Field Safety Manager at Gold Medal Environmental - Apple Valley Waste Inc – Manassas, Virginia

Role Summary

The Field Safety Manager serves as a hands-on, field-based safety leader responsible for executing and reinforcing the company’s Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) programs across assigned operations. This role partners closely with Operations to drive compliance, reduce risk, and embed safety into daily field execution. The position report to the EHS Director, has manager-level accountability for outcomes, audits, and corrective actions, but does not include direct people management.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Safety Leadership

• Act as the primary EHS partner to Operations, ensuring consistent execution of company safety programs across assigned sites.
• Lead routine, unannounced, and risk-based field audits to assess compliance with regulatory, permit, and company requirements; document findings and drive timely corrective actions.
• Exercise independent judgment to identify risk trends and escalate systemic issues to leadership.

Incident Management & Risk Reduction

• Manage field-level incident response in partnership with Operations, including ensuring incidents are properly documented, leading root cause analyses, and defining corrective and preventive actions.
• Track corrective actions to closure and validate effectiveness.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to reduce injury frequency, severity, and operational risk.

Training, Coaching & Program Execution

• Verify and reinforce completion of new-hire and ongoing safety training, including DOT-related driver requirements.
• Provide coaching and real-time feedback to field leaders and frontline employees to strengthen safety behaviors.
• Contribute to the development and refinement of safety programs, training content, and standard work instructions.

Transportation & Field Observations

• Provide managerial-level guidance on transportation safety and DOT compliance matters.
• Ensure accurate documentation and recordkeeping for safety meetings, DOT files, vehicle condition reports (VCRs), and vehicle inspection records.
• Conduct field observations, including in-cab ride-alongs, pre- and post-trip inspections, and unannounced blind observations, to assess compliance and safe work practices.

Environmental & Regulatory Compliance

• Maintain a working knowledge of applicable environmental regulations and standards.
• Conduct environmental audits and site reviews; partner with Operations to correct deficiencies and prevent noncompliance.
• Serve as a point of escalation for environmental compliance concerns in the field.

Integration & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Support EHS integration activities for newly acquired operations, including onboarding to company standards and regulatory expectations.
• Collaborate with HR, Safety, Operations, and other support functions to align safety initiatives with business needs.
• Communicate safety KPIs and trends to Operations and leadership, providing actionable insights.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities & Competencies

• Bachelor’s degree in Safety, Environmental Science, EHS Management, or a related field; equivalent experience considered.
• 4–6 years of progressive experience in EHS compliance, preferably in a field-based, transportation, waste, or industrial environment.
• Strong working knowledge of OSHA regulations; practical understanding of DOT and EPA requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to operate independently, manage competing priorities, and make sound field-level decisions.
• Strong investigative, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Proven ability to influence without authority and partner effectively with Operations leadership.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, and Google Workspace.
• Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills.
• High integrity, sound judgment, and discretion in handling sensitive matters.
• Self-starter with adaptability to frequent reprioritization in a fast-paced environment.

Working Conditions & Travel

• Approximately 60% of work performed indoors; remaining time spent outdoors at hauling companies, transfer stations, material recovery facilities (MRFs), and other operational sites.
• Exposure to moderate to loud noise levels, weather conditions, moving equipment, and industrial environments.
• Early morning start times may be required.
• Travel required up to 75% of the time.

Location Requirement:

Candidates must reside or willing to relocate within a centrally located area of the company’s geographic footprint (PA/NJ/MD/VA/WV region) to ensure accessibility to all operating sites.