Environmental Health & Safety Manager

About the role

Leads the site Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) program within a plastics manufacturing operation to create a safe, healthy, and injury-free work environment while ensuring compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations. Develops, implements, and sustains site EHS systems, training, audits, environmental compliance programs, and performance management routines. Partners with site leadership and cross-functional teams to reduce risk, investigate incidents, drive corrective actions, and deliver measurable improvements in safety, environmental performance, and operational excellence.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership for the implementation, enforcement, and continuous improvement of company environmental, health, safety, and sustainability policies and processes.
• Plan, direct, and implement new corporate policies, procedures, and standards at the site.
• Develop and manage EHS programs that support an injury-free workplace and reinforce employee awareness, accountability, and ownership for safety, health, and environmental performance.
• Drive accountability across all functions to eliminate accidents, injuries, and environmental incidents.
• Identify, evaluate, prevent, and control environmental, health, and safety hazards associated with plastics manufacturing processes, including thermoforming, extrusion, injection molding, material handling, and recycling operations.
• Ensure compliance with environmental requirements and support conservation and protection initiatives.
• Lead site EHS communication strategies, including bulletin board postings, visual management, signage, safety topics of the month, newsletters, toolbox talks, and employee engagement initiatives.
• Develop and maintain an annual calendar for all required OSHA, environmental, and company-required safety training programs.
• Conduct and document thorough accident, incident, environmental release, and near-miss investigations, and recommend process, procedure, behavioral, or equipment changes to prevent recurrence.
• Provide leadership and direction for the cross-functional site safety committee and support employee-led safety initiatives.
• Perform job hazard analyses, risk assessments, ergonomic evaluations, and process safety reviews, identifying site-specific hazards and implementing effective corrective actions.
• Administer and report EHS metrics and performance measurements to leadership.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA and other applicable regulatory requirements for documentation, reporting, permitting, and recordkeeping, and audit EHS-related activities to maintain ongoing compliance.
• Evaluate current safety rewards and recognition programs and recommend improvements that support employee engagement and safety performance.
• Administer emergency evacuation drills, emergency action plans, and facility emergency response programs.
• Actively seek improved EHS practices through benchmarking, networking, and participation in EHS-related seminars, professional organizations, and industry associations.
• Work closely with independent contractors on site to ensure compliance with facility EHS requirements, including contractor safety programs, contractor onboarding, and permit-to-work processes.
• Participate in enterprise or multi-site EHS meetings to share best practices, lessons learned, and continuous improvement opportunities across facilities.

Requirements

• Strong knowledge of OSHA, EPA, hazardous waste, air quality, stormwater, and environmental compliance requirements relevant to manufacturing operations.
• Demonstrated ability to lead change and build a safety culture through coaching, employee engagement, leadership influence, and accountability.
• Strong incident investigation, root cause analysis, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to implement sustainable corrective and preventive actions.
• Strong project management and execution skills to manage multiple initiatives, compliance activities, audits, permits, and deadlines.
• Ability to analyze safety and environmental data, identify trends, and translate insights into prioritized actions and measurable business results.
• Strong communication and influencing skills across all levels of the organization, with the ability to facilitate committees, conduct training, and communicate regulatory requirements effectively.
• Ability to partner cross-functionally and align teams to priorities while maintaining non-negotiable compliance and safety standards.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and EHS management systems for reporting, compliance documentation, recordkeeping, and KPI management.
• Knowledge of industrial hygiene principles, machine safeguarding, lockout/tagout, process safety, ergonomics, and chemical management programs.
• Working knowledge of plastics manufacturing processes, including thermoforming, extrusion, injection molding, packaging, warehousing, and recycling operations preferred.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Safety, Environmental Science, Industrial Hygiene, Occupational Health, Engineering, or a related field required; equivalent experience may be considered.
• Preferred Certifications: CSP, CIH, CHMM, or similar professional certification.
• Experience: 5+ years of EHS experience in a plastics manufacturing environment, with demonstrated ownership of site safety, environmental compliance, industrial hygiene, and regulatory programs. Experience with OSHA compliance, environmental permitting, contractor safety management, and plastics processing operations preferred.

Benefits

Sabert offers competitive compensation and a generous benefits package, including full health insurance (medical, dental and vision), 401(k), life insurance, disability, and more.

About Sabert

Sabert is a leading global manufacturer of innovative food packaging products and solutions. Founded in 1983 with the purpose of reinventing food packaging to nourish and protect the world, the company today designs, manufactures, and distributes a wide spectrum of packaging solutions for food distributors, restaurants and caterers, grocery stores, national food chains, and consumer entertaining.