Construction Site Safety Specialist – API Expansion Projects

Construction Site Safety Specialist – API Expansion Projects

Location: North Chicago, IL - onsite

Contract: 12+ months duration with potential for extensions

Automated Systems, Inc. (ASI) is seeking an experienced Site Safety Specialist to support a major API expansion project at an active pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in North Chicago, IL. This is an excellent opportunity for a safety professional with experience in pharmaceutical/API facility construction, expansion projects, or large-scale capital projects to play a hands-on role in maintaining a safe, compliant, and well-coordinated construction environment. The Site Safety Specialist will provide field-level safety oversight for contractors, trades, vendors, and project personnel, ensuring work is properly planned, permitted, executed, documented, and aligned with OSHA requirements, site safety standards, regulatory expectations, and industry best practices.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide daily field safety oversight for contractors, subcontractors, tradesmen, and vendors supporting expansion project work.
• Review planned construction and maintenance activities to identify safety risks, required permits, required controls, PPE expectations, and required pre-job planning.
• Issue, review, and manage safe work permits, including hot work permits and confined space entry permits, ensuring all required precautions and permits are in place before work begins. Ensure permitting is in place prior to the day starting so that work is not delayed.
• Review and approve Job Hazard Analyses for critical safe work activities, including rigging, heavy-equipment operation, working at heights, scaffold or ladder work, electrical work, lockout/tagout, hot work, and other high-risk tasks.
• Assess construction risks in the field and verify that appropriate controls are implemented, maintained, and understood by the work crew.
• Stop work when unsafe conditions, behaviors, incomplete permits, inadequate controls, or non-compliance with safety expectations are observed.
• Coordinate with client project representatives, EHS, construction management, engineering, and contractor supervision to resolve safety concerns and maintain safe work execution.
• Verify contractor training, certifications, bonding, insurance, and qualification documentation as required for firms and individuals performing work on site.
• Confirm that contractors complete required site orientation, display required credentials, follow access requirements, and remain within authorized work areas.
• Participate in daily safety walks, pre-task planning meetings, toolbox talks, contractor coordination meetings, and project safety reviews.
• Document safety observations, permit reviews, JHA reviews, deficiencies, corrective actions, and follow-up items in a clear and timely manner.
• Escalate significant safety, environmental, security, or compliance concerns to project leadership, EHS, and ASI management as appropriate.
• Support OSHA-related documentation, incident reporting, injury/illness recordkeeping, near-miss tracking, and corrective action follow-up as required by the project and site procedures.
• Participate in incident investigations, root cause discussions, safety stand-downs, and development of corrective/preventive actions related to contractor safety events.
• Track, trend, and report safety observations, unsafe conditions, permit issues, JHA deficiencies, first-aid cases, recordable incidents, near misses, and other project safety metrics.

Required Qualifications:

• Experience in construction safety, contractor safety oversight, industrial safety, pharmaceutical project safety, or EHS field support in a GMP environment
• Strong working knowledge of construction safety practices related to hot work, confined space entry, lockout/tagout, electrical safety, fall protection, scaffolding, ladders, lifts, rigging, heavy equipment, PPE, hazard communication, housekeeping, and spill prevention.
• Ability to assess field conditions, identify risks, communicate expectations, and require corrective action when needed.
• Familiarity with OSHA requirements and practical construction safety execution in an active industrial or manufacturing environment.
• OSHA 30 or CSP and HAZWOPER
• First aid/CPR/AED certified or willing to obtain
• Ability to start work at 6am with sporadic OT and possible weekends
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to document observations and explain safety requirements clearly.
• Comfort working in a highly regulated environment where documentation, procedure compliance, and escalation discipline are important.
• Knowledge of 29CFR 1926

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience supporting pharmaceutical, biotech, chemical, API, aseptic manufacturing, utilities, or GMP facility expansion projects.
• Familiarity with classified / XP environments, flammable solvent handling, hazardous atmospheres, and work around solvent-based processes.
• Knowledge of crane safety, lift planning, rigging oversight, and critical lift coordination.