Manager - Safety

Who we are:

At Challenge Unlimited, our vision is to become a national leader in providing employment services to people with disabilities that empower them to reach their full potential. We intentionally provide opportunities for individuals with disabilities which will assist them to live, work, and participate in the community.

Challenge Unlimited is driven by its core values: community, helpfulness, abilities, leadership, learning, ethics, innovation, growth, and effective outcomes. It is these values that have powered Challenge Unlimited to its success and has helped over 600 disabled individuals find meaningful work across all of our locations.

Position Summary: 

Reporting to the Director of Safety & Quality Assurance, the Manager of Safety is responsible for the execution of the organization’s safety strategy which furthers our mission to help people who have different abilities to receive work support and development as needed—achieving the highest level of independence possible.

Operationally, this position develops, communicates, and implements safety policies, procedures, and incident prevention programs. Monitors safety regulations and directs Safety Committee meetings, facility inspections, safety drills, and ensures Company and affiliated entities maintain compliance. Maintains and oversees incident reporting and required safety-related records and prepares and files OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) case responses and reports. Develops and conducts safety education to train managers, employees, and clients on OSHA, SDS (Safety Data Sheets), PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) (Personal Protective Equipment), incident safety trends and related safety risk management topics. Oversees Workers Compensation Program, all sites.

• Shift: Monday - Friday, On-Call
• Pay Rate: $57,000 - $60,000
• Location: Alton, Illinois

1. Safety Oversight: Maintain knowledge of safety policies and procedures along with review and update of safety policies and practices to ensure they meet any regulatory standards and work to help minimize incident rates. Maintain current regulatory knowledge pertaining to Safety. Communicate OSHA regulations and standards to management, including guidance on handling OSHA compliance, inspections, and citations. Promote an effective company safety culture that embodies our Company values to achieve optimum performance levels, goals, and objectives—ZAC (Zero Accident Culture).
2. Safety Investigations/Audits/Training: Coordinate and conduct work area and facility inspections and evaluations to determine the presence of hazardous/unsafe conditions (i.e., noise exposure, chemical exposure, untidiness, unsafe work practices, etc.). Ensure thorough audits/investigations performed that hazardous conditions have been appropriately corrected or addressed; recommend engineering controls, administrative controls and or proper PPE. Work with Safety Committee to plan, organize, develop, and implement management/employee training in areas of safety laws and regulations i.e., OSHA, hazardous condition monitoring, use of safety equipment/PPE, company safety policies/procedures, safety culture, and other safety and human relational topics.
3. Management and Regulatory Reporting: Maintain all site-required documentation related to safety issues, i.e., incident reports (including property and equipment), inspection reports, safety meeting minutes, etc., reporting to all required federal, state, and local agencies. Provide safety reports for Senior Management regarding incidents and workers compensation claims while identifying trends and educational/training needs of the Company and affiliated entities.
4. Incident Management: Oversee incident investigations to determine root cause, install preventative measures, and advise return to work activities in coordination with HR; perform follow-up investigations to verify effectiveness; provide advice, coaching, guidance and mentoring to managers on injury prevention and management; provide initial intervention with any medical care due to injury and ongoing oversight to internal treatment. Manages Workers Compensation Program for Challenge Unlimited and Affiliated Companies.  
5. Employee Relations: Promote a culture that advances the Company’s mission to provide work opportunities to individuals with disabilities and disadvantages within a safe environment. Display and promote Company values and maintain awareness of safety issues and concerns of managers, clients, and staff. Maintain effective communication and positive relationships with department and site managers. Help build an effective company culture that embodies our Company values to achieve optimum performance levels and achieve goals and objectives.

• Education: High School Diploma/GED required
• Experience: 
  • With a degree: 2+ years’ experience with administering Safety Programs or conducting training and 5 years of management and/or training experience including occupational health and safety program administration.
  • Without a degree: 5 years of experience administering Safety Programs and 10 years management / training OSHA Programs, medical fields or emergency management or 10 years of compliance in a Safety, Quality or Engineering role, including auditing, interacting with Managers and above, writing technical reports and issuing corrective action reports for noncompliance.
• Certifications/Licenses: CPR, First Aid, OSHA 30 Construction, Serve Safe certificate
  (must obtain during first 6 months of hire)
• Pre-Employment Tests: Excel, Word
• Computer Skills: Proficient with Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook
• Background Checks:  
  • Must pass criminal background check. 
  • Must pass various State and Federal registry checks. 
  • Must pass credit history check. Must pass DCFS Abuse and Neglect Tracking System check.  
• Driving: Must pass driving history check and Company policy criteria, maintain valid driver’s license, and be 21 or older to drive. Company travel using personal insured vehicle is required. Occasionally drives personal vehicle between work sites.

• Sitting: Frequently sitting in the normal course of office-sedentary type work.
• Standing: Occasionally standing, walking, bending, squatting, reaching, and twisting in the normal course of office-sedentary type work and for training/auditing workers and processes.
• Hearing, Speaking: Frequently listens and speaks with managers and employees to collect and offer information to solve problems and process quality-related tasks.
• Seeing: Continually visually active to read and audit information on screen or in print, occasionally in small font size.
• Handling: Frequently using hands in typing, calculating, filing, phone and other office equipment use.
• Movement: Occasionally bending, reaching, and twisting; occasionally climbing stairs and/or ladders squatting, and kneeling.
• Lifting: Occasionally lifting, carrying, and pushing or pulling up to 10 lbs. in the normal course of office-sedentary type work.

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental, Vision)
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D
• Paid Time Off: (Vacation, Sick & Holidays)
• Short-Term & Long-Term Disability 
• Retirement Plan (401K)
• Wellness Resources