Project Health & Safety Manager

Forbes Bros. Group of Companies delivers transmission, distribution, substation, and related power infrastructure projects across Canada and the United States.

Our work spans field construction, project delivery, operations, and corporate support in an environment where safety, execution, and reliability matter.

Project Health & Safety Manager – Transmission Construction

North Platte / Stapleton, Nebraska, USA Full-Time | Site-Based Rotation: 3 Weeks On / 1 Week Off

Lead Safety on a Major Transmission Construction Project

We are supporting the delivery of a large-scale overhead transmission construction project near North Platte and Stapleton, Nebraska, and are seeking an experienced Project Health & Safety Manager to serve as the senior HSE authority on-site.

This is a field-driven construction safety leadership role requiring daily engagement with line crews, foremen, general foremen, superintendents, subcontractors and active work fronts. The Project HSE Manager will lead safety execution across multiple crews and contractors, integrating safety directly into construction planning, field operations and project delivery.

The successful candidate must understand how transmission, distribution or substation construction is planned and executed and be comfortable challenging work plans, coaching field leadership and stopping work when appropriate.

This is not a general industrial EHS or compliance-focused position. Direct field safety experience supporting transmission, distribution or substation construction is required. Experience in industrial, pipeline, oil and gas, renewable energy or heavy civil construction may complement, but does not replace, the required utility construction experience.

Candidates whose backgrounds are primarily manufacturing, warehousing, facility EHS or administrative compliance will not be suited to this role.

What We Offer

• Competitive hourly wage

• Comprehensive benefits package

• 401(k) eligibility

• Paid time off

• Project-eligible per diem of $200 per day worked

• Annual boot allowance of $250

• Annual clothing allowance of up to $900

• Company phone and laptop

• Long-term project opportunity

• Potential redeployment to future projects following project completion

Role Overview

Reporting to the Senior Project Manager, with a functional reporting relationship to the Director of Safety Operations, the Project Health & Safety Manager is responsible for leading all aspects of project HSE execution.

This position operates as the lead field safety authority and works directly with Project Management, Construction Management, line supervision, craft personnel, subcontractors and client representatives to support safe, compliant and efficient project execution.

The Project HSE Manager will maintain a strong daily field presence across multiple crews and simultaneous work fronts. The role requires a practical understanding of transmission construction activities, electrical hazards, heavy civil work and the relationship between safe execution, production planning and project performance.

Key Responsibilities

Field Safety Leadership and Execution

• Lead implementation and ongoing execution of the project Health and Safety Management Plan.

• Serve as the senior HSE authority on the project.

• Maintain a visible daily field presence across crews, work locations and active construction fronts.

• Integrate safety requirements directly into construction planning, scheduling, sequencing and daily execution.

• Participate in planning meetings, coordination meetings, daily briefings and discussions concerning upcoming high-risk work.

• Work directly with superintendents, general foremen, foremen and crews to identify hazards and implement practical controls before work begins.

• Lead field audits, inspections, observations and corrective-action follow-up.

• Identify recurring hazards, operational trends and gaps in field execution.

• Reinforce stop-work expectations and intervene where work is not properly planned or controlled.

• Hold employees, subcontractors and field leadership accountable to company, client and project safety requirements.

• Ensure corrective actions are assigned, tracked and brought to completion.

Transmission and High-Risk Work Oversight

Provide field safety leadership for transmission construction activities that may include:

• Right-of-way access and work-area development

• Excavation, trenching and ground disturbance

• Foundation installation

• Drilled pier and direct-embed activities

• Structure assembly and erection

• Crane operations, lifting and rigging

• Critical lifts and suspended loads

• Conductor pulling, tensioning, sagging and clipping

• Grounding and bonding

• Work near energized electrical infrastructure

• Energized crossings and clearance controls

• Minimum approach distance requirements

• Work at heights and fall protection

• Lockout/tagout and hazardous-energy control

• Confined-space entry

• Heavy-equipment and vehicle operations

• Simultaneous operations involving multiple crews and contractors

Additional responsibilities include:

• Review job safety analyses, job briefings, pre-task plans, lift plans, permits and other high-risk work documentation.

• Confirm that hazards, work methods, responsibilities and controls are clearly understood before work begins.

• Support field leadership in determining whether conditions have changed and whether work plans require revision.

• Verify that required equipment, training, permits, protective systems and competent persons are in place.

• Coordinate with Construction Management and subcontractors regarding overlapping activities and changing field conditions.

Incident Management and Compliance

• Lead the response to incidents, near misses, high-potential events and property-damage events.

• Conduct or oversee incident investigations, root-cause analysis and corrective-action development.

• Ensure incidents are reported, documented and escalated in accordance with company and client requirements.

• Identify underlying operational and organizational causes rather than relying solely on employee-level findings.

• Communicate lessons learned and verify that corrective actions are implemented in the field.

• Maintain compliance with applicable OSHA requirements, client standards, company policies and project-specific requirements.

• Maintain accurate project HSE records, reports, inspection documentation and investigation files.

• Track leading and lagging safety indicators, observations, trends and recurring exposures.

• Prepare project safety reports and communicate performance, risks and required actions to project leadership.

• Support regulatory, client and internal audits or inspections.

HSE Team Leadership

• Lead, mentor and support site-based HSE personnel.

• Establish clear responsibilities, coverage expectations and field priorities for the project HSE team.

• Coordinate HSE coverage across multiple crews, work fronts, shifts and subcontractors.

• Review the quality and consistency of field inspections, observations, reports and corrective actions.

• Coach HSE personnel on hazard recognition, field engagement, construction planning and incident investigation.

• Ensure the HSE team operates as an integrated project function rather than as a separate compliance group.

• Support workforce planning and deployment of HSE resources based on project activity and risk.

Contractor and Field Coordination

• Work directly with Project Management and Construction Management to reinforce project safety expectations.

• Evaluate subcontractor safety performance and address deficiencies with subcontractor leadership.

• Review subcontractor safety plans, qualifications, training records and high-risk work documentation.

• Facilitate or support orientations, toolbox talks, safety meetings, stand-downs and field coaching.

• Build productive working relationships with line supervision, craft employees, subcontractors and client representatives.

• Influence field execution through credibility, consistency and practical knowledge of construction operations.

• Support development of a proactive project culture focused on planning, accountability and continuous improvement.

What We Are Looking For

Required Experience and Background

• A minimum of seven years of field-based construction HSE experience.

• A minimum of three years of direct HSE experience supporting transmission, distribution or substation construction.

• Previous experience serving as a lead HSE professional, Project Safety Manager or senior field safety authority.

• Experience supporting multiple crews, subcontractors or simultaneous active work fronts.

• Direct experience working with linemen, foremen, general foremen, superintendents and project management.

• Experience reviewing and challenging job briefings, JSAs, pre-task plans, lift plans, permits and high-risk work plans.

• Strong working knowledge of OSHA requirements applicable to electric power transmission and distribution construction.

• Experience overseeing construction activities involving excavation, lifting and rigging, work at heights, grounding, energized infrastructure and heavy equipment.

• Demonstrated incident-investigation and root-cause-analysis capability.

• Experience tracking corrective actions and verifying implementation in the field.

• Experience leading, coordinating or mentoring site-based HSE personnel.

• Experience holding contractors and field leadership accountable to established safety requirements.

Applicants without direct transmission, distribution or substation construction safety experience will not be considered for the Project HSE Manager position.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous field experience as a lineman, apprentice lineman, line foreman or utility construction supervisor.

• Experience supporting large-scale overhead transmission projects.

• Experience with transmission foundations, structure erection and conductor installation.

• Experience supporting energized crossings, grounding plans and work near existing electrical infrastructure.

• Experience working for a major utility contractor, EPC contractor or utility owner.

• Post-secondary education in Occupational Health and Safety or a related discipline, or equivalent field experience.

• CUSP, CHST, CSP, GSP or similar professional designation.

• OSHA 500 or OSHA 510.

• NFPA 70E training.

• Experience with Procore, SiteDocs or comparable project and safety reporting platforms.

Skills and Capabilities

• Strong field leadership and contractor-management capability.

• Demonstrated credibility with craft employees and construction supervision.

• Ability to influence work planning and operational decisions.

• Strong understanding of transmission construction hazards and controls.

• Strong hazard-recognition and risk-assessment capability.

• Ability to distinguish between documentation compliance and effective field execution.

• Decisive and comfortable exercising stop-work authority.

• Strong incident-investigation and corrective-action capability.

• Ability to manage competing priorities across multiple work fronts.

• Comfortable operating in fast-paced environments with changing conditions.

• Strong written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills.

• Strong organizational, documentation and follow-through capability.

• Able to work independently while remaining closely integrated with project leadership.

Work Conditions and Requirements

• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

• Must successfully complete pre-employment and project-specific drug and alcohol testing.

• Must hold a valid driver’s license with an acceptable driving record.

• Must successfully complete required background screening.

• Must be able to work outdoors in changing weather and terrain conditions.

• Must be able to travel within the project area and maintain a regular presence at active work fronts.

• Must be able to wear required personal protective equipment.

• Must be able to work the required project rotation and schedule.

Project Rotation and Schedule

• Rotation: Three weeks on / one week off

• Schedule: Six days on / one day off

• Typical day: Ten hours

• Regular day off: Sunday

Rotation, scheduled days off and working hours may adjust based on project requirements, weather, outages, critical work activities and construction sequencing.

Why This Role

This is an opportunity to lead HSE execution on a major transmission construction project where safety leadership directly affects construction planning, workforce protection and project performance.

The successful candidate will have meaningful authority and visibility across the project and will play a central role in supporting line crews, strengthening field leadership and ensuring that high-risk work is properly planned and executed.

This role is suited to an experienced utility construction HSE leader who wants to remain directly engaged in field operations and contribute to the successful delivery of a complex, long-term transmission project.

Forbes Bros. Group of Companies and its affiliated entities are committed to providing a respectful and accessible recruitment process.

Employment is subject to the requirements of the applicable role, location, project, and employing entity. Depending on the position, this may include verification of work authorization, background screening, driver abstract, drug and alcohol screening, credential verification, client/site access requirements, and other pre-employment conditions permitted by applicable law.

Applicants who require accommodation during the recruitment process are encouraged to contact the recruitment team.