Site Safety Specialist

Overview

PM Group's Outsourced Technical Services Department collaborates with leading international firms across multiple industries, providing exceptional opportunities to work with globally recognized brands. Currently, we seek a Site Safety Specialist to join the Capital Projects EHS Team at a biopharmaceutical client location in Cork, Ireland. This role plays a crucial on-site part, delivering hands-on safety management for construction and installation phases within an active biopharmaceutical manufacturing environment.

The Site Safety Specialist ensures that contractors, project teams, and site personnel perform their activities safely, adhering rigorously to regulatory requirements, company policies, and industry best practices, while sustaining uninterrupted operations in a high-risk GMP-controlled setting.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain constant on-ground safety oversight by proactively identifying, assessing, and managing hazards linked to construction, installation, and commissioning.
• Act as the main EHS contact for contractors and project teams involved in assigned projects.
• Conduct daily inspections, site walks, and safety observations across various active work areas.
• Immediately intervene to halt unsafe practices and ensure corrective measures are enforced.
• Ensure compliance with site EHS regulations, permit-to-work protocols, method statements, risk assessments, and applicable industry standards such as OSHA, EU directives, and local laws.
• Participate in and audit pre-task risk assessments, including Job Hazard Analyses, risk assessments, and method statements.
• Lead or assist with contractor onboarding processes, safety inductions, and toolbox talks.
• Monitor high-risk activities including working at height, confined space entry, hot work, lockout/tagout procedures, lifting operations, and electrical work.
• Lead or support investigations into incidents, near-miss reporting, and root cause analyses.
• Track and analyze safety observations and incident trends to identify systemic risks and improvement opportunities.
• Exemplify visible safety leadership and foster a safety-first culture that encourages proactive speaking up, intervention, learning from incidents, and ongoing enhancement.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Possession of a degree or diploma in Occupational Health & Safety, Engineering, or a related field.
• Professional certifications such as NEBOSH or IOSH are advantageous.
• Between 2 and 5+ years of experience in construction/project-related EHS roles, preferably in biopharmaceutical, life sciences, pharmaceutical manufacturing, or other regulated industrial environments.
• Proven expertise in managing safety in environments with concurrent construction and live operations.
• Comprehensive knowledge of safety requirements for high-risk construction activities and relevant control measures.
• Strong field presence with the ability to effectively influence personnel at all organizational levels.
• Solution-focused and practical approach to risk management.
• Excellent capability in observation, site inspection, and safety reporting.
• Confidence and skill in safely and constructively challenging unsafe practices.
• Deep familiarity with permit-to-work systems, contractor management, and incident investigation methodologies.