Safety Specialist in Hawthorne

Energy Jobline ZR; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Base salary $70k–$85k

Job summary

Energy Jobline ZR is seeking a Safety Specialist to lead the occupational health and safety program at a busy food manufacturing plant in Hawthorne, NJ. This on-site role sits within the EHS function and reports to plant leadership.

You will drive OSHA compliance, develop targeted safety training, conduct audits and risk assessments, investigate incidents, and maintain safety documentation while partnering with HR and operations to foster a proactive safety culture on the floor.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Occupational Health & Safety or related field.
• 3–5 years safety experience in manufacturing or food production.
• Strong knowledge of OSHA regulations and general industry safety standards.
• Bilingual English and Spanish strongly preferred.
• OSHA 30-Hour General Industry and First Aid/CPR/AED; ASP/CSP/CHST bonus is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead the plant health and safety program, ensuring OSHA compliance.
• Develop and deliver safety training for new hires, job-specific and refresher trainings.
• Conduct safety audits, inspections, risk assessments, and JHAs on plant equipment.
• Investigate incidents and near-misses; perform root-cause analysis and close corrective actions.
• Write and audit safety programs and SOPs (Lockout/Tagout, HazCom, PPE, Machine Guarding).
• Manage OSHA recordkeeping (300/300A) and regulatory documentation.
• Coordinate safety meetings, committee activities and communications.
• Support workers' comp cases and return-to-work coordination with HR.

Skills

OSHA compliance

Incident investigation

JHA and risk assessments

Safety training & coaching

Education

Bachelor's degree in Occupational Health & Safety

Tools

MS Office

EHS software

Job description

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 , 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
• Proficient in Microsoft Office; experience with EHS management software a plus
• OSHA 30-Hour General Industry and First Aid/CPR/AED ; 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