Safety Specialist

Panasonic Energy Corporation of North America; De Soto (KS); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Panasonic Energy Corporation of North America is seeking a Safety Specialist to implement and improve occupational health and safety programs at the De Soto, Kansas facility.

You will partner with employees, leaders, and contractors to reduce risk, conduct audits, investigations, and training, and drive a strong safety culture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Occupational Safety, Environmental Health & Safety, Industrial Hygiene, Environmental Science, or related field
• Relevant work experience may be substituted
• Must have working-level English and strong communication skills

Responsibilities

• Support implementation, administration, and continuous improvement of health and safety programs
• Maintain field presence to support safety oversight and incident response
• Manage safety records, permits, reports, metrics, and documentation
• Support drills, training, and emergency preparedness activities
• Collaborate across functions to promote regulatory compliance and safety culture

Skills

Communication skills

English proficiency

Analytical skills

Problem solving

Independent work

Education

Bachelor's degree in Occupational Safety, Environmental Health & Safety, Industrial Hygiene, Environmental Science, or related field

Relevant work experience may be substituted

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Overview

Do you want to join a team that's changing the world? Do you have a strong background as a Safety Specialist? Then we're looking for you! Put your skills to meaningful use, gain unique experience, and work with world-class team members with diverse backgrounds and expertise who share the same vision. Join the PECNA team today!

Responsibilities

Safety Specialist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tMgKm_71qs

by clicking this link you are being referred to an external site that is not part of Panasonic

Summary

Join us at Panasonic Energy as we expand to De Soto, Kansas, where we’re building the world’s largest lithium‑ion battery factory. This is an exciting opportunity to grow your career while contributing to the future of electric vehicles. As part of our team, you’ll help push the limits of battery technology, enhancing performance and efficiency in sustainable transportation. Our state‑of‑the‑art facility, just outside the Kansas City Metro, will be a hub for innovation in green energy solutions. If you're passionate about sustainability and eager to contribute to the electric vehicle revolution, we invite you to be part of our dynamic team. Join us and make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation.

Job Summary

The Safety Specialist supports the implementation, administration, and continuous improvement of occupational health and safety programs to ensure compliance with applicable regulations and company standards during commissioning and production operations. Working closely with employees, leaders, contractors, and stakeholders, this role helps identify and mitigate workplace hazards, supports risk assessments, audits, inspections, incident investigations, and corrective action activities, and assists with training and emergency preparedness initiatives. The Safety Specialist monitors safety performance metrics and partners with cross-functional teams to promote regulatory compliance, risk reduction, operational excellence, and a positive safety culture.

Essential Duties

Functional Operations:

• Support the implementation, administration, and continuous improvement of occupational health and safety programs, policies, procedures, and systems to support regulatory compliance and operational excellence
• Maintain a regular field presence to support safety oversight, employee engagement, hazard recognition, and incident response activities
• Manage safety records, permits, reports, metrics, and documentation to support business needs and regulatory requirements
• Support emergency preparedness and response activities, including drills, exercises, and incident response as needed

Performance Optimization & Continuous Improvement

• Conduct and support risk assessments, job hazard analysis (JHA), management of change (MOC) activities, and other risk reduction initiatives
• Monitor, analyze, and communicate safety performance metrics, trends, and program effectiveness to support continuous improvement efforts
• Conduct workplace inspections, audits, and operational assessments to identify hazards, verify compliance, and recommend corrective actions
• Support incident investigations, root cause analyses, and corrective and preventive action processes, including tracking completion and effectiveness
• Support cross-functional initiatives that strengthen safety performance, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence

Training & Team Support

• Develop, maintain, and deliver safety training programs, materials, and resources for employees and contractors
• Provide coaching and guidance on safety requirements, procedures, and best practices
• Support onboarding, safety orientation, and employee engagement initiatives that promote safe work practices and continuous improvement

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Communication

• Serve as a resource to employees, leaders, contractors, and stakeholders on occupational health and safety requirements, compliance obligations, and company policies
• Communicate safety observations, trends, and improvement opportunities to leaders and employees
• Support regulatory inspections, audits, and interactions with consultants, contractors, and external stakeholders as needed

Quality, Safety & Compliance

• Support compliance with applicable federal, state, and local occupational health and safety regulations, standards, and company requirements
• Maintain current knowledge of OSHA regulations, emerging regulatory requirements, and industry best practices

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements

• To ensure the health and safety in the workplace and for the protection of our employees, wearing PPE is a possibility and may include equipment such as a full Tyvek suit, safety shoes, gloves, safety glasses, face mask, bump cap, and a full hazmat suit that includes a respirator.

The foregoing description is not intended and should not be construed to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills and efforts or work conditions associated with the job. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the general nature and level of the job.

Qualifications

Required

Education, Certifications, and Licenses:

• Bachelor's degree in Occupational Safety, Environmental Health & Safety, Industrial Hygiene, Environmental Science, or a related field
• Relevant work experience may be substituted for required education

Preferred

• Associate Safety Professional (ASP), Certified Safety Professional (CSP), or active pursuit of professional safety certification
• Occupational safety certifications and training such as OSHA 30-Hour, HAZWOPER, First Aid/CPR, ISO 45001, Lockout/Tagout, Electrical Safety, and Respiratory Protection/Fit Testing

Essential Qualifications

• 2+ years of occupational health and safety experience in manufacturing, industrial, construction, commissioning, or similarly regulated environments
• Experience supporting safety programs, inspections, audits, risk assessments, incident investigations, corrective actions, and contractor safety activities
• Working knowledge of OSHA regulations and applicable industry standards (e.g., NFPA, ANSI, NEC, ACGIH, and NIOSH)
• Experience developing or delivering safety training and supporting workplace hazard and exposure monitoring activities
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to evaluate data and support informed decision-making
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across multiple functions
• Strong verbal and written communication skills and proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite
• Ability to support emergency response activities outside normal business hours as needed
• Must have working‑level knowledge of the English language, including reading, writing, and speaking
• Alignment to Panasonic’s seven (7) core principles (contribution to society, fairness and honesty, cooperation and team spirit, untiring effort for improvement, courtesy and humility, adaptability, gratitude)

Preferred Qualifications

• 4+ years of occupational health and safety experience in manufacturing, industrial, construction, commissioning, or similarly regulated environment