Safety Manager

Safety Manager Foundry Operations Location: Coshocton, OH Employees: 600 Environment: Unionized, Heavy Manufacturing, VPP Star Site

About the Role: We're seeking a principled and collaborative Safety Manager to lead our safety efforts at a high-performing foundry. This role is critical to sustaining our OSHA VPP Star status and advancing a culture of shared responsibility, proactive engagement, and continuous improvement across a 600-employee unionized operation.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on leader and strategic thinker who brings humility, influence, and the ability to build trust across all levelsfrom the shop floor to senior leadership.

Culture & Leadership

• Act as a steward of our safety-first culture, rooted in core values, VPP principles, and employee ownership.

• Lead Behavior-Based Safety (BBS) efforts, reinforcing safety as everyone's responsibility.

• Develop and empower hourly safety reps and peer-led initiatives to drive grassroots engagement.

• Maintain a visible presence on the floor to coach, listen, and reinforce safe behaviors.

• Foster a learning mindsetleveraging incidents and near-misses as opportunities for improvement.

• Partner closely with union leaders and frontline employees to build trust and alignment.

Compliance & Program Management

• Ensure full compliance with OSHA, EPA, and local safety/environmental regulations.

• Own and elevate the site's VPP Star certification through documentation, audits, and engagement.

• Lead risk assessments, JHAs, inspections, and incident follow-ups with rigor and consistency.

• Serve as the primary liaison for regulatory bodies and manage required safety and environmental reporting.

Training & Development

• Design and deliver impactful safety training (LOTO, confined space, hazard communication, etc.).

• Equip supervisors and frontline leaders to coach safety daily.

• Oversee onboarding and refresher programs emphasizing BBS, human performance, and operational learning.

Incident Response & Continuous Improvement

• Lead thorough root cause investigations and corrective actions for all incidents.

• Track safety KPIsusing leading and lagging indicators to drive decisions and culture shifts.

Team Leadership & Integration

• Lead and mentor safety team members.

• Collaborate with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, and HR to embed safety into all functions.

• Bachelors degree in Safety, Environmental Science, Engineering, or related field.

• 7+ years of progressive safety leadership in heavy industrial or manufacturing environment.

• Experience in a unionized environment; strong partnership-building skills.

• Deep knowledge of OSHA standards, VPP requirements, BBS, and industrial safety best practices.

• Experience with event learning and safety learning teams preferred.

• CSP, CIH, or CHMM certification is preferred.

• Strong computer proficiency; EHS systems and Microsoft Office.

Work Environment:

• Plant-based with regular time on the production floor (heat, noise, dust, machinery).

• PPE provided and required.

• Occasional travel for training or corporate engagement.