Safety Specialist - (York, SC)

Serve as the dedicated, on-site safety owner for the York, SC operation and affiliated Merchandising Services field activity.

Reduce injuries and operational disruption through proactive hazard identification, timely investigations, and corrective action closure.

Maintain audit-ready documentation and ensure compliance with applicable OSHA requirements and internal safety standards.

Key Responsibilities

Drive daily safety execution on the York floor: audits/inspections, observations, hazard identification, and coaching.

Own incident management end-to-end (triage, reporting, medical direction coordination, documentation, and follow-through) for a volume of 300+ incidents/year across on-site and off-site work.

Lead investigations using root-cause methods; develop, assign, and verify corrective actions to prevent recurrence.

Partner with Operations and supervisors to improve readiness and reduce repeat events, downtime, and restricted-duty impacts.

Scope & Coverage

York operations: regular floor presence, audits/inspections, behavior observations, corrective action management.

Merchandising/field work: consistent standards at customer sites, incident control, and coordination with field leaders.

Single point of accountability for safety across warehouse/material movement, store set-ups, racking activities, and product handling.

Incident Response & Case Management

Provide same-day response to incidents: ensure timely reporting, support supervisors, and capture required documentation.

Coordinate medical direction/clinic guidance and return-to-work communication in partnership with Operations/HR (as applicable).

Track trends, communicate learnings, and prioritize prevention efforts on the highest drivers.

Compliance, Claims & Audit Readiness

Maintain accurate, on-time OSHA and workers compensation documentation (including OSHA 300/301 recordkeeping as required) and keep records audit-ready.

Ensure investigations and corrective actions are complete and defensible for internal/external review.

Act as a primary coordinator between Operations, HR, and insurance/claims partners to reduce claim cost and administrative burden on supervisors.

Training & Qualifications Management

Own the safety training calendar and completion tracking for new hire onboarding and recurring training requirements.

Deliver/coordinate core programs (as applicable), such as: WPS, PIT/Forklift, BBP, HazCom/SDS, and chemical/pesticide safety.

Verify employees are qualified before operating equipment or performing higher-risk tasks; retrain promptly after incidents and process changes.

Field Work / Customer Sites

Support teams working at customer sites where conditions and hazards vary by location and day.

Standardize processes for incident reporting, case coordination, and documentation to ensure fast, consistent response.

Align field teams to one standard for set-ups, racking activities, product handling, and material movement.

Prevention & Continuous Improvement

Conduct routine floor presence (daily/weekly), observations, and hazard identification with rapid correction.

Manage corrective action closure with owners, due dates, and verification of effectiveness.

Coach and support supervisors on investigations, safe work practices, and consistent accountability.

Required Qualifications

Experience supporting safety in a warehouse, manufacturing, distribution, or field-services environment.

Working knowledge of OSHA requirements, incident investigation, and safety training administration.

Ability to influence hourly and salaried teams; strong communication, documentation, and follow-through.

Ability to work on-site in York, SC and travel to support field activity as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

Professional safety credential (e.g., OSHA 30, ASP/CSP) or equivalent demonstrated experience.

Experience with workers compensation case coordination and OSHA recordkeeping (300/301).

Experience implementing training programs for PIT/Forklift, HazCom/SDS, and other regulated topics.

Location, Schedule & Travel

Primary location: York, SC (on-site).

Schedule: [Insert shift/schedule expectations].

Travel: Periodic travel to customer sites to support Merchandising Services field work.

Reporting Relationships & Key Partners

Reports to: Director

Key partners: Plant/Operations leadership, HR, Supervisors, Field/Merchandising leadership, and Claims/Insurance partners.