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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Multi-Plant Health & Safety Coordinator

💰 $ - $

Health & SafetyEHSManufacturingMulti-Plant

🎯 Role Definition

The Multi-Plant Health & Safety Coordinator is an experienced EHS practitioner who partners with plant leadership across multiple manufacturing sites to design, implement and continuously improve safety and health programs. The role ensures regulatory compliance (OSHA, EPA, local authorities), leads incident investigation and corrective actions, conducts audits and risk assessments, delivers training programs, and drives safety culture and performance metrics across the network of plants. The coordinator serves as a subject matter expert, internal auditor and project lead for cross-site EHS initiatives and system implementations (e.g., ISO 45001, EHS management software).

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Safety Technician / Safety Specialist
  • EHS Generalist / EHS Assistant
  • Industrial Hygienist / Environmental Technician

Advancement To:

  • Regional EHS Manager
  • Director of Environmental, Health & Safety
  • Plant Operations Manager (with cross-functional experience)

Lateral Moves:

  • Environmental Compliance Manager
  • Quality & Compliance Manager
  • Loss Prevention Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Develop, implement and maintain comprehensive multi-plant EHS programs and policies that align with corporate standards, local regulations and industry best practices to reduce incidents, regulatory citations and workers’ compensation costs.
  • Lead cross-site health and safety strategy execution by coordinating standardized procedures, templates and playbooks across multiple manufacturing facilities to ensure consistency and scalable compliance.
  • Perform regular site safety inspections and facility audits (including permit-required programs) across all assigned plants; document findings, prioritize recommendations and follow through on corrective action plans with plant leadership.
  • Manage incident and near-miss reporting programs: conduct timely root cause analysis and incident investigations (e.g., 5-Why, RCA), prepare investigation reports, and drive implementation and verification of corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
  • Serve as primary point of contact for OSHA, EPA and local regulatory agency inspections across facilities; prepare documentation, coordinate responses and ensure corrective actions meet regulatory expectations and timelines.
  • Design, deliver and maintain site-level EHS training programs including new-hire safety onboarding, job hazard analysis (JHAs), lockout/tagout (LOTO), confined space, fall protection, machine guarding and behavior-based safety; maintain training records and compliance tracking.
  • Oversee and administer permit-to-work systems (hot work, confined space, electrical work), personal protective equipment (PPE) programs and respiratory protection programs to ensure proper implementation and fit-for-purpose controls across plants.
  • Lead cross-functional incident prevention initiatives such as ergonomics assessments, machine guarding projects, process safety management (PSM) support, chemical safety (SDS management) and hazardous energy control improvements.
  • Coordinate contractors and third-party vendors for EHS compliance: pre-qualification, site orientation, permit enforcement and verification of contractor safety performance across plants.
  • Maintain and analyze EHS performance metrics (TRIR, DART, LTIR, near-miss rate, training completion rates); prepare monthly/quarterly executive-level dashboards and present trends, gaps and improvement plans to senior management.
  • Support site emergency preparedness and response programs: develop and test emergency action plans, coordinate emergency drills, maintain emergency equipment and liaison with local emergency services.
  • Facilitate and manage site safety committees, employee engagement and hazard recognition programs to build a proactive safety culture across multiple locations.
  • Implement and manage behavioral-based safety and continuous improvement initiatives (Kaizen safety events, safety champions) to increase employee ownership of safety outcomes.
  • Coordinate workers’ compensation and return-to-work programs in conjunction with HR and plant leadership: review claims, support light-duty programs, and identify prevention opportunities.
  • Administer EHS documentation systems (SOPs, permits, SDS library) and ensure documentation currency and accessibility across plants; manage EHS data entry and integrity in company systems (EHSIS, ERP or safety database).
  • Support capital and maintenance projects by performing pre-startup safety reviews (PSSR), risk assessments and ensuring EHS requirements are integrated into design and commissioning phases.
  • Prepare and lead internal and external audits, including ISO 45001/ISO 14001 readiness and corrective action tracking; coordinate remediation and continuous improvement follow-up.
  • Provide technical guidance and coaching to plant supervisors and front-line managers on regulatory interpretation, hazard controls and best practices to support safe production operations.
  • Drive cross-plant initiatives to reduce high-risk exposures (e.g., chemical exposures, falls, struck-by, caught-in/between) through engineering controls, administrative controls and protective equipment.
  • Manage cross-site safety improvement projects, including budgeting, vendor selection, project timelines and verification of effectiveness to demonstrate ROI and risk reduction.
  • Conduct job hazard analyses (JHAs) and risk assessments for new and existing tasks and processes; rank hazards and recommend mitigation measures that are practical and measurable for plant implementation.
  • Maintain and audit required EHS logs and records (OSHA 300/301 logs, training matrices, inspection records) ensuring accuracy and timeliness of reporting.
  • Coordinate ergonomics assessments and injury prevention programs site-by-site; recommend workstation, tool and process changes to reduce musculoskeletal injury risk.
  • Support environmental compliance tasks tied to health & safety where they intersect (air permits, hazardous waste handling, spill response) to ensure holistic regulatory conformity.

