Job Information
Actalent Environmental Health And Safety Specialist in Chicago Heights, Illinois
Job Title: Environmental Health and Safety SpecialistJob Description
The Environmental Health and Safety Specialist supports day-to-day health, safety, environmental, and sustainability operations across two chemical manufacturing sites in the Chicago Heights and Alsip areas. This role serves as the primary HSE technical resource for site leadership, working closely with operations teams to implement and maintain programs that ensure regulatory and internal compliance, reduce risk, and enable safe, reliable manufacturing. The position is highly plant-facing and plays a key role in strengthening safety culture during a period of growth, investment, and operational transition.
Responsibilities
Serve as the primary health, safety, environmental, and sustainability technical resource for leadership and operations at the Chicago Heights and Alsip manufacturing sites.
Support day-to-day HSE operations to ensure compliance with applicable regulations and internal standards while enabling safe, efficient manufacturing activities.
Maintain OSHA recordkeeping and reporting, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and timely submission of required documentation.
Conduct regular audits, inspections, and walkthroughs of plant areas to identify hazards, assess compliance, and drive corrective and preventive actions.
Manage incident reporting and investigations, including root cause analysis, documentation, follow-up actions, and communication of learnings.
Lead and actively participate in safety committees, fostering engagement, ownership, and continuous improvement in safety culture.
Deliver HSE training to employees and contractors, including orientation, refresher training, and topic-specific sessions aligned with regulatory and company requirements.
Coordinate industrial hygiene sampling and monitoring activities, working with internal and external resources as needed to assess exposures and implement controls.
Perform risk and hazard assessments for processes, equipment, tasks, and projects, and recommend appropriate engineering, administrative, and PPE controls.
Support Process Safety Management (PSM) initiatives, including participation in process hazard analyses and implementation of related action items.
Contribute to ISO-related initiatives and other management system activities to standardize and improve HSE performance.
Support environmental compliance activities, including adherence to permits, waste management, emissions, and other regulatory requirements.
Participate in and support sustainability and continuous improvement efforts across HSE, industrial hygiene, PSM, and environmental programs.
Collaborate closely with site leaders, operations, maintenance, and other stakeholders to integrate HSE into daily decision-making and project planning.
Support busy, high-investment plants with ongoing capital expenditure and improvement projects, ensuring HSE risks are identified and managed.
Maintain strong documentation, auditing, and program management practices, including use of internal systems and platforms.
Provide HSE support across multiple manufacturing sites, including occasional travel between Chicago Heights and Alsip as needed.
Help build and sustain a proactive, collaborative safety culture in a transitioning or “build mode” environment.
Essential Skills
3+ years of hands-on experience in chemical manufacturing (5+ years of experience required if no degree).
Experience working in a chemical manufacturing environment.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications for documentation, analysis, and reporting.
Knowledge of OSHA requirements and experience supporting OSHA compliance activities.
Experience with industrial hygiene concepts or activities, such as exposure assessment and sampling coordination.
Exposure to or experience with Process Safety Management (PSM) in a manufacturing setting.
Strong documentation, auditing, and program management skills to maintain effective HSE programs.
Ability to support and prioritize multiple manufacturing sites and stakeholders.
Comfort working in transitioning or “build mode” environments with evolving processes and systems.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
Degree in Safety Engineering, Industrial Hygiene, Environmental Science, Occupational Health, Chemical Engineering, Biology, Chemistry, or another relevant discipline (other degree backgrounds, including business, are also considered).
Industrial hygiene or PSM experience is a strong plus.
Environmental compliance experience, including familiarity with permits, waste, and emissions, is highly beneficial.
OSHA or other safety-related certifications are a plus; OSHA training can be provided.
Experience supporting multiple manufacturing sites is preferred.
Ability to learn and use internal HSE systems and platforms; experience with systems such as Enableance or similar tools is advantageous.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills to collaborate with operators, maintenance, supervisors, and leadership.
Demonstrated ability to influence and support a positive safety culture in manufacturing environments.
Work Environment
This role is highly plant-facing, with approximately 75% of the day spent on the plant floor in a chemical manufacturing environment. The facilities are not pharmaceutical or highly polished environments, but they have undergone significant renovation and construction over the past several years. Conditions can be cold during winter months, although work is not performed outdoors for the entire shift. The primary site is in Chicago Heights and accounts for the majority of annual production volume, focusing on herbicides for agricultural and turf applications, while the secondary site in Alsip produces specialty chemicals and growth regulators. The position involves high interaction with operators, maintenance personnel, supervisors, and leadership, and supports a team that is targeted to be seven people when fully staffed. Occasional travel between the two sites is required, with mileage and tolls reimbursed. The organization offers a collaborative team environment with strong global and regional support, a recently remodeled office at the primary site, and a total rewards mindset that includes competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, career growth opportunities, and continuous learning across HSE, industrial hygiene, PSM, and sustainability.
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract position based out of Chicago Heights, IL.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $36.06 - $52.88/hr.
Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in Chicago Heights,IL.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on May 1, 2026.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
At Actalent, diversity and inclusion are a bridge towards the equity and success of our people. DE&I is embedded into our culture through:
Hiring diverse talent
Maintaining an inclusive environment through persistent self-reflection
Building a culture of care, engagement, and recognition with clear outcomes
Ensuring growth opportunities for our people
Actalent is an equal opportunity employer.
About Actalent
Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services. For more than 40 years, we’ve helped visionary companies advance their goals. Headquartered in the United States, our teams span 150 offices across North America, EMEA, and APAC—with four delivery centers in India led by 1,000+ extraordinary employees who connect their passion with purpose every day.
Our Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai delivery centers are hubs of engineering expertise, with core capabilities in mechanical and electrical engineering, systems and software, and manufacturing engineering. Our teams deliver work across multiple industries including transportation, consumer and industrial products, and life sciences. We serve more than 4,500 clients, including many Fortune 500 brands. Learn more about how we can work together at actalentservices.com.