Industrial facilities depend on experienced professionals who understand what it takes to keep complex, high-risk operations running safely. We are recruiting an
Industrial Risk & Operational Safety Specialist for an established industrial processing operation in California.
This opportunity is designed for a safety professional who combines technical knowledge with practical field experience. You'll work directly with operations, maintenance, contractors, and site leadership to identify exposure risks, strengthen safe work practices, investigate operational events, and improve the systems that protect employees and surrounding communities.
We are particularly interested in professionals who have built their careers in
petroleum refining, petrochemical processing, chemical manufacturing, or comparable heavy industrial environments.
This is not a desk-based compliance position. Success requires credibility in the field, sound judgment under pressure, and the ability to influence how work gets done.
What You'll Be Responsible ForOperational Risk Management
- Evaluate hazardous work activities and identify opportunities to reduce employee exposure to operational risks.
- Strengthen procedures governing hazardous energy control, confined space entry, hot work, work authorization, and contractor activities.
- Assess existing practices against OSHA, Cal/OSHA, and applicable regulatory requirements.
- Partner with maintenance and operations teams to incorporate effective risk controls into daily work execution.
- Support safety planning and execution during plant shutdowns, turnarounds, and major maintenance projects.
Incident Analysis & Risk Reduction
- Coordinate investigations involving workplace incidents, near misses, and potentially serious safety events.
- Apply structured investigation techniques to identify underlying organizational, procedural, and operational contributing factors.
- Facilitate corrective action development with responsible departments and monitor progress through completion.
- Identify recurring trends and recommend improvements that address systemic risk.
- Communicate investigation findings and prevention strategies to plant leadership.
Field Engagement & Workforce Collaboration
- Establish strong working relationships with operations personnel, skilled trades, supervisors, and union-represented employees.
- Conduct field assessments of work practices, equipment access, hazardous activities, and contractor performance.
- Provide practical guidance to employees and supervisors on managing safety-critical tasks.
- Participate in operational reviews, safety discussions, and workforce engagement initiatives.
- Serve as a trusted technical resource during nonroutine operations and elevated-risk activities.
Performance Improvement & Technical Support
- Evaluate operational safety performance using incident trends, leading indicators, field observations, and program assessments.
- Translate safety data into recommendations that improve work execution and reduce risk.
- Develop targeted training and technical guidance for employees and contractors.
- Coordinate with industrial hygiene and other technical specialists to address workplace exposure concerns.
- Share lessons learned and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across multiple facilities.
The Experience We're Looking For | We're seeking an experienced industrial safety professional who understands the realities of operating in a complex production environment.
Required Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in Safety Engineering, Occupational Safety, Environmental Health & Safety, or a closely related technical discipline.
- Approximately 5-10 years of progressive safety experience in industrial operations, preferably petroleum refining or chemical manufacturing.
- Demonstrated knowledge of hazardous work controls, including lockout/tagout, confined space entry, hot work, and permit-to-work systems.
- Hands-on experience conducting incident investigations and developing effective corrective actions.
- Experience supporting operations and maintenance personnel in a unionized industrial environment.
- Familiarity with emergency response procedures and industrial fire brigade operations.
- Strong understanding of applicable workplace safety regulations and industrial risk management practices.
- Ability to interpret performance data, prepare technical reports, and communicate recommendations to management.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and electronic safety reporting or incident management systems.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC).
Experience That Will Set You Apart- Direct experience supporting refinery operations, petrochemical facilities, or other continuous-process manufacturing environments.
- Familiarity with ABS Causal Analysis, Triangle of Prevention (TOP), or comparable root-cause investigation methodologies.
- Participation in industrial emergency response or fire brigade activities.
- Experience providing safety oversight during large-scale turnarounds, shutdowns, or maintenance outages.
- Demonstrated success improving safety performance through workforce engagement and practical operational changes.
Work EnvironmentThis position combines technical analysis and administrative responsibilities with significant time spent in active industrial operating areas.
Candidates should be comfortable working outdoors in varying weather conditions, accessing elevated work areas, climbing ladders and stairs, and entering permitted confined spaces when required.
Interested in Learning More?If your background includes industrial safety, refinery operations, incident investigation, and high-risk work management, we'd welcome a confidential conversation.
