Job Description

Position Summary

The Safety Manager - Manufacturing Operations leads all aspects of safety, health, and risk prevention across manufacturing, fabrication, warehouse, and production operations. This role is responsible for ensuring OSHA General Industry compliance, driving proactive safety initiatives, and supporting operational excellence through hazard elimination, engineering controls, and continuous improvement.

The position partners closely with our vendors, operations, engineering, fleet, logistics, and leadership teams to develop safe work environments, support new facility start-ups, and integrate safety into manufacturing processes, facility layouts, equipment design, and material flow planning.

Position Details

Safety & Compliance

• Develop and maintain manufacturing and fabrication safety programs, policies, and procedures.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA General Industry standards and company requirements.
• Conduct safety audits, inspections, and compliance assessments.
• Participate in incident investigations, corrective actions, and trend analysis.
• Ensure required regulatory documentation and reporting.

Manufacturing & Operational Safety

• Support safe operations involving fabrication equipment, machine guarding, forklifts, cranes, welding, electrical safety, Lockout/Tagout (LOTO), material handling, and hot work.
• Support proper PPE implementation and safe housekeeping standards throughout manufacturing and warehouse operations.
• Establish proactive risk assessments and hazard mitigation activities.

Engineering & Risk Elimination

• Drive implementation of engineering controls and hazard elimination strategies using the hierarchy of controls.
• Partner with engineering and operations teams to improve equipment, workflows, ergonomics, and manufacturing processes.
• Support new facility design, start-ups, process layout, logistics planning, and operational readiness reviews.
• Participate in capital projects, equipment reviews, and facility modifications to ensure safety integration during planning and design.

Training & Safety Culture

• Deliver safety training, onboarding, toolbox talks, and leadership development programs.
• Promote employee engagement and accountability through proactive safety initiatives.
• Partner with supervisors and operational leaders to strengthen safety culture and daily safety performance.

Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Track and report safety metrics including TRIR, DART, near misses, inspections, and corrective actions.
• Utilize safety management systems and data analysis to identify trends and drive continuous improvement initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Safety, Environmental Health & Safety, Engineering, Manufacturing, or related field preferred.
• 10+ years of safety experience in manufacturing, fabrication, industrial, or warehouse environments.
• Strong knowledge of OSHA General Industry regulations and industrial safety practices.
• Experience with engineering controls, machine guarding, LOTO, forklifts, and manufacturing process safety.
• Experience supporting facility start-ups, operational improvements, or process design preferred.

Preferred Certifications

• CSP, ASP, CHST, OSHA 501, or CIH

Knowledge & Skills

• Strong understanding of manufacturing hazards, compliance requirements, and risk reduction strategies.
• Ability to collaborate across operations, engineering, maintenance, and leadership teams.
• Strong leadership, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, safety management systems, and reporting tools.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work in active manufacturing and warehouse environments.
• Frequent walking through production and fabrication areas.
• Ability to wear required PPE and work around industrial equipment and varying environmental conditions.

Benefits

As a 100% employee-owned company, we offer a comprehensive benefits package for you and your family:

• 401(k) plan with 50% company match (no cap) and immediate 100% vesting
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance (100% paid for employee)
• Annual bonus program based upon performance, achievement, and company profitability
• Term life, AD&D insurance, and voluntary life insurance
• Disability income protection insurance
• Pre-tax flexible spending plans (health and dependent care)
• Paid parental leave
• Paid holidays, vacation, and personal time
• Training/professional development opportunities and company-paid memberships for professional associations and licenses
• Wellness benefits

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External Agency Announcement: Its Southland Industries' policy not to accept candidate submissions from recruiting agencies without an active and authorized work order. Candidate ownership can only be established after a bona fide work order is issued by a member of the Southland Industries Talent Acquisition team and the candidate is appropriately submitted through our Applicant Tracking System (ATS).