Health & Safety Manager

Description

· Position Title: Health & Safety Manager

· Location: Pottstown, PA – with regular presence at project sites, customer facilities, and the shop

· Position Type: Full-Time, Salary

· Reports To: Director of Business Operations

· About the Company

· M.J. Nester Specialty Contractors provides expert services in welding, millwrighting, rigging, pipefitting, plant relocation, and supplemental labor. Based in the greater Philadelphia area, we serve clients nationwide in commercial and industrial environments. Our slogan, “The NEW Industry Standard,” reflects our commitment to quality, safety and innovation.

· Position Summary

· The Health & Safety Manager owns the company’s health and safety program across field and shop operations, including training and qualification currency, jobsite auditing, incident investigation, OSHA recordkeeping, workers compensation administration, and customer and regulatory compliance.

· The role carries stop-work authority. When conditions are unsafe, this position can halt the work, and is expected to use that authority without seeking permission first and without regard to schedule or cost consequence.

· Safety is delivered by field leadership, not by the safety function alone. This role sets the standard, verifies it in the field, and equips foremen and project managers to enforce it – working alongside Construction Services on execution while reporting to the Director of Business Operations, so that safety findings are not filtered through the schedule.

· Key Responsibilities

· Safety Program Ownership

· Own the company’s written safety program, policies, and job-specific procedures, and keep them current with regulation, customer requirement, and the work actually performed.

· Maintain hazard-specific programs, including lockout and tagout, confined space, fall protection, hot work, rigging, powered industrial truck, and respiratory protection.

· Conduct job hazard analysis for new, unfamiliar, and high-risk scopes before work begins.

· Maintain the safety data sheet library, chemical inventory, and hazard communication program.

· Own and manage the annual safety budget, including training, equipment, and personal protective equipment, within limits set by the Director of Business Operations.

· Report program gaps and exposures promptly with a recommended remedy rather than a list of findings.

· Training & Qualification Currency

· Own the training matrix: what qualification each position requires, who currently holds it, and when it expires.

· Confirm that no employee is assigned work for which required training is missing or expired, and escalate when scheduling pressure conflicts with that requirement.

· Deliver and coordinate training, including OSHA 10 and 30, powered industrial truck, rigging, aerial lift, first aid and CPR, and lockout and tagout.

· Conduct new hire safety orientation with the Human Resources Generalist before first jobsite assignment.

· Maintain training and certification documentation, and provide currency data to Human Resources for the personnel file.

· Support apprenticeship and workforce development programs, and coach foremen and project managers on safety leadership.

· Field Compliance & Auditing

· Conduct regular, documented jobsite and shop audits, weighted toward high-risk work rather than convenient locations.

· Verify that customer site rules, permits, lockout and tagout, and confined space requirements are followed without exception.

· Inspect equipment in use, including manlifts, forklifts, cranes, rigging gear, and welding equipment, and remove unsafe equipment from service.

· Correct unsafe conditions and behaviors in the moment with field leadership, and verify on a later visit that the correction held.

· Exercise stop-work authority when conditions warrant, and report the stoppage and its basis immediately.

· Track audit findings to closure and report repeat findings by crew, supervisor, and location.

· Incident Management & Workers Compensation

· Ensure incidents and near misses are reported immediately, and lead investigation with Construction Services to root cause rather than to blame.

· Document findings, assign corrective action with an owner and a due date, and verify completion.

· Maintain OSHA recordkeeping, including the 300 log, 301 incident reports, and annual 300A posting and electronic submission where required.

· Administer workers compensation claims, including carrier reporting, claim documentation, and communication with the injured employee.

· Coordinate return-to-work and modified duty with the Human Resources Generalist and the treating provider.

· Track experience modification rate and claim cost, and identify the loss drivers behind them.

· Manage post-incident and reasonable-suspicion testing in accordance with company policy.

· Customer & Regulatory Compliance

· Maintain the company’s standing on customer and third-party safety qualification platforms, including ISNetworld, Avetta, and equivalent systems.

· Meet customer-specific safety requirements, including site-specific orientation, documentation, and program submission.

· Prepare documentation for customer audits and represent the company during them.

· Manage regulatory inspections, including OSHA visits, and coordinate the response with the Director of Business Operations.

· Maintain the safety performance metrics required for prequalification, bidding, and insurance, and verify published figures before they are used externally.

· Provide Marketing and estimating with verified safety performance information for any external claim.

· Reporting & Communication

· Report leading and lagging indicators on a defined cadence, including audit findings, training currency, incidents, near misses, and claim status.

· Escalate serious incidents, regulatory contact, and willful violations to the Director of Business Operations immediately.

· Lead safety meetings and toolbox talks, and communicate lessons learned across crews.

· Recommend disciplinary action for safety violations, and support consistent application through Human Resources.

Requirements

Qualifications

• Three or more years of safety experience in construction, industrial services, or a plant environment.

• Working knowledge of OSHA construction and general industry standards, and of the hazards present in welding, rigging, millwrighting, and pipefitting work.

• Experience conducting incident investigation and maintaining OSHA recordkeeping, including the 300 log.

• Experience administering workers compensation claims and coordinating return to work.

• Experience with customer safety qualification platforms such as ISNetworld or Avetta.

• Experience working in operating customer facilities with site rules, permits, and shutdown conditions.

• Demonstrated ability to hold the line on safety with experienced field personnel and earn their cooperation.

• Ability to deliver training effectively to a field workforce.

• OSHA 30 certification required; OSHA 500, CHST, or CSP preferred.

• Willingness to travel to project sites and work off-shift hours when the work requires it.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams).

• Valid Driver’s License.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to access active construction and industrial work areas, including climbing ladders and stairs, working at elevation, and entering confined spaces.

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods and to wear required personal protective equipment.

• Ability to respond to incidents outside scheduled working hours.