Health & Safety Specialist at American Refining Group Inc. – Bradford, Pennsylvania
About This Position
Company Information:
ARG is the longest continuously operating refinery in North America dating back to 1881. Privately held, the employees and leadership pride themselves on offering competitive pay, generous benefits and a supportive culture of growth and learning. In addition to a 401k retirement plan to which the company makes matching contributions, ARG offers participation in an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) to qualified employees, through which they share in the profits of the company.
Scope of Health & Safety Specialist: (Not limited to)
The Health & Safety Specialist- PSM/Engineering Assistant provides administrative, technical, and coordination support to the Process Safety and Engineering functions. The role focuses on documentation quality, action tracking, MOC follow-up/competition, field-to-office information flow, and system discipline, enabling engineers, PSM staff, and operations leaders to focus on higher-risk technical decisions and execution.
This role is critical in reducing the administrative and coordination burden on the PSM Manager, Senior Director of Technology and Projects, and Process Engineers, allowing them to focus on higher-risk technical and strategic priorities. The position will strengthen the effectiveness of the PSM program and increase operational trust by expanding structured field presence and supporting PSM and OEMS execution at all levels.
Additionally, this role will help align Operations, PSM, and Engineering around shared risk awareness and continuous improvement by improving communication, follow-through, and field-to-office feedback loops.
The position is designed to support both the PSM and OEMS programs while directly assisting the PSM Manager and Process Engineers. The expected work allocation is approximately 60% office-based coordination and documentation support and 40% field engagement and verification.
Responsibilities of Health & Safety Specialist: (Not limited to)
- Management of Change (MOC) support – Better alignment and continuous improvement with corporate goals, KPIs and OEMS.
- Screen MOCs for completeness
- Track MOC actions and closeout
- MOC field verification and walkdowns
- Development of monthly reports.
- PSI Administration – Improving PSI compliance and audit readiness while supporting and improving our OEMS.
- Field verification and documentation revision
- Support P&ID upgrades through field verification.
- Development of monthly reports.
- Report missing and inaccurate data
- Action Tracking Library – Improve accountability and continually improve our action item library and closeout process.
- Track corrective actions to closure, providing updates
- Support continuous improvement by conducting monthly meetings.
- Development of monthly reports.
- PHA Support
- Assist with preparing all required PHA documentation
- Track PHA recommendations & due dates
- Conduct pre-PHA field walkdowns to validate node boundaries, safeguards, etc.
- General PSM Support
- Support and improve shift handover process by working with operations staff.
- Support and improve operator rounds/shift safety walks by working with operations staff.
- Participate in all PSSR’s and identify any areas of improvement.
- Support and participate in incident investigations.
- Support and identify areas for improvement related to all 14 elements.
- Support KPI development and summary reports.
- Support pre-audit self-assessments
- Steering Committee team member.
- Process Engineering Assistance
- Assist in manual data collection (when needed)
- Assist engineer and unit specialist in troubleshooting operating issues
- Assist with alarm management
- Interface with project managers on data and documentation needs.
Benefits Available to Health & Safety Specialist:
- Health Insurance including Medical, Dental, Optical & Prescription
- Health Savings Accounts & Flexible-Spending Plans (if qualified)
- Life, Accident and Critical Illness Insurance Options
- Short & Long-term Disability Coverage
- Escalating Paid Vacation Plans
- Paid Holidays & Personal Days
- Education & Employee Assistance Plans
- Employee Stock Ownership & 401 (k) Plans
Education & Experience for Health & Safety Specialist:
- Bachelor’s degree preferred in safety science, engineering, chemistry or biology from an accredited four-year college or university; Master's and Professional Certification (CSP, CHMM, QEP, CIH, etc.) preferred. 2-4 years of work experience required; Proficient in 2 areas of specialty (i.e., hazmat, DOT, industrial hygiene).
- Must receive the 24-hour HAZWOPER training and certification in accordance with 40 CFR 1910.120(e)(1)(i) and actively participate in Emergency Response Team (ERT) recognized at our facility.
- Must pass medical qualifications for Respirator Certification to wear all types of air respiratory equipment.
- Proficient in the Microsoft Office Suite of applications including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
- Obtain and maintain First Aid and CPR Certification
Other Qualifications of Health & Safety Specialist:
- Comprehension of ARG Standards.
