Environmental Health and Safety Specialist

Pay: $70,000 - $100,000 per year

About the Company

Ruston Paving is a commercial and industrial paving construction contractor with offices in New York, Virginia, and North Carolina. Established in 1943, we are a family-oriented company that has been in business for three generations. Our company is capable of all types of asphalt paving projects ranging from minor repairs to major rehabilitation and new construction.

General Summary of the Position

Teamwork is a major part of every position at Ruston Paving, so it is important to note that, aside from all other listed responsibilities, you must be willing to assist others and be as productive as possible. The Environmental Health and Safety Specialist is responsible for assisting the Safety Director in leading and managing the environmental health and safety risks associated with construction projects and company operations. The Environmental Health and Safety Specialist will proactively plan, direct, and implement the company’s environmental health and safety program to ensure a safe, healthy, incident-free and environmentally conscious work environment. This position is a corporate management role operating from any of our divisions. Occasional travel to other divisions is required.

Essential Functions

The following is a list of essential functions for the position to be managed in collaboration with the Safety Director. These are responsibilities that an individual must be able to perform with or without reasonable accommodation.

1. Develops and oversees the company’s environmental health and safety program, policies, and procedures.
2. Conducts regular risk assessments and assesses the effectiveness of the safety program’s activities, policies, and procedures. Implements changes to improve results and achieve objectives.
3. Conducts regular inspections and audits of company owned and/or operated facilities, jobsites and equipment to identify potential hazards and ensures compliance with environmental health and safety guidelines.
4. Educates and trains company management and field employees about environmental health and safety expectations and their respective responsibilities for compliance.
5. Develops and participates in emergency response activities and provides guidance during crisis situations to protect employees, property, and the environment.
6. Leads communication efforts that promote and raise awareness of desired culture, continued improvement, and achievements in environmental health and safety.
7. Leads safety committee meetings.
8. Responsible for the collaboration, development, creation, publication, and distribution of weekly toolbox talks and practical demonstrations. This may require research, compilation, and preparation of media inclusive of video.
9. Responsible for the coordination of all environmental health and safety investigations alongside the management team for the associated division. This includes the collection of proper documentation on all incidents, near misses, and complaints regarding unsafe or unhealthy working conditions or practices.
10. Analyzes investigations to identify causes and trends and makes recommendations for revisions or additions to the program and policies.
11. Maintains records of license/identification, environmental health and safety training, and operator certifications.
    • Administers or schedules OSHA and CPR training as needed.
    • Administers and schedules Smith Driver training as needed.
12. Oversees the pre-employment background and MVR screening process.
13. Oversees the random drug screening program for employees and as required per the FMCSA for CDL drivers.
14. Monitors all employee motor vehicle records to ensure that only employees that are eligible to drive company vehicles continue to do so per the company policy.
15. Ensures that environmental health and safety protocols are communicated and followed. Ensures that required PPE and safety tools/equipment are always available in accordance with company and industry standards.
16. Maintains an ongoing knowledge of current OSHA and industry standards, regulations, and construction safety practices and policies.
17. Maintains and updates the Safety Manual and Hazardous Communications Program in compliance with the latest industry and company standards.
18. Performs all duties in conformance to appropriate safety and security standards as determined by law, jobsite requirements, and company policies.
19. All other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

A good deal of responsibility falls on the Environmental Health and Safety Specialist to ensure compliance and best practices are implemented to promote a safe working environment for all. Some traits we are looking for in a good candidate:

1. Excitement, motivation, and passion for promoting safety within the construction industry.
2. Ability to think outside the box for educating and expanding the safety program.
3. Demonstrates commitment to continuing education in safety training and prioritizes safety and doing things in the safest manner possible.
4. Professionalism and willingness to take direction and constructive criticism.
5. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Ability to effectively speak and present information in group settings is vital to success.
6. Strong supervisory and leadership skills.
7. Excellent interpersonal skills demonstrated by expressing a genuine interest in the thoughts, opinions, and needs of coworkers and customers.
8. Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and time management with a proven ability to meet deadlines.
9. Ability to prioritize tasks and to delegate them when appropriate.
10. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills demonstrated by the ability to deal with problems involving deviation from standardized and/or planned situations or procedures.
11. Ability to perform job requirements in adverse field conditions and all weather conditions.
12. Strong computer skills, including being proficient in Microsoft Office and related software.

Education and Experience

A successful Environmental Health and Safety Specialist will have diverse educational qualifications and technical skills to deliver on the job. These include:

1. Bachelor’s or Associates degree in Safety Management, Environmental Health and Science, Occupational Health, or a similar field is preferred but not required.
2. Minimum of 3 years of experience managing safety initiatives in the construction industry is preferred.
3. Must have an OSHA 30 Hour construction safety credentials or equivalent training.
4. Certified Safety Professional (CSP) certifications or similar credentials are a plus.
5. Experience in asphalt paving and sitework is a plus.
6. Experience to effectively resolve safety concerns and managing change in a timely manner.
7. Fluent in English. Ability to communicate in Spanish is a plus.
8. Possession of a valid driver’s license and clean driving record is required.

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

The safety of our employees is the most important focus every day! The following context is representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. (Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.)

1. Employees are regularly required to sit, stand, walk, climb, balance, stoop, and kneel.
2. Employees are regularly required to talk and hear. Noise level on a job site is generally loud.
3. Employees may occasionally lift and/or move up to 60 lbs.
4. Specific vision abilities required for this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
5. Must be able to quickly move arms and legs.
6. Excellent stamina is required.

Conditions of Employment

All job offers are contingent upon successful completion of a negative pre-employment drug screen and certain background checks which, unless prohibited by applicable law, may include criminal history checks, employment verification, education verification, DMV checks, and fingerprinting.

Disclaimers

This description is not meant to cover every aspect of the position. Duties, responsibilities, and activities are subject to change any time with or without notice.

Ruston Paving provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leave of absence, compensation, and training.