Safety Lead

The Safety Lead provides strategic safety oversight, program leadership, and operational safety direction across assigned data center, warehouse, construction-adjacent, and deployment environments within North America. This role serves as the senior safety authority for the Milestone Service, ensuring adherence to OSHA requirements, client safety standards, and Statement of Work (SOW) safety and training obligations while driving a best-in-class safety culture.

The Safety Lead is responsible for leading root cause analysis and mitigation for all safety incidents, analyzing safety observations and trends to predict and prevent areas of concern, developing and enforcing training programs, and aligning safety performance with operational and client expectations. This role directly oversees DC Safety Coordinators and partners with operations leadership, construction management, client safety representatives, and cross-functional teams to ensure safety is embedded as a core operating standard across all logistics and deployment activities.

Direct Reports: Safety Coordinators report to this role.

Active Construction Environment & Required Personal Protection Equipment

This role operates within and provides safety oversight across active data center construction and deployment environments. The Safety Lead may work in or around construction zones, loading docks, staging areas, equipment pathways, partially completed data halls, and areas with ongoing trade activity. Work conditions may include exposure to moving equipment, construction materials, uneven surfaces, elevated noise levels, changing access routes, and other hazards commonly associated with active construction sites.

As the senior safety leader, this role is expected to set the safety standard for all personnel, conduct field-level safety assessments, validate that hazard controls and safety programs are functioning as designed, and drive immediate corrective action when conditions are unsafe or outside approved procedures. The Safety Lead holds authority to stop work across assigned operations and escalate systemic safety risks to senior management and client leadership.

Required Personal Protective Equipment must be worn at all times while operating in designated construction or deployment areas and may include, but is not limited to:

• Hard hat
• Steel-toed safety boots
• High-visibility vest or approved high-visibility clothing
• Safety eyewear / eye protection
• Work gloves
• Hearing protection (as required by area or task)

Key Responsibilities

Safety Program Leadership & Strategy

• Lead the overall safety focus, program direction, and risk mitigation strategy across assigned North American sites and operations.
• Serve as the senior safety authority and primary safety escalation point for the Milestone Service within assigned region.
• Ensure safety and training compliance aligns with Statement of Work (SOW) responsibilities and meets expected standards of operational safety.
• Partner with internal teams and client to produce a best-in-class safety service that meets or exceeds contractual and regulatory requirements.
• Develop, implement, and continuously improve safety programs, policies, procedures, and standards to reduce risk and drive safety performance improvement.
• Set expectations, priorities, and performance standards for DC Safety Coordinators; provide direction, mentorship, and accountability.

• Represent safety in business reviews, client meetings, operational planning sessions, and cross-functional leadership discussions.

Incident Management & Root Cause Analysis

• Lead root cause analysis and mitigation for all safety incidents across North America.
• Ensure root cause analysis is completed within 72 hours for all safety incidents.
• Oversee incident investigation quality, ensure contributing factors and systemic gaps are identified, and validate that corrective/preventive actions are effective and sustainable.
• Track all open safety actions to closure, verify effectiveness of corrective measures, and escalate unresolved or recurring risks to senior management and client leadership.
• Maintain accurate incident records, investigation documentation, and regulatory reporting in compliance with OSHA and client requirements.

• Communicate incident findings, lessons learned, and systemic trends to operations leadership, Safety Coordinators, and cross-functional partners.

Safety Observations, Trend Analysis & Predictive Risk Management

• Analyze safety observations, near-miss reports, inspection findings, and leading indicators to predict areas of concern and proactively address emerging risks.
• Identify patterns, trends, and recurring themes across sites to prioritize interventions, training needs, and resource allocation.
• Perform ad-hoc analysis as well as regular business reviews to support decision-making and provide leadership visibility into safety performance.
• Develop and maintain safety dashboards, KPI reports, trend analyses, and executive-level safety summaries.

• Understand business needs for safety and training requirements to improve data systems and develop new reporting methods that provide better operational visibility.

