries/incidents through utilization of human performance tools.
• Participate in post‑injury case management and lead the audit preparation and response processes.
• Equip managers/supervisors to be able to provide safety training and important safety information to employees.
• Help mill leaders in developing measures and practices that prevent accidents and ensure compliance with OSHA standards.
• Be a key leader who will identify and help implement priorities for the facility that will most positively impact safety performance.
• Support positive culture change towards an injury‑free facility through leadership, increasing employee engagement, effective training and coaching, on‑the‑floor interactions, and commitment to adhering to facility rules.
• Provides training and information to mill leaders on methods to develop and sustain effective safety.
• Interface with Corporate Safety team as needed, providing necessary reports, audit follow‑ups, etc. in a clear, accurate and timely manner.
• Positively influence other leaders, employees, and safety teams to help all mill stakeholders create a “100% Safe” culture.
• Review and modify written procedures, as needed, to assure the safety of all personnel and assuring compliance with all applicable corporate, local, state, and federal regulations.
• Maintain a working knowledge of federal, state, and local environmental, health and safety regulations and identify all requirements that apply or may apply to the facility.
• Participates in mill safety committee activities.
• Ensures follow‑up on accident and near‑miss reports, as assigned, including recommended remedial action as part of the investigating team.
• Serves as the secondary contact for OSHA inspections: own inspection activities, makes corporate notifications and accompanies OSHA inspectors on their tours of the plant.
• Prepares and publishes safety related information (reports, updates, alerts, etc.) to increase and maintain safety awareness.
• Prepares statistical data pertaining to injury experience for careful analysis by company leaders to help identify and correct true sources of key mill safety issues.
• Routinely audits the mill for safe working conditions and procedures; initiates corrective actions where appropriate.
• Support the implementation of the facility’s annual safety improvement plan and the WestRock Safety Excellence System (SES). Develop effective safety communication utilizing various multi‑media methods.

What you will need to succeed

• Bachelor’s degree in Health/Safety (or closely related field) – Required.
• Certified Safety Professional (CSP) or Certified Safety & Health Management (CSHM) – Required.
• Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) is highly desired, but not required.
• 5–10 years of safety professional experience administering health and safety strategies and programs in a manufacturing operation.
• 5+ years of experience collaborating across functions and organizations – required.
• 5+ years of experience managing projects – preferred.
• 5+ years verbal and written communication skills as proven through business application.
• 5+ years MS Word, PowerPoint, and Excel software skills.
• Strong understanding of Human Performance concepts, tools, and deployment strategies highly desired.
• Strong working knowledge of OSHA regulatory programs – required.
• Process Safety Management experience – Preferred.
• Chemical Recovery Boiler experience – Preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong analytical and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to assign priorities in a fast‑paced and changing environment.
• Must be able to make effective presentations to a wide range of audiences ranging from hourly employees to senior corporate executives and government agencies.
• Candidate must exercise independent and group problem‑solving skills to establish ways to eliminate hazards in the operations.
• Must be able to accurately interpret information gathered in accident and incident investigations to make sound recommendations for the prevention of future occurrences.

What we offer

• Corporate culture based on integrity, respect, accountability, and excellence.
• Comprehensive training with numerous learning and development opportunities.
• An attractive salary reflecting skills, competencies, and potential.
• Benefits package to include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401k with match, tuition reimbursement, employee discounts, employee referral bonus, and much more!
• A career with a global packaging company where Sustainability, Safety and Inclusion are business drivers and foundational elements of the daily work.