Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) Coordinator

Environmental Health & Safety Coordinator

The Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) Coordinator is responsible for all environmental, health, and safety programs at Southland Steel Fabricators' Amite facility. This role provides hands-on leadership on the production floor, ensuring compliance with OSHA, EPA, and company standards while driving a proactive safety culture across fabrication, welding, cutting, dipping, material handling, trucking, and yard operations. In addition to plant-level responsibilities, the EH&S Coordinator collaborates with other company-wide EH&S Coordinators to help develop, refine, and recommend corporate EH&S policies, procedures, and best practices.

Key Responsibilities

1. Plant-Level Safety Leadership

• Serve as the primary EH&S authority for the plant, providing daily floor presence in fabrication, welding, galvanizing, trucking, and yard areas.
• Promote a proactive safety culture through coaching, engagement, and accountability.
• Support supervisors and leads in hazard recognition, safe work practices, and compliance expectations.

2. Program Development & Compliance

• Implement and maintain plant-specific EH&S programs, policies, and procedures.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA 29 CFR 1910, EPA regulations, DOT requirements, NFPA, ANSI, and state environmental standards.
• Maintain and update SDS library, JHAs, LOTO procedures, confined space permits, hot work permits, and other required documentation.
• Oversee contractor safety compliance, including Avetta/ISNetworld onboarding and monitoring.

3. Audits, Inspections & Risk Reduction

• Conduct daily, weekly, and monthly plant inspections of equipment, PPE, ventilation, cranes, forklifts, chemical storage, and galvanizing operations.
• Lead internal audits and support external audits (OSHA, EPA, insurance, corporate).
• Identify hazards, recommend corrective actions, and verify completion.
• Perform risk assessments for new equipment, processes, and chemical introductions.

4. Incident Management & Root Cause Analysis

• Lead investigations for injuries, near misses, property damage, and environmental incidents.
• Conduct root cause analysis and implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Maintain incident records and support workers' compensation reporting and return-to-work coordination.

5. Training & Employee Development

• Deliver new-hire safety orientation and weekly onboarding sessions.
• Conduct annual refresher training and specialized modules (LOTO, HazCom, forklift, fall protection, PPE, hot work, confined space, etc.).
• Ensure training content meets regulatory requirements and is tailored to fabrication, galvanizing, and trucking operations.
• Track training completion and effectiveness; provide follow-up and accountability.
• Collaborate with the Director of Workforce Development on long-term training strategy.

6. Environmental Compliance (Galvanizing & Steel Operations)

• Ensure the plant complies with environmental requirements for air emissions, wastewater, hazardous/universal waste, stormwater/SPCC, and chemical storage.
• Maintain environmental logs, manifests, and reporting documentation.
• Coordinate waste pickups and ensure proper labeling, storage, and disposal.

7. Emergency Preparedness & Response

• Maintain and update plant emergency response plans.
• Conduct evacuation drills, spill response training, and emergency equipment inspections.
• Serve as the plant's primary contact for emergency response coordination.

8. Reporting & Documentation

• Maintain OSHA logs, incident reports, inspection records, training logs, and environmental documentation.
• Prepare plant-level reports and contribute data for corporate reporting.
• Analyze safety performance trends and recommend improvements to plant and corporate leadership.

9. Cross-Plant Collaboration & Corporate Alignment

• Collaborate with EH&S Coordinators at other company locations to share best practices, support consistent standards, and contribute to corporate policy development.
• Provide plant-level insight to help shape company-wide EH&S strategies, training programs, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Qualifications & Requirements

Education & Certifications

• Bachelor's degree in Environmental Health & Safety, Occupational Safety, Industrial Hygiene, or related field preferred.
• OSHA 30-Hour General Industry required or obtained within 6 months.
• Preferred certifications: CSP, CSHM, CHMM, CIH, HAZWOPER, or state-specific environmental credentials.

Experience & Skills

• Minimum 3–5 years of EH&S experience in heavy manufacturing, steel fabrication, galvanizing, or similar industrial environments.
• Strong working knowledge of OSHA, EPA, DOT, NFPA, and ANSI standards.
• Experience conducting incident investigations and root cause analysis.
• Ability to train employees at all levels and communicate effectively.
• Proficiency with EH&S software systems and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Experience with contractor management platforms (Avetta, ISN) preferred.

Work Environment & Physical Requirements

• Must be comfortable working in industrial environments with exposure to:
• High noise
• Heat from galvanizing kettles
• Welding fumes, dust, and chemicals
• Heavy machinery and moving equipment
• Ability to:
• Stand, walk, climb stairs/ladders for extended periods
• Bend, kneel, and work in confined or elevated spaces
• Wear required PPE (hard hat, safety glasses, gloves, steel-toed boots, respirator)
• Lift up to 25 lbs occasionally
• Occasional evenings or weekends may be required for incident response, training, or emergency coordination.

Success Factors

• Strong presence on the production floor
• Ability to influence without authority
• Detail-oriented recordkeeping
• Collaborative mindset across multiple sites
• Commitment to continuous improvement and safety culture development