- Personal development plan to address any learning gaps.
- Participation in Incident Investigations.
- Demonstrate excellent organizational skills with ability to multi-task and handle various tasks or projects simultaneously.
- Capacity to problem-solve and utilize creative thinking techniques, exercises sound decision-making and judgement.
- Offers suggestions for continuous improvement &/or raises relevant concerns to senior management.
- Shows strong inter-personal relationships and team-building behaviors; provides a positive influence and assists in the direction of work activities for fellow colleagues.
- Able to learn and become proficient in the use of various company software programs.
- Display tenacity to work effectively under sometimes stressful conditions.
- Successful participation and completion of all company mandated &/or job-related training programs.
- Demonstrate ability to work with people (both internal and external) and interact as a valuable team member within the refinery as well as personnel in other departments within the Company. Must successfully demonstrate servant leadership.
- Apply understanding of regulations to areas of responsibilities; Disseminate regulatory changes within organization.
- Able to make decisions and may need to bounce ideas and concepts off more senior staff when necessary.
- Proficient in written and verbal communication techniques including all aspects of meeting facilitation
- Demonstrates team building behaviors; Begins to partner with other departments.
- Professional work product with minimal oversight; Begins to oversee work of less experienced staff
- Successful completion of all company mandated &/or job-related training programs deemed appropriate
Physical & Cognitive Demands of Health & Safety Specialist:
- COGNITIVE DEMANDS: Meet deadlines, focus attention, work independently, independent judgments, work with a team, communicating, reading comprehension, critical thinking/troubleshooting. Exercise independent judgement with focused attention.
- PHYSICAL DEMANDS: seeing, speaking, hearing, sitting, walk/climb, stand/reach, listening, writing, driving, keyboarding. Frequently uses visual, audio, speech, reading comprehension and various motor skills including sitting, walking, climbing, standing, reaching, writing, keyboarding, and driving. Must be able to push/pull/lift/carry or otherwise transport 50 lbs.
- Capable of climbing, entering vessels through standard manways and working in elevated locations or confined spaces in all weather conditions.
- Must be able to wear Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE) and use all types of respiratory equipment including self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).
- Must possess a valid motor vehicle driver’s license and be capable of operating all ARG safety vehicles.
- Must be able to read, write, understand diagrams, and make calculations as required in the use of testing equipment, making reports and requisitions.
- Ability to work independently is essential to organize and handle multiple tasks or projects as required.
- Demonstrated ability to practice sound judgment and work effectively under sometimes stressful emergency conditions.
- Demonstrated communication skills both verbal and written.
- May be required to work overtime, holidays, weekends scheduled time off &/or shift work as required to support plant operations. The EHS department is on a rotating 24/7 on-call schedule for any EHS needs after hours. This position will be expected to be placed on the on-call schedule when deemed ready.
- Occasional travel may be required
Additional Notes:
This position, as well as every other position at American Refining Group, is required to conduct their work at a high level of safety and quality performance. We require our employees to adhere to safety policies and procedures and expect they will help and encourage colleagues to do so as well. Our goal is to strive for a Zero-Incident environment that is a benefit to our employees and community. Our commitment to safety is identified as one of our core values: “Safety is our Compass”. Employees are expected to understand and operate under current Process Safety Management guidelines in accordance with their role. Adherence to our Refinery Conduct of Operations in refinery and safety-sensitive functions is critical to our ongoing commitment to reliable operations.
American Refining Group, Inc. executes and maintains an ISO certified Quality Management System to meet specified customer requirements for product performance, safety, and service.
Employees are expected to understand and operate under the guidelines of the Quality Management System while executing the functions of their position.
ARG culture promotes ongoing training and mentoring that is intended to be a developmental partnership for all (employees are subject to ongoing performance reviews and feedback).
This is not a job bid - external recruiting is being conducted concurrently with internal posting. Applicants will be selected based on qualifications and a job interview; final selection will rest solely with the Company.
Qualified individuals must be able to perform essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; they are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities.
EEO Employer –ARG is committed to providing reasonable accommodation in our recruiting and employment practices. If assistance is needed to participate in the application or interview process, or to perform essential job functions, please contact Human Resources.
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Job Location
Job Location
This job is located in the Bradford, Pennsylvania, 16701, United States region.