This working leadership role is accountable for designing, standardizing, and executing safety, occupational health, and transportation safety programs across all Healthcare Linen Services Group (HLSG) plants and fleet operations. The Director of Safety sets standards, verifies compliance, reduces injury frequency and severity, manages regulatory exposure, and partners with Human Resources on workers' compensation outcomes. The role involves regular presence in plants and on docks, with personal response to serious incidents.
Responsibilities
Own the Company safety program end-to-end, including written programs, standards, procedures, and expectations
Drive consistent application of safety programs across all plants, brands, and fleet operations
Build and maintain the annual safety plan with defined objectives, initiatives, and measures
Report progress to executive leadership on a fixed cadence
Establish and support plant-level safety committees, ensuring they meet, act, and close findings
Conduct recurring safety audits and inspections at each facility against a standard scorecard
Verify corrective actions are completed
Maintain compliance with OSHA general industry standards across all facilities, including recordkeeping and posting obligations (OSHA 300, 300A, and 301 logs and electronic submission)
Own core hazard-control programs applicable to laundry processing: lockout/tagout, machine guarding, powered industrial trucks, confined space entry, fall protection, hot work, electrical safety and NFPA 70E, respiratory protection, hearing conservation, emergency action and fire prevention plans
Own hazard communication and chemical safety including safety data sheet management, labeling, storage, spill response, and eyewash and shower provisions
Address exposures specific to the industry: heat stress in wash and dry areas, wet-floor slip and fall risk, ergonomic and repetitive-motion exposure at sorting, feeding, and folding stations, cart and material handling, and lifting injuries on both the soiled and clean sides
Own the bloodborne pathogens exposure control plan, including soiled linen handling procedures, sharps and contaminated-item response, personal protective equipment standards, Hepatitis B vaccination offering, and post-exposure evaluation and follow-up
Maintain training and procedures that keep soiled-side handling practices consistent with HLAC accreditation standards and healthcare customer expectations
Support customer, accreditation, and insurance audits as they relate to employee safety, PPE, and handling practice
Partner with the Transportation team on DOT and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration operational compliance, providing safety oversight, subject-matter expertise, and independent verification
Support Transportation on vehicle maintenance file compliance, driver vehicle inspection reporting, annual inspections, and cargo securement
Millions of jobs, with real people getting hired every day
200,000+
New jobs added daily
7,000,000+
Verified job listings
1,000,000+
Tailored applications submitted
Review Compliance, Safety, Accountability scores and Safety Measurement System percentiles alongside Transportation
Concentrate on behavior-driven categories (unsafe driving, hours of service, and driver fitness) and convert deteriorating trends into targeted training and coaching
Support Transportation in maintaining audit readiness for DOT compliance reviews and new entrant safety audits
Own the safety training curriculum for plant and fleet employees: new hire orientation, job-specific and hazard-specific training, annual refreshers, and supervisor training
Ensure training is delivered in the languages the workforce actually speaks, including Spanish where market demographics warrant
Coach plant managers and supervisors to own safety as a line responsibility
Assess safety, DOT, and loss exposure at acquisition targets and newly acquired plants
Produce a prioritized remediation plan with cost and timeline
Bring acquired locations onto HLSG safety programs, training standards, recordkeeping, and testing programs
Support plant expansions, relocations, and start-ups so that safety requirements are addressed in design
Requirements
8+ years of progressive safety, occupational health, or risk management experience, including 3+ years in a multi-site leadership role
Demonstrated experience across both industrial or manufacturing safety and Department of Transportation/FMCSA compliance
Ability to provide safety oversight of a transportation function owned by a dedicated team
Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety, Industrial Hygiene, Engineering, Transportation, Business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education, certification, and experience
Working command of OSHA general industry standards and recordkeeping, and of FMCSA regulations covering driver qualification, hours of service, controlled substance and alcohol testing, and vehicle maintenance
Experience managing regulatory inspections, citations, and agency interaction
Experience with workers’ compensation claims management, return-to-work programs, and loss analysis
Demonstrated ability to investigate incidents to root cause and drive corrective action to verified closure across multiple locations
Strong communication and influence skills, with the credibility to hold plant and regional leadership accountable and the judgment to escalate when necessary
Willingness to travel regularly to assigned facilities and to respond to serious incidents outside normal business hours
Valid driver’s license and acceptable motor vehicle record
Nice to have:
Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Associate Safety Professional (ASP), Occupational Health and Safety Technologist (OHST), or Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH)
Certified Director of Safety (CDS), Certified Safety Supervisor (CSS), or comparable transportation safety credential
OSHA 30-hour general industry, and OSHA 500/501 authorized trainer status
Experience in commercial or healthcare laundry, or in another high-heat, high-humidity, chemical-intensive processing environment such as food and beverage, textiles, or paper
Experience with bloodborne pathogens exposure control in a healthcare-adjacent operation, and familiarity with HLAC accreditation standards
Experience standing up or standardizing safety programs across newly acquired locations
Experience administering or overseeing telematics, camera, or event-recorder programs in a route-based fleet
Experience with J.J. Keller or comparable DOT compliance management software and managed services
Bilingual in English and Spanish, or demonstrated experience delivering safety training to a multilingual workforce
Experience with environmental compliance obligations including wastewater discharge permits and chemical reporting
Benefits
Annual performance incentive of up to 20% of base salary, tied to recordable injury and lost-time rates, preventable accident frequency, training completion, audit performance, and workers’ compensation cost outcomes
About the Company
Healthcare Linen Services Group (HLSG) is a leading provider of mission-critical healthcare linen management services, operating processing plants across the Midwest, Central, and South-Central United States through a family of premier regional brands. HLSG has grown rapidly through both organic expansion and acquisition, and is a repeat Great Place to Work–certified employer.
Healthcare Linen Services Group (HLSG) is a leading provider of linen management services to the healthcare and hospitality industries.
