Safety Specialist

Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions; Springfield (MO); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions in Springfield, MO, is seeking a Safety Specialist to lead safety initiatives in a manufacturing environment. The role reports to the Global Compliance & Risk Manager and partners with Operations, HR, Engineering, Quality, and Environmental teams to maintain a safe, compliant workplace. The ideal candidate has a strong background in OSHA/ NFPA standards, incident investigations, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety, Environmental Health and Safety, Industrial Hygiene, Engineering, Regulatory Compliance, or a related field preferred.
• 4+ years of safety or regulatory compliance experience required; 6+ years preferred.
• Manufacturing experience is strongly preferred.
• Experience with hazard and risk assessments, incident investigations, safety program implementation, ISO 45001, and computer-based health and safety systems preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and improve the company’s safety program and ISO 45001-aligned system.
• Establish safety objectives, metrics, reporting, and improvements that support daily operations.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA General Industry standards, NFPA requirements, and related regulations.
• Conduct workplace inspections, audits, hazard and risk assessments.
• Lead safety training and the Safety Committee, coaching employees and supervisors on safe work practices.
• Maintain OSHA records, training documentation, dashboards, and corrective-action tracking.

Skills

Incident investigation

Root-cause analysis

Data analysis

Training & coaching

Hazard assessment

OSHA knowledge

Communication skills

Leadership

Safety program

Cross-functional work

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety, Environmental Health and Safety, Industrial Hygiene, Engineering, Regulatory Compliance, or related field

Tools

MS Office Suite

Health & safety software

ISO 45001 management system

Job description

Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions is seeking a Safety Specialist to join our client’s Human Resources team. This is a hands-on, highly visible role responsible for leading occupational safety initiatives, reducing workplace risk, and strengthening a culture of safety across a manufacturing environment.

Reporting to theGlobal Compliance & Risk Manager, the Safety Specialist will work closely with Operations, Human Resources, Engineering, Quality, and Environmental teams to maintain a safe, compliant workplace. This position will also provide exposure to broader areas including risk management, emergency preparedness, sustainability, business continuity, and disaster planning.

What You’ll Do

• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve the company’s occupational safety program and ISO 45001-aligned management system.
• Establish safety objectives, performance metrics, reporting, and improvement initiatives that support daily operations.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA General Industry standards, NFPA requirements, emergency-response regulations, workers’ compensation, return-to-work programs, and company policies.
• Conduct workplace inspections, audits, observations, hazard assessments, and risk assessments.
• Maintain and improve safety controls related to JSAs/JHAs, LOTO, machine guarding, PPE, chemical safety, ergonomics, and corrective actions.
• Investigate workplace incidents, injuries, near misses, and property damage; conduct root-cause analysis and track corrective actions through completion.
• Partner with Human Resources on workers’ compensation and return-to-work activities.
• Lead safety training and the Safety Committee while coaching employees and supervisors on safe work practices, accountability, and reporting.
• Maintain OSHA records, safety data, training documentation, inspection records, dashboards, and corrective-action tracking.
• Analyze safety trends and recommend improvements based on data and observations.
• Coordinate emergency drills, first-aid/AED readiness, contractor and hot-work safety, industrial hygiene activities, insurance loss-control visits, audits, and regulatory inspections.
• Partner with the Environmental Supervisor on overlapping EHSS responsibilities.
• Support regulatory audits and special projects involving risk management, business continuity, disaster planning, sustainability, and broader compliance initiatives.
• Work with the Quality team to support compliance with AS9100 certification standards.
• Uphold company standards for integrity, quality, safety, and operational excellence.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety, Environmental Health and Safety, Industrial Hygiene, Engineering, Regulatory Compliance, or a related field preferred.
• 4+ years of safety or regulatory compliance experience required; 6+ years preferred.
• Manufacturing experience is strongly preferred.
• Experience with hazard and risk assessments, incident investigations, safety program implementation, ISO 45001, and computer-based health and safety systems preferred.
• Equivalent education, certifications, and experience will be considered.
• Working knowledge of OSHA General Industry standards, NFPA requirements, emergency response, and manufacturing safety controls including LOTO, machine guarding, PPE, chemical safety, and ergonomics.
• Familiarity with ISO 45001, safety management systems, Microsoft Office, and health and safety software.
• Environmental and sustainability knowledge is a plus.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, incident investigation, root-cause analysis, and data-analysis skills.
• Excellent organizational, project management, prioritization, and follow-through abilities.
• Strong written, verbal, training, leadership, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to build relationships and effectively communicate with employees and leaders at all levels.
• Comfortable working cross-functionally and independently while managing multiple priorities.
• Ability to maintain a visible presence on the manufacturing floor and translate safety requirements into practical, actionable expectations.
• Ability to lead continuous improvement initiatives and adapt to evolving business and compliance needs.

Physical & Work Environment

• This position requires frequent walking and standing throughout office and manufacturing areas, with occasional climbing, bending, stooping, kneeling, crawling, pushing, reaching, and use of hand tools or measurement equipment.
• The role requires regular computer use, the ability to identify color-coded safety labels and visual safety information, and the use of required personal protective equipment. Candidates must be able to lift up to 20 pounds frequently and 50 pounds occasionally.
• The manufacturing environment may include exposure to elevated noise levels, dust or airborne particles, moving equipment, and chemical substances.