Safety Director

Job Title : Safety Director

Reports to : General Counsel

Exempt Position

Location: East Canton, OH

Description

The Safety Director is responsible for developing, implementing, and leading Knight Material Technologies' safety strategy across manufacturing facilities, field operations, subsidiary locations, and customer job sites. This position provides leadership in regulatory compliance, risk management, incident prevention, safety training, emergency preparedness, and continuous improvement. The Safety Director serves as the company's primary subject matter expert for occupational safety and health and partners with leaders at all levels to reduce risk and strengthen the company's safety culture.

Responsibilities:

Safety Leadership and Strategy

• Develops and executes the organization's safety vision, goals, and strategic initiatives.
• Leads the continuous improvement of company-wide safety programs, policies, and procedures.
• Promotes safety accountability and employee engagement at all levels of the organization.
• Partners with operational leaders to integrate safety into planning and daily work activities.
• Provides safety performance updates, risk assessments, and recommendations to executive leadership and the Board, as requested.

Regulatory Compliance

• Ensures compliance with OSHA, MSHA, EPA, and other applicable federal, state, local, customer, and industry requirements and maintains required safety records, permits, logs, and supporting documentation.
• Monitors regulatory changes and update company programs and practices as needed.
• Coordinates regulatory inspections, audits, reporting, and agency responses.

Risk Assessment and Hazard Prevention

• Oversees workplace hazard assessments, job safety analyses, and risk mitigation activities.
• Develops and monitors corrective action plans for identified hazards and audit findings.
• Ensures appropriate engineering controls, administrative controls, work practices, and personal protective equipment plans are implemented and maintained.
• Oversees contractor and visitor safety expectations and qualification requirements.
• Oversees development of, and compliance with, site emergency response, evacuation, and crisis management plans.

Incident Management

• Directs investigations of workplace injuries, illnesses, vehicle accidents, near misses, property damage, and reported safety concerns.
• Leads root cause analyses and ensure effective corrective and preventive actions are completed.
• Ensures timely internal and regulatory reporting and accurate incident documentation.
• Partners with Human Resources and insurance resources on workers' compensation loss prevention and return-to-work efforts, as appropriate.

Safety Training and Development

• Develops and oversees required safety training for employees, supervisors, and managers.
• Ensures required training, licenses, and certifications are completed and documented.
• Oversees new-hire safety orientation and job-specific safety onboarding.
• Coaches leaders on safety expectations, accountability, and effective response to safety concerns.
• Evaluates training effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement.

Field Operations Safety

• Establishes and maintains safety requirements for field crews working at customer locations.
• Conducts field audits, site visits, and safety observations, including follow-up on identified concerns.
• Coordinates company safety requirements with customer and site-specific requirements.
• Reviews high-risk work activities, permits, job plans, and required controls before work begins.
• Supports project planning to ensure safety resources, equipment, and expectations are addressed.

Safety Metrics and Continuous Improvement

• Establishes and monitors key safety performance indicators, including leading and lagging measures.
• Analyzes incident trends and recommend practical measures to prevent recurrence.
• Prepares clear reports and presentations for leadership meetings and other business reviews.
• Uses safety data and employee feedback to prioritize improvement initiatives.
• Performs additional duties as assigned

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• EHS Field Coordinator (direct) and site safety leads (indirect)

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in occupational safety, Environmental Health and Safety, Industrial Safety, Engineering, or a related field. An equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be considered.
• Seven to ten years of progressive safety experience, including leadership responsibility.
• Demonstrated experience with regulatory compliance, incident investigation, root cause analysis, and corrective action management.
• Expertise in safety regulations and best practices.
• Ability to conduct risk assessments, audits, and thorough incident investigations.
• Strong leadership, coaching, communication, and presentation skills.
• Ability to analyze information, identify trends, and develop practical solutions.
• Ability to influence decisions and build effective relationships at all levels of the organization.
• Strong organizational, project management, and follow-through skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and safety management systems.

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Certified Safety Professional (CSP) or Associate Safety Professional (ASP).
• Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH).
• OSHA 30-Hour certification.
• MSHA Certification
• First Aid/CPR instructor certification.
• Experience supporting manufacturing and field-based operations preferred.
• Experience managing safety programs across multiple locations strongly preferred.

Physical Requirements and Work Environment:

• Ability to work in office, manufacturing, warehouse, outdoor, and customer job-site environments.
• Ability to walk production areas and job sites for extended periods and navigate stairs, ladders, and uneven surfaces as required.
• Ability to occasionally lift and carry up to 25 pounds.
• Ability to wear required personal protective equipment and comply with site-specific safety requirements.
• Exposure to noise, dust, temperature changes, moving equipment, and other conditions typical of manufacturing and field operations.

Travel Requirements:

• Regular travel between company locations, subsidiaries, and customer job sites up to 50% of the time.

Competencies:

• Instills Trust
• Courage
• Builds Effective Teams
• Decision Quality
• Drives Results
• Optimizes Work Processes
• Communicates Effectively
• Ensures Accountability
• Strategic Mindset
• Manages Complexity

Benefits: Our goal is for each employee, and their families, to live fulfilling and healthy lives. We provide essential resources and support to build and maintain physical, financial, and emotional strength - focusing on overall wellbeing so you can focus on what matters most. Our benefits plan includes - medical, dental, vision, flexible spending and health savings accounts, life insurance, ADD, disability, retirement, paid vacation/time off, educational assistance, and paid parental leave.

Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status. Except where prohibited by state law, all offers of employment are conditioned upon successfully passing a drug test. This employer uses E-Verify.