What are the responsibilities and job description for the EHS Specialist / Technical Advisor position at Porex?
Overview
Porex, a Filtration Group company, is an established global leader in one-of-a-kind solutions for the healthcare, consumer, and industrial markets. The Porex Foam business in St. Charles, Michigan is a manufacturer of porous polyurethane foam types including both medical-grade (ISO 10993-certified) and cosmetic polyurethane foams. Various formulations can offer wide-ranging densities, porosities, and levels of softness available with application-specific additives including antimicrobials, nanomaterials, pharmaceuticals, botanicals, cosmetic ingredients, and colorants that can enhance your device’s look, functionality, and performance.
We are seeking an EHS Specialist/Technical Advisor to lead the Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) programs for the Porex St. Charles, MI facility while also supporting manufacturing operations from both a technical and regulatory standpoint. The position works closely with production, engineering, maintenance, and site leadership to keep operations safe, compliant, and running efficiently. Responsibilities include environmental and safety compliance, regulatory reporting, safety program leadership, and practical technical support for plant operations. The role also helps identify operational risks and works with site leadership to address them early.
Responsibilities
Safety Leadership
Porex, a Filtration Group company, is an established global leader in one-of-a-kind solutions for the healthcare, consumer, and industrial markets. The Porex Foam business in St. Charles, Michigan is a manufacturer of porous polyurethane foam types including both medical-grade (ISO 10993-certified) and cosmetic polyurethane foams. Various formulations can offer wide-ranging densities, porosities, and levels of softness available with application-specific additives including antimicrobials, nanomaterials, pharmaceuticals, botanicals, cosmetic ingredients, and colorants that can enhance your device’s look, functionality, and performance.
We are seeking an EHS Specialist/Technical Advisor to lead the Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) programs for the Porex St. Charles, MI facility while also supporting manufacturing operations from both a technical and regulatory standpoint. The position works closely with production, engineering, maintenance, and site leadership to keep operations safe, compliant, and running efficiently. Responsibilities include environmental and safety compliance, regulatory reporting, safety program leadership, and practical technical support for plant operations. The role also helps identify operational risks and works with site leadership to address them early.
Responsibilities
Safety Leadership
- Lead and manage site safety programs and initiatives.
- Develop practical safety procedures and training that support daily operations.
- Drive employee engagement through safety observations, near-miss reporting, and hazard recognition.
- Track and review safety performance metrics including OSHA TCR and DART rates.
- Maintain compliance with OSHA, MIOSHA, EPA, and applicable state environmental regulations.
- Manage environmental compliance programs including Tier II, TRI reporting, RCRA hazardous waste management, and air permit requirements.
- Maintain facility chemical inventories and Safety Data Sheet (SDS) management systems to ensure regulatory compliance.
- Maintain compliance with Permit to Install (PTI) conditions and Malfunction Abatement Plan (MAP) monitoring requirements.
- Serve as facility contact during regulatory inspections and agency communications.
- Prepare and coordinate required regulatory reports and compliance documentation.
- Maintain environmental monitoring records and compliance documentation.
- Ensure monitoring systems and compliance records meet regulatory retention requirements.
- Support internal and external audits by maintaining compliance documentation and providing regulatory program records when requested.
- Develop and maintain SOPs, work instructions, and Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) procedures.
- Support manufacturing operations with technical troubleshooting when safety or environmental issues are involved.
- Work with engineering and maintenance teams on process improvements and equipment modifications.
- Evaluate potential safety and environmental impacts of new materials, equipment, or process changes.
- Provide safety and environmental guidance for operational decisions, equipment changes, and process modifications to ensure regulatory compliance and risk reduction.
- Participate in process hazard analysis and operational hazard discussions when needed.
- Support production teams in identifying and correcting safety, environmental, and operational risks during daily manufacturing activities.
- Develop and deliver safety training for employees and contractors.
- Train employees on programs such as Lockout/Tagout, Hazard Communication, PPE requirements, and emergency response procedures.
- Maintain training documentation required for regulatory compliance.
- Support emergency response planning for the facility.
- Maintain emergency procedures and coordinate with local emergency services when required.
- Oversee programs that carry environmental or regulatory risk for the facility.
- Ensure required reporting, monitoring, and documentation are completed accurately and on schedule.
- Identify potential compliance or operational risks and work with site leadership to address them early.
- Minimum of 3 years of direct experience with OSHA, EPA, EGLE, Mi-OSHA regulations
- Minimum of 5 years of manufacturing experience with a strong preference for experience in a highly regulated industry.