Overview:
The Safety Coordinator supports Urban Farmer’s commitment to providing a safe and healthy workplace for all employees. This position is responsible for supporting the development, implementation, and ongoing administration of workplace safety programs across our food manufacturing operations. The Safety Coordinator will maintain a strong presence on the production floor, proactively identify potential hazards, partner with employees and leadership to correct unsafe conditions, support safety training, and help ensure compliance with OSHA requirements and Urban Farmer policies and procedures. This role works closely with Production, Warehouse, Maintenance, Sanitation, Quality/Food Safety, and Human Resources to strengthen our safety culture and ensure employees have the training, tools, and resources needed to perform their jobs safely.
Key Responsibilities:
- Maintain a regular and visible presence throughout production, warehouse, sanitation, maintenance, and other operational areas to identify unsafe conditions, behaviors, and potential hazards.
- Conduct routine safety inspections, audits, and observations and document findings and corrective actions.
- Assist with the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of company safety programs, policies, procedures, and safe work practices.
- Support compliance with applicable OSHA regulations and other federal, state, and local workplace safety requirements.
- Coordinate and deliver employee safety training, including new hire safety orientation, refresher training, and job-specific safety topics.
- Maintain accurate safety training records and assist with tracking completion of required training.
- Support Job Hazard Analyses (JHAs), risk assessments, and development of safe work procedures.
- Participate in investigations of workplace injuries, incidents, near misses, property damage, and other safety-related events.
- Assist leadership with root cause analysis and the development and tracking of corrective and preventive actions.
- Monitor corrective actions to ensure safety concerns are addressed appropriately and within established timelines.
- Assist with OSHA recordkeeping, including maintaining required injury and illness documentation and supporting preparation of OSHA logs and reports.
- Support programs related to Lockout/Tagout (LOTO), machine guarding, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), hazard communication, chemical safety, ergonomics, powered industrial trucks, emergency response, slips/trips/falls, and other applicable safety programs.
- Partner with Maintenance and Production when new equipment, processes, or modifications are introduced to help identify and address potential safety risks.
- Work closely with Sanitation and Quality/Food Safety to ensure safety requirements are incorporated into cleaning, chemical handling, equipment disassembly, and sanitation activities.
- Assist with safety committee meetings, employee safety initiatives, communications, and awareness campaigns.
- Track safety observations, incidents, trends, training completion, and other key safety metrics and provide updates to leadership.
- Encourage employees to report hazards, near misses, and safety concerns and help foster an environment where employees feel comfortable raising concerns.
- Assist with emergency preparedness activities, drills, evacuation procedures, and emergency response planning.
- Support workers’ compensation and return-to-work processes as needed in partnership with Human Resources and leadership.
- Maintain required safety documentation, inspection records, Safety Data Sheets (SDS), training records, and other compliance documentation.
- Serve as a resource to supervisors and employees regarding safety procedures, expectations, and best practices.
- Participate in continuous improvement projects aimed at reducing workplace injuries and improving overall employee safety.
- Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.
Qualifications:
- Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety, Environmental Health & Safety, Industrial Safety, or a related field preferred.
- 2+ years of experience supporting workplace safety programs, preferably within manufacturing, food manufacturing, distribution, or a similar industrial environment.
- Working knowledge of OSHA regulations and general industry safety practices.
- Experience conducting safety inspections, employee training, incident investigations, and corrective action follow-up preferred.
- Understanding of LOTO, machine guarding, PPE, hazard communication, ergonomics, and other manufacturing safety programs.
- Strong organizational and documentation skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively with hourly employees, supervisors, managers, and senior leadership.
- Comfortable spending a significant amount of time on the production floor and addressing safety concerns in real time.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
- Bilingual a plus
- OSHA 10- or 30-Hour General Industry certification preferred. Additional safety certifications are a plus.
Physical & Work Environment Requirements
- This position works in both an office and food manufacturing environment and requires frequent presence throughout production and warehouse areas.
- The employee may be required to stand and walk for extended periods, bend, stoop, reach, climb stairs, and move throughout manufacturing and warehouse areas. The position may require occasional lifting of up to 25–50 pounds.
- The employee may be exposed to varying temperatures, wet or slippery surfaces, moving machinery, powered industrial equipment, noise, food ingredients, and cleaning or sanitation chemicals. Required Personal Protective Equipment and GMP requirements must be followed while in designated areas.
- The position may occasionally require flexibility in schedule to support safety activities, investigations, training, or employees working across multiple shifts.