Safety Specialist

The Energy Cooperative, headquartered in Newark, Ohio, serves over 72,000 electric, natural gas and propane members throughout east-central Ohio. As a non‑profit cooperative, we are member‑owned and controlled by the members we serve. We are committed to serving our members safe, high quality energy services at a reasonable price. We believe in our employees and strive to provide fair, honest and equal treatment with a commitment to training, education, and opportunity for advancement in a safe and secure environment.

At The Energy Cooperative, we take pride in offering competitive benefits and want our employees to have what they need to be their best.

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance
• Supplemental Life Insurance Programs for Employee, Spouse and Children
• Disability Insurance
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Paid Time-Off (PTO)
• Paid Holidays
• Traditional 401(k) and Roth 401(k)
• Retirement Pension Plan
• Education Assistance
• Employee Assistance Program

We are currently looking to fill the position of Safety Specialist. The Safety Specialist is responsible for developing, implementing, and administering comprehensive safety, health, training, and regulatory compliance programs for cooperative operations and facilities. This position promotes a proactive culture of safety excellence through employee engagement, field presence, regulatory compliance, incident prevention, risk mitigation, and continuous improvement initiatives.

The Safety Specialist works closely with operations leadership, employees, contractors, and regulatory agencies to ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and industry safety standards while supporting safe, reliable, and efficient utility operations.

This position provides technical safety guidance, conducts training and audits, investigates incidents, recommends corrective actions, and supports emergency response activities for the cooperative.

Essential duties and responsibilities may be modified to meet the changing needs of the cooperative.

• Support and incorporate the Cooperative’s Mission and Vision in professional behavior and decision-making.
• Comply with all Cooperative policies, procedures, goals and objectives and meet attendance and punctuality guidelines.
• Develop, coordinate, and conduct onboarding, recurring safety meetings, and other training programs to ensure employees maintain compliance with industry safety standards, Cooperative policies, and regulatory requirements. Plan, coordinate, and facilitate safety committee meetings and related initiatives.
• Conduct field audits, crew inspections, contractor safety evaluations, and facility inspections to identify unsafe conditions, ensure compliance with Cooperative safety standards and regulatory requirements, and reduce risk of accidents and financial loss.
• Evaluate and improve safety policies, programs, procedures, and culture through performance analysis, corrective actions, employee engagement, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Serve as a point person for RESAP activities and assist in development and implementation of Safety Improvement Plans.
• Assist with the Cooperative’s Emergency Action and Crisis/Disaster Recovery Plans and participate in emergency response and restoration activities during outages, storms, disaster recovery efforts, and other system emergencies, including work outside normal business hours.
• Investigate accidents, vehicle incidents, and near‑miss events; maintain management awareness of serious occurrences; and track, analyze, and report safety performance metrics and corrective actions.
• Maintain effective working relationships with safety associations, consultants, vendors, outside organizations, and other utility safety professionals to support compliance, training, and continuous improvement.
• Stay updated on EPA, OSHA, DOT, and other applicable regulatory requirements and ensure Cooperative procedures, operations, and records remain compliant with environmental, hazardous materials, and workplace safety standards.
• Work with division managers…