Secondary Functions

  • Partner with operations, maintenance and HR to translate injury data into targeted prevention programs and tangible performance goals across the plant network.
  • Support procurement and engineering teams in evaluating safety specifications for new equipment and tools to ensure EHS requirements are built into purchases and installations.
  • Contribute to corporate EHS policy updates, playbook refreshes and knowledge sharing across the company to scale successful site interventions.
  • Maintain up-to-date knowledge of evolving federal, state and local safety regulations and industry best practices; recommend policy or program changes as needed.
  • Participate in cross-functional continuous improvement and sustainability initiatives where safety and environmental objectives align.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Strong working knowledge of OSHA regulations (29 CFR 1910 and 1926) and ability to interpret and apply standards across multiple manufacturing sites.
  • Experience with ISO 45001 (or OHSAS 18001) systems — implementation, internal auditing, gap analysis and corrective action management.
  • Proven incident investigation skills including root cause analysis methodologies (5-Why, RCA, Fishbone) and corrective action development and verification.
  • Proficiency conducting Job Hazard Analyses (JHA/JSA), risk assessments and process safety reviews (PSSR) with documented outcomes.
  • Practical expertise in permit-to-work systems, lockout/tagout (LOTO), confined space entry, hot work permitting and machine safeguarding.
  • Knowledge of hazardous materials management, chemical safety, SDS/GHS requirements and exposure control strategies.
  • Experience managing workers’ compensation processes, return-to-work programs and claims prevention initiatives.
  • Competence with EHS information systems (e.g., Enablon, Sphera, Intelex) or strong ability to manage safety documentation and metrics in centralized platforms.
  • Advanced MS Office skills — especially Excel for trend analysis, pivot tables, charts and KPI dashboards for executive reporting.
  • Familiarity with emergency response planning, spill response coordination and liaison with local emergency services.
  • Audit and inspection experience, including conducting internal audits and supporting external regulatory or certification audits.
  • Practical understanding of ergonomics assessment tools and injury prevention best practices.
  • Technical familiarity with respiratory protection programs, PPE selection, fit testing procedures and medical surveillance coordination.
  • Project management skills for leading cross-plant safety improvement projects and capital safety upgrades.
  • Data analysis capability to interpret safety metrics, perform root-cause trend analysis and translate findings into prioritized action plans.

Soft Skills

  • Strong communication and presentation skills with the ability to influence at all organizational levels — from front-line employees to senior leadership.
  • Leadership and coaching mindset that builds capability and accountability in plant teams.
  • Relationship-building and stakeholder management across operations, HR, maintenance and procurement.
  • Problem-solving and critical thinking underpinned by a continuous improvement mindset.
  • High attention to detail combined with the ability to prioritize and manage competing deadlines across multiple sites.
  • Resilience, adaptability and cultural sensitivity when working across diverse plant locations.
  • Training and facilitation skills with the ability to deliver engaging and practical safety education.
  • Data-driven decision making and the ability to translate metrics into actions.
  • Time management and organizational skills for effective multi-site coordination.
  • Ethical judgment and a strong commitment to safety-first culture.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Associate degree in Occupational Health & Safety, Environmental Science, Industrial Technology or related field; or equivalent combination of education and relevant EHS experience.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety & Health, Environmental Science, Industrial Engineering or related discipline.
  • Professional certifications such as CSP, CIH, NEBOSH, OSHA 30/500, or ISO 45001 Lead Auditor are highly desirable.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Occupational Health & Safety
  • Environmental Science
  • Industrial or Mechanical Engineering
  • Emergency Management / Public Safety

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–8 years of progressive EHS experience in manufacturing or industrial settings, with at least 2–4 years supporting multiple sites or acting as a regional coordinator.

Preferred:

  • 5+ years of combined plant-level and multi-site EHS coordination experience.
  • Demonstrated track record of driving measurable safety performance improvement across several facilities and leading cross-functional EHS projects.
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