Safety Specialist
Vulcan Elements is manufacturing American rare-earth permanent magnets for a secure future. With a focus on national security and economic resiliency, we serve critical industries such as defense, aerospace, and automotive powering a high-technology future. Vulcan Elements is building a team of ambitious professionals committed to Mission Focus, Technical Excellence and Transparency.
As a Safety Specialist you will be responsible for providing on-site observation of activities and reporting at the Vulcan Elements R&D facility in Durham, NC. You will ensure health and safety compliance with applicable regulations and existing company standards. This is a full-time, day shift position that will either remain at the Durham R&D facility or transfer to the Benson facility once the Benson facility is operational.
Responsibilities
- Review manufacturing and test procedures and work with the team to draft the job hazard assessments that shape how work gets done.
- Run risk-based inspections and see corrective actions through to real closure.
- Own the daily tailgate program: set the rhythm, make the content matter to that day's work, and build supervisors' ability to run it independently
- Build and run the safety observation and suggestion program — the channel that turns floor-level instinct into trend data leadership acts on.
- Lead self-assessments and safety checks across the floor, including the paperwork behind them, evaluating risk and trends to address gaps and establish best in class safety performance.
- Monitor safety equipment inventories to ensure supplies such as PPE are readily available for employees.
- Provide supplemental environmental compliance support as required by Environmental department
- Co-develop OSHA-aligned safety policies with the EHS leader, built for the speed and variability of R&D pilot work, and pressure-test them with the team until they hold up on the floor.
- Own the KPIs that prove safety is working — tailgate completion, observation closure, self-assessment trends, corrective action aging — and use them to drive where attention goes next.
- Watch how new processes and equipment shift the risk picture, and keep documentation audit-ready as a matter of course.
- Facilitate root cause analysis on safety incidents and higher potential near-misses and bring that same rigor to RCAs led by others.
- Partner with R&D and process engineering during scale-up so safety gets designed in before new work ever reaches the floor.
- Lead by influence — build the kind of trust with supervisors and area owners that makes them want to own tailgates, self-assessments, and corrective actions themselves.
Responsibilities and tasks outlined are not exhaustive and may change as determined by the needs of the business.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent education and/or experience.
- 4-6 years of job specific experience.
- Working knowledge of OSHA standards, JHA development, and incident investigation methodology.
- Comfort operating with real authority and autonomy.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to build trust and credibility.
- Completed OSHA 30-hour training
Desired Skills
- Bilingual
- First aid/CPR/AED certified
Work Environment and Demands
- Must have a valid driver’s license
- Must be able to perform activities including climbing ladders and scaffolds, lifting (up to 35 lbs), walking, balancing, and stooping.
- The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate
Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities.
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