Training, Competency & Development

• Oversee the safety training program for all logistics and deployment personnel, ensuring alignment with OSHA requirements, client standards, and SOW obligations.
• Identify training needs based on observation analysis, incident trends, competency gaps, and changing operational conditions.
• Develop, deliver, or coordinate safety training including new-hire orientations, refresher training, task-specific briefings, toolbox talks, safety stand-downs, and leadership development for Safety Coordinators.
• Ensure Safety Coordinators are equipped, trained, and supported to deliver effective field-level safety coaching, hazard assessments, and pre-task planning.
• Maintain training records and ensure all personnel are current on required safety certifications, site-specific training, and client-mandated safety modules.

• Support the continuous development of operational safety services on site.

Safety Culture, Engagement & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Motivate, inspire, and encourage team members, as well as cross-functional teams, to execute safely and take personal ownership of safety outcomes.
• Promote a culture of hazard awareness, stop-work authority, proactive reporting, accountability, and continuous improvement at all organizational levels.
• Collaborate on cross-functional operational initiatives to ensure safety is integrated into process design, workflow changes, and operational planning.
• Partner with operations, construction, security, facilities, procurement, vendors, and client representatives to align safety programs with site requirements and business objectives.
• Identify process and systems gaps and partner with Milestone and client operations to drive safety and training results.

• Champion safety communication across shifts, sites, teams, and organizational levels.

Compliance, Auditing & Continuous Improvement

• Ensure compliance with OSHA standards (General Industry and Construction), client safety requirements, site-specific procedures, and company safety policies across all assigned sites.
• Plan, conduct, or oversee safety audits, inspections, program assessments, and management safety reviews.
• Recommend improvements to systems and processes to identify areas of service improvement and best utilization of resources.
• Identify, document, and implement process improvements to enhance safety performance, reduce risk, and improve compliance and service quality.
• Oversee Safety Coordinator execution of daily inspections, observations, PPE enforcement, and hazard control verification.
• Ensure regulatory compliance documentation, training records, inspection logs, and incident files are maintained to audit-ready standards.

• Support client safety audits, regulatory inquiries, and third-party assessment activities.

Operational Planning & Reporting

• Plan work to ensure operational safety commitments are achieved across all assigned sites and shifts.
• Prepare and deliver safety performance reports, business reviews, incident summaries, trend analyses, corrective action status updates, and program health assessments for senior management and client stakeholders.
• Provide regular safety updates to operations leadership including risk exposure, resource needs, program gaps, and recommended actions.
• Manage multiple safety workstreams simultaneously while maintaining quality, timeliness, and stakeholder communication.

Required Qualifications

• High School Diploma, GED, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of experience in safety leadership, safety coordination, EHS, or operational safety within logistics, warehouse, construction, data center, or industrial environments.
• 2+ years of experience in a safety lead, safety manager, or supervisory capacity with direct oversight of safety personnel or safety programs.
• Demonstrated ability to lead root cause analysis, incident investigations, and corrective action programs to closure.
• Experience analyzing safety data, observations, and trends to predict risk and drive proactive interventions.
• Strong knowledge of OSHA General Industry and/or Construction standards applicable to warehouse, logistics, data center, and construction-adjacent environments.
• Experience developing and delivering safety training programs, toolbox talks, and competency-based coaching.
• Proven ability to motivate, influence, and drive safe behaviors across all organizational levels including cross-functional teams.
• Effective professional communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to present findings and recommendations to leadership and client stakeholders.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and SharePoint.
• Experience using safety management systems, incident reporting tools, inspection/audit platforms, or corrective action tracking systems.
• Ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously while maintaining quality and meeting deadlines.
• Strong customer/client relationship management skills with the ability to align safety programs with client expectations.
• Self-motivated with the ability to work independently, lead remote or distributed teams, and make sound decisions with limited oversight.
• Strong problem-solving capabilities with the ability to identify systemic issues and develop sustainable solutions.
• Ability to stand, walk, and perform physical work for extended periods including field observations across active work areas.
• Ability to safely lift and move up to 50 pounds, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Valid driver's license required for multi-site travel responsibilities.
• Ability to pass required background checks, motor vehicle record checks, or site-specific screenings where applicable.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Occupational Safety & Health, Environmental Health & Safety, Industrial Safety, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, related field, or equivalent work experience.
• OSHA 30-Hour (General Industry or Construction) certification required; both preferred.