Senior Safety Specialist

Position Summary

The Senior Safety Specialist is a highly experienced field and systems-based safety professional responsible for supporting, implementing, monitoring, and continuously improving Feeney Brothers’ health, safety, environmental, and regulatory compliance programs. In addition to serving as a visible field safety resource, this position works independently to manage safety performance systems, develop KPI dashboards, monitor corrective action effectiveness, analyze trends, and support strategic safety initiatives. The Senior Safety Specialist serves as a subject matter expert and mentor for Safety Specialists while partnering closely with operations, training, fleet, and management personnel to drive continuous improvement.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Field Leadership and Compliance • Conduct advanced field audits, inspections, observations, and risk assessments across assigned operations. • Monitor compliance with company policies, customer requirements, OSHA regulations and DOT regulations. • Provide technical guidance regarding excavation safety, trenching and shoring, utility damage prevention, traffic control, confined space entry, lockout/tagout, and high-risk work activities. • Serve as a lead safety resource during complex projects, significant incidents, and customer interactions.

Incident Management and Corrective Actions • Respond to injuries, vehicle accidents, utility damages, environmental incidents, and significant near misses. • Lead incident investigations and root cause analyses. • Develop, assign, track, and verify corrective actions through closure. • Conduct follow-up reviews to validate corrective action effectiveness and sustainability. • Identify recurring trends and recommend systemic improvements. 

Safety Systems and Performance Management • Assist in maintaining safety KPI dashboards and performance metrics. • Assist in monitoring leading and lagging indicators including audits, observations, incidents, utility damages, vehicle events, corrective actions, and customer scorecards. • Analyze safety data and prepare reports for management review. • Support monthly, quarterly, and annual safety performance reviews. • Identify opportunities to improve data quality, reporting consistency, and program effectiveness. 

Training and Mentorship • Support onboarding, orientation, OQ compliance, and workforce development initiatives. • Deliver training, coaching, and mentoring to employees, foremen, and Safety Specialists. • Assist with the development of safety communications, toolbox talks, procedures, and training materials. • Serve as a technical resource for field personnel and management.

Program Development and Continuous Improvement • Participate in the development and implementation of company safety initiatives. • Support customer audits, regulatory inspections, and strategic improvement projects. • Assist in developing procedures, standards, and best practices. • Partner with operations leadership to identify and eliminate systemic risks. • Participate in special projects assigned by the Safety Manager or Director of Safety.

Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required. • Bachelor's degree in Safety, Occ Health, Construction Management, Environmental Sciences, or related field preferred.

• Minimum five (5) years of construction, utility, industrial, transportation, or safety-related experience. • Demonstrated experience working independently with minimal supervision. • OSHA 30-Hour Construction certification required or ability to obtain. • First Aid/CPR/AED certification preferred. • Valid driver's license with acceptable driving record.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Advanced knowledge of OSHA construction standards and utility construction safety practices. • Strong understanding of underground utility construction, excavation, trenching, traffic control, fleet safety, and damage prevention. • Ability to independently analyze safety performance data and identify trends. • Experience developing KPI dashboards, scorecards, and performance reporting. • Strong project management, organizational, and prioritization skills. • Effective coaching, communication, and conflict-resolution abilities. • Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Power BI, Microsoft Office, and safety management software preferred. • Strong incident investigation and root cause analysis skills.

Leadership Expectations

• Operates independently with limited day-to-day direction. • Demonstrates sound judgment and decision-making capabilities. • Acts as a trusted advisor to operations and management personnel. • Influences safe work practices through coaching and collaboration. • Supports organizational objectives through data-driven decision making. • Provides mentorship and technical support to less experienced safety personnel.

Key Performance Indicators

• Field audit and inspection completion. • Corrective action closure rate and timeliness. • Incident investigation quality and timeliness. • Leading indicator participation and engagement metrics. • KPI dashboard accuracy and reporting timeliness. • Customer audit and scorecard performance. • Utility damage and vehicle incident trend reduction. • Training participation and workforce engagement. • Contribution to strategic safety improvement initiatives.