Senior EHS Specialist

Senior EHS Specialist

Hanes Companies Inc. located in Conover, NC, a division of Leggett & Platt (NYSE:  LEG), is seeking a Senior EHS Specialist.Position Overview:  The overall function of the Senior EHS Specialist is to implement and improve programs and procedures to continuously improve the safety culture of the Hanes Companies Business Unit. This role is responsible for supporting regulatory compliance, strengthening site-level EHS programs, improving safety performance, and supporting a proactive safety culture. The Senior EHS Specialist will work closely with site leadership and EHS representatives to identify hazards, support incident investigations, and align site-level practices with corporate EHS expectations.Essential Duties and Responsibilities:Leadership & Strategy

• Support multi-site EHS plans aligned with corporate goals and site-specific priorities.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to site leadership teams on regulatory expectations, safety culture, and employee engagement.
• Maintain visible field presence and provide practical guidance to site-level leaders and employees.
• Identify EHS capability gaps among site-level representatives and support development plans to strengthen local ownership.
• Promote consistent adoption of corporate EHS expectations across assigned facilities.

Incident Management & Corrective Action

• Lead or support incident, near-miss, and hazard investigations to ensure timely reporting, effective root cause analysis, and appropriate corrective actions.
• Evaluate corrective actions for sustainability and alignment with the hierarchy of controls.
• Analyze incident trends and recurring findings to identify prevention opportunities.
• Partner with site leaders to communicate lessons learned across assigned facilities.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Support compliance with applicable OSHA, EPA, NFPA, and other federal, state, and local EHS requirements.
• Conduct routine on-site inspections and assessments of workplace conditions, equipment, work practices, and EHS program implementation.
• Monitor site compliance with regulatory and company requirements and develop practical action plans to close identified gaps.
• Support environmental compliance activities, including waste management, waste stream evaluation, hazardous materials, stormwater, air, and water requirements, and required inspections, reports, records, or permits.
• Develop, maintain, and support emergency response plans, procedures, drills, and related site preparedness activities.

Training & Development

• Coordinate required EHS training, including new hire orientation, annual compliance training, and site-specific safety topics.
• Evaluate training needs based on incident trends, compliance findings, risk assessments, operational changes, and employee feedback.
• Coach site leaders and EHS representatives on safety communication, hazard recognition, employee engagement, and practical risk control.
• Strengthen site-level EHS capabilities through ongoing education, coaching, and practical support.

Performance Monitoring

• Track, evaluate, and communicate leading and lagging EHS indicators, including injuries, near misses, hazard observations, inspections, audit findings, corrective actions, and training completion.
• Prepare routine reports and communicate trends, priorities, and improvement opportunities to site and corporate leadership.
• Partner with site managers to develop measurable action plans and monitor progress through completion.
• Maintain accurate EHS documentation, records, reports, and system entries in accordance with company and regulatory expectations.

Audits & Program Management

• Conduct periodic EHS audits and assessments to evaluate compliance, control implementation, and program effectiveness.
• Support the rollout and sustainment of corporate EHS programs, tools, standards, and improvement initiatives.
• Follow up on audit findings and program gaps to ensure timely closure and sustainable improvement.
• Manage ISO 14001 requirements.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Partner with HR, Operations, Legal, Engineering, Maintenance, and external agencies to support EHS initiatives and regulatory compliance.
• Represent Hanes Companies and Leggett & Platt professionally during regulatory inspections, agency interactions, customer inquiries, and industry forums.
• Support customer sustainability inquiries related to finished goods by coordinating EHS and product-related information as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Occupational Health and Safety, Engineering, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive EHS experience, preferably in a manufacturing environment.
• Working knowledge of OSHA requirements, NFPA standards, NEC requirements, EPA expectations, and applicable environmental regulations.
• Demonstrated ability to identify known and potential workplace hazards and drive practical risk reduction.
• Experience leading or supporting incident investigations, root cause analysis, and corrective action development.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare reports, communicate expectations, and influence others without direct authority.
• Strong leadership, collaboration, coaching, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to travel, as needed.

Core Competencies

• Strong field presence and ability to build trust with site leadership and employees.
• Practical understanding of manufacturing operations and EHS controls.
• Ability to ask effective questions, influence action, and reinforce accountability.
• Ability to balance hands-on site support with broader multi-site priorities.

Preferred Attributes

• Experience managing or supporting EHS across multiple sites.
• Experience with ergonomics, machine safeguarding, industrial hygiene, lockout/tagout, powered industrial trucks, hazardous energy control, and other manufacturing-related EHS programs.
• Experience using cloud-based EHS/EMS software platforms such as Enablon, Benchmark Gensuite, or similar system.
• Effective critical thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to respond calmly and professionally to emergencies and changing priorities.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 tools, including Teams, Copilot, SharePoint, Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Bilingual communication skills are preferred.

Hanes offers a competitive salary and benefits include: health/dental/vision insurance, 401-K, and discounted stock program.Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Veteran/Disability Employer

Hanes Companies is a people-first organization dedicated to providing a complete benefits package for our employees and their families. Benefits include health/dental/vision insurance, retirement savings with company match, discount stock plan, paid time off, paid holidays, employee assistance program, gym reimbursement, education reimbursement, and many more!

Equal Employment Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer

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