Safety Specialist

Primaire Consulting Ltd; Hawthorne (NJ); On-site; USD 70,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Primaire Consulting Ltd. is recruiting for a Safety Specialist to lead and run the occupational health and safety program at its plant in Hawthorne, New Jersey.

This full-time, on-site role sits in the Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) function and reports into plant leadership. You'll manage safety across production, sanitation, maintenance, warehouse and receiving, driving OSHA compliance, reducing injuries and building a proactive safety culture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Occupational Health & Safety, EHS or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• 3 to 5 years of safety experience in manufacturing or food production.
• Strong knowledge of OSHA regulations and general industry safety standards.
• Experience with OSHA recordkeeping, incident investigation and root-cause analysis.
• Confident trainer and communicator who can influence people at all levels.

Responsibilities

• Lead the plant health and safety program, ensuring compliance with OSHA and food manufacturing safety regulations.
• Develop and deliver safety training, including new-hire orientation, job-specific and refresher training.
• Carry out safety audits, inspections, risk assessments and JHA on plant equipment.
• Investigate incidents and track corrective actions to closure.
• Write, maintain and audit safety programs and SOPs including Lockout/Tagout and HazCom.

Skills

Safety program leadership

OSHA regulations

Incident investigation

Root-cause analysis

Safety training delivery

Bilingual English/Spanish

Safety committee leadership

Communication across levels

Education

Bachelor's degree in Occupational Health & Safety

Tools

EHS management software

Microsoft Office

Job description

We're recruiting on behalf of an established US food manufacturer looking for a Safety Specialist to lead and run the occupational health and safety program at its plant in Hawthorne, New Jersey. This is a full-time, on-site role within the Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) function, reporting into plant leadership.

You’ll be the go-to person for safety across production, sanitation, maintenance, warehouse and receiving. That means keeping the site OSHA compliant, bringing injury rates down and building a proactive safety culture where everyone on the floor takes ownership. It's a hands-on role with plenty of time spent walking the plant, training teams and working closely with supervisors and employees.

What you'll be doing:

• Leading the plant health and safety program, ensuring compliance with OSHA and food manufacturing safety regulations
• Developing and delivering safety training, including new-hire orientation, job-specific and refresher training
• Carrying out safety audits, inspections, risk assessments and job hazard analyses (JHA) on plant equipment such as grinders, mixers, stuffers, wrappers and forklifts
• Investigating incidents, injuries and near-misses, carrying out root-cause analysis and tracking corrective actions to closure
• Writing, maintaining and auditing safety programs and SOPs, including Lockout/Tagout, HazCom (GHS), PPE, Machine Guarding, Powered Industrial Trucks, Confined Space and Emergency Action Plans
• Managing OSHA recordkeeping (300/300A logs), injury reporting and regulatory documentation
• Running the chemical safety and SDS program for sanitation and maintenance chemicals
• Leading the plant Safety Committee and coordinating safety meetings and communications
• Supporting workers' compensation cases and return-to-work/modified-duty coordination with HR
• Enforcing PPE programs and supporting ergonomic assessments on the production lines
• Preparing for and supporting OSHA, customer and third-party audits
• Managing emergency preparedness, including evacuation, fire safety, first aid/CPR, spill response and drills
• Tracking and reporting safety KPIs (incident rates, lost time and leading indicators) to management
• Supporting PSM awareness and emergency response where applicable

What they're looking for:

• Bachelor's degree in Occupational Health & Safety, EHS or a related field (or equivalent experience)
• 3 to 5 years of safety experience in manufacturing or food production
• Strong knowledge of OSHA regulations and general industry safety standards
• Working knowledge of food manufacturing hazards: machine guarding, Lockout/Tagout, powered industrial trucks, HazCom and ergonomics (ammonia/PSM awareness a plus)
• Experience with OSHA recordkeeping, incident investigation and root-cause analysis
• Confident trainer and communicator who can influence people at all levels
• Bilingual in English and Spanish strongly preferred
• Proficient in Microsoft Office; experience with EHS management software a plus
• OSHA 30-Hour General Industry and First Aid/CPR/AED preferred; progress toward ASP, CSP or CHST a bonus
• Willing to travel to the company's Florida facility as needed
• Comfortable working on the production floor in cold, wet and noisy environments, and responding to incidents outside normal hours when needed

What's on offer:

• Base salary of $70,000 to $85,000
• The chance to own and shape the safety program at a busy food manufacturing site
• Close collaboration with plant leadership and HR