Safety Specialist (Natural Gas/Propane)

Safety Specialist

The Safety Specialist is responsible for developing, implementing, and administering comprehensive safety, health, training, and regulatory compliance programs for cooperative operations and facilities. This position promotes a proactive culture of safety excellence through employee engagement, field presence, regulatory compliance, incident prevention, risk mitigation, and continuous improvement initiatives.

The Safety Specialist works closely with operations leadership, employees, contractors, and regulatory agencies to ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and industry safety standards while supporting safe, reliable, and efficient utility operations.

This position provides technical safety guidance, conducts training and audits, investigates incidents, recommends corrective actions, and supports emergency response activities for the cooperative.

Nature and Scope of Position (Essential Duties and Responsibilities): Essential duties and responsibilities may be modified to meet the changing needs of the cooperative.

• Support and incorporate the Cooperative's Mission and Vision in professional behavior and decision-making.
• Comply with all Cooperative policies, procedures, goals and objectives and meet attendance and punctuality guidelines.
• Develop, coordinate, and conduct onboarding, recurring safety meetings, and other training programs to ensure employees maintain compliance with industry safety standards, Cooperative policies, and regulatory requirements. Plan, coordinate, and facilitate safety committee meetings and related initiatives.
• Conduct field audits, crew inspections, contractor safety evaluations, and facility inspections to identify unsafe conditions, ensure compliance with Cooperative safety standards and regulatory requirements, and reduce risk of accidents and financial loss.
• Evaluate and improve safety policies, programs, procedures, and culture through performance analysis, corrective actions, employee engagement, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Serve as a point person for the AGA Peer Review activities and assist in development and implementation of Safety Improvement Plans.
• Assist with the Cooperative's Emergency Action and Crisis/Disaster Recovery Plan and participate in emergency response and restoration activities during outages, storms, disaster recovery efforts, and other system emergencies, including work outside normal business hours.
• Investigate accidents, vehicle incidents, and near-miss events; maintain management awareness of serious occurrences; and track, analyze, and report safety performance metrics and corrective actions.
• Maintain effective working relationships with safety associations, consultants, vendors, outside organizations, and other utility safety professionals to support compliance, training, and continuous improvement.
• Stay updated on EPA, OSHA, DOT, and other applicable regulatory requirements and ensure Cooperative procedures, operations, and records remain compliant with environmental, hazardous materials, and workplace safety standards.
• Work with division managers to plan, coordinate and execute public safety, awareness and education programs. Maintain required safety records, training documentation, regulatory reports, and compliance files in accordance with applicable retention requirements.
• Monitor and oversee the FR Clothing Program. Work with vendors to ensure adequate FR clothing inventory and employee support.
• Has the authority and responsibility to identify unsafe work practices and conditions and recommend or initiate corrective actions, including stopping work when imminent danger or unsafe conditions exist.
• Perform other related work in addition to other duties as may be assigned.

Qualifications: To perform this position successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The qualifications listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

• Experience and Education: Bachelor's degree in a related field, a minimum of five years of progressively responsible safety experience, preferably in a natural gas utility. Equivalent combination of relevant education, experience and training may be considered. Thorough knowledge of OSHA regulations, DOT Pipeline Safety Regulations (49 CFR Part 192), Operator Qualification compliance, gas leak response procedures, damage prevention/811 compliance, excavation safety, propane plant/storage safety, emergency response coordination with fire departments. Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
• Certificates, Licenses and Training: Must possess a valid Ohio Driver's License and be insurable under the Cooperative's Liability Policy to operate company-owned vehicles. CUSP (Certified Utility Safety Professional) desired. Must be able to attend training seminars and participate in industry trade association meetings and functions. Has the functional and technical knowledge and skills to do the job at a high level of accomplishment. First Aid/CPR/AED instructor preferred. Completion of OSHA 30-Hour and OSHA 500 and 510 Course preferred.
• Language and Interpersonal Skills: Strong and confident communicator. Effectively presents training presentations and safety expectations to all levels of personnel through practical, real-life examples, incident reviews, and field-based training. Is a good listener and actively engages in conversations to clearly understand others' messages and intent. Is easy to approach and talk to and spends the extra effort to put others at ease.
• Other Skills and Abilities: Displays high standards of ethical conduct and professionalism. Effectively solves problems and has a realistic vision of the result. Is a self-starter and requires minimal supervision. Utilizes various resources to stay educated about safety and regulatory areas in the utility industry. Remains calm under pressure. Knows personal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and limits and is open to criticism.

Physical Demands and Work Environment: The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to work in a climate-controlled environment with minimal physical exertion. Frequent travel between service centers and job sites. Ability to work outside in adverse weather conditions and difficult terrain.
• The physical demands of this position include frequent sitting, standing, walking, lifting and/or carrying, talking, hearing, visual ability and mental and emotional demands. The position requires travel to and from various job sites and office locations.
• Must be available to work during non-working hours which include emergencies, outages, weekends and holidays. Participates in cooperative events and facilitates public speaking engagements to provide safety education, which may occur outside normal business hours. Occasional overnight travel for training/conferences.
• This position is subject to pre-employment background, physical and substance abuse testing and may be subject to random testing in accordance with the Cooperative's substance abuse policy.