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 assisting in the development and implementation of the organization’s safety program. This role will participate in cross-functional efforts identify and control hazards, reduce operational risk, and promote a strong safety culture. This role will be based 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.

Responsibilities

• Field Leadership

• Assist in the development and implementation of the site’s safety program in accordance with OSHA 29 CFR 1910.

• Drive critical OH&S programs such as incident reporting and investigation, control of hazardous energy, PPE, hot work, fire prevention, etc. to reduce risks and company costs.

• Own the weekly tailgate program. Set the rhythm with applicable content 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.

• Provide technical guidance to engineering and operations teams regarding safety requirements, regulatory compliance, and risk mitigation strategies.

• Perform monthly checks of equipment including but not limited to emergency exit signs, fire extinguisher and eyewash inspections, and ladder inspections.

• Monitor safety equipment inventories to ensure supplies such as PPE are readily available for employees.

• Provide supplemental environmental compliance support as required by the Environmental department including but not limited to hazardous waste audits and shipping.

• Program, Policy & Performance

• 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.

• Cross-Functional Partnership

• 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+ years of job specific experience.

• Working knowledge of OSHA standards, JHAs, 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

• Preferred Qualifications

• Bilingual

• First aid/CPR/AED certified

• Physical and Environmental Requirements

• 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.