Health, Wellness and Safety Specialist

The Health, Wellness and Safety Specialist’s primary objectives: facilitate, organize and manage Graco’s Wellness program and lead continuous safety improvement in areas of risk analysis, ergonomics and accident investigations. This position is responsible for championing and creating a Wellness culture at Graco. Utilize nursing, occupational and safety experience to oversee all data driven wellness programming decisions to assure they are compliant with all State, Federal and Country-specific requirements including but not limited to: ACA, ADA, EEOC and OSHA. Serve as technical expert on all wellness programming decisions including on-site health education and initiatives. Accountable for health education program planning, design, facilitation and implementation. Lead continuous improvement and innovative projects including integrating global programming to maximize the health, well-being, and safety of all employees.

Graco manufactures and markets premium equipment to move, measure, control, dispense and spray a wide variety of fluid and powder materials. What does that mean? Well, we pump peanut butter into your jar, and the oil in your car. We glue the soles of your shoes, the glass in your windows and the screen on your phone. We spray the finish on your vehicle, coatings on your pills, the paint on your house and texture on your walls. Graco is part of your daily life. 

Graco has excellent opportunities available to individuals who want to be part of fast-moving, growing company – especially candidates committed to quality, innovation and solving customer problems. Graco was proud to be named a Best Place to Work in Manufacturing and Production by Fortune Magazine in 2016, 2018 and 2019. 

Essential Duties

• Wellness

  • Utilize Graco-specific data to design, facilitate and implement wellness and safety programming including initiatives that address all local, federal, and country-specific laws and standards.

  • Continually evaluate and initiate wellness/safety programming goals that are aligned with Graco’s business goals.

  • Educate and provide ongoing health and wellness data analysis to all stakeholders within Graco (such as manufacturing managers, supervisors, and committees) to raise attention to costs/trends and opportunities for improvement in the areas of occupational health, wellness, and safety.

  • Responsible for oversight and compliance of all Wellness programming (ACA, ADA, and EEOC)

  • Make decisions independently and take appropriate actions to manage wellness programming.

  • Work collaboratively with Wellness third-party administrator (TPA) to assure the effective and professional administration of wellness programming.

  • Facilitate and oversee the operation of the Wellness Champions’ Committee. Create an inclusive environment to encourage and support member participation and ongoing recruitment of new members.

  • Resource to Employee Relations and Legal with health and wellness aspects of employee relation issues.

  • Identify ongoing opportunities to integrate, health, wellness and safety resources to all employee’s that have health concerns and/or current disability and worker’s compensation claims (eg; on-site physical therapy, ergonomic resources, wellness programs)

• Safety/Occupational Health

  • Provide and oversee immediate Safety response, injury/illness referral, accident analysis, and investigation

  • Facilitate and oversee Emergency Response Team for Minneapolis, Rogers, and Anoka

  • Direct industrial hygiene: respiratory surveillance, hearing conservation, and air monitoring for issues; occupational and general safety programs to ensure a safe environment and comply with safety standards.

  • Provide comprehensive management and oversight of all workers’ compensation claims for Minneapolis and Field Sales. Coordinates return to work efforts on behalf of the injured employees. This will require collaboration with physicians, third-party vendors, physical therapists, human resources, supervisors/managers.

  • Responsible for oversight and compliance of Graco’s Reasonable Suspicion program.

  • Monitor and evaluate work areas/site hazards for safety and health compliance, and make appropriate ergonomics recommendations (OