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Summary

Novus Foods is seeking a motivated and detail-oriented EHS Specialist to support Environmental, Health & Safety programs at our Simply Fresh food manufacturing facility in Buena Park, California. This is a single-site role based full-time at the Buena Park location.

This role is essential in strengthening safety and environmental systems, supporting reliable operations, and fostering a work environment where employees feel empowered to speak up, share insights from daily work, and actively contribute to ongoing improvement.

The EHS Specialist will assist in implementing safety initiatives, delivering practical and engaging training, and supporting day-to-day EHS activities. The role focuses on understanding how work is truly performed, helping identify system vulnerabilities, and partnering with teams to develop effective and sustainable solutions. This is an excellent opportunity for candidates with 1-3 years of EHS experience who are looking to expand their impact and grow within a stable, industry-leading organization.

Duties and Responsibilities

Support the implementation and ongoing improvement of site-wide safety programs, policies, and procedures to ensure compliance with Cal/OSHA, federal OSHA, U.S. EPA, CalEPA, and internal company standards - including the site's Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP, 8 CCR 3203).

Conduct routine walkthroughs of production areas to understand how work is performed, identify practical improvement opportunities, and help reduce exposure to hazards - including those specific to food manufacturing such as ammonia refrigeration awareness, wet-environment and high-pressure washdown exposure, sanitation chemical handling, machine guarding on processing and packaging lines, and ergonomic/repetitive-motion risk.

Assist with incident response and learning reviews by gathering insights from the people closest to the work, identifying system contributors, and helping develop meaningful corrective actions.

Deliver and document effective safety training, including new-hire orientation and required compliance topics (e.g., Lockout/Tagout, Hazard Communication, PPE, Heat Illness Prevention), ensuring the content is relevant to real-world tasks.

Maintain accurate and organized EHS records such as training logs, inspection reports, SDS files, Cal/OSHA Form 300/300A injury and illness logs, and incident data.

Engage daily with production teams to reinforce safe decision-making, encourage reporting of concerns, and support a culture where employees feel comfortable sharing challenges and improvement ideas.

Assist with emergency response planning, drills, and readiness activities to ensure teams are prepared and confident in response procedures.

Participate actively in the site safety committee and contribute to continuous improvement efforts that enhance reliability and reduce risk.

Support environmental compliance programs, including California stormwater requirements under the Industrial General Permit (State Water Resources Control Board), hazardous materials reporting through the California Environmental Reporting System (CERS) / Business Plan administered by the local CUPA (Orange County Health Care Agency), and federal EPCRA/SARA Title III reporting as applicable.

Support process safety and risk-management activities related to anhydrous ammonia refrigeration where applicable (Cal/OSHA PSM, 8 CCR 5189, and CalARP), in coordination with site engineering and operations.

Collaborate closely with maintenance and operations to ensure safety considerations are built into equipment work, processes, and daily operational decisions.

Support the site's EHS management system consistent with ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 principles, including worker participation, continual improvement, and the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle.

Qualifications

Associate or Bachelor's degree in Occupational Safety, Environmental Science, Industrial Technology, or a related field preferred.

1-3 years of experience in safety or EHS roles, ideally within food manufacturing or an industrial environment.

Bilingual in English and Spanish preferred; strong verbal and written communication skills required.

Working knowledge of Cal/OSHA, federal OSHA, and EPA/CalEPA regulations, along with experience conducting audits and maintaining compliance documentation. Familiarity with California-specific requirements (IIPP, Heat Illness Prevention, Proposition 65) is a plus.

Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint); experience with incident-tracking or EHS management software is a plus.

Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to train, coach, collaborate, and positively influence others at all levels.

Experience in wastewater operations or broader environmental compliance is beneficial.

Ability to work flexible hours as needed to support a 24/7 manufacturing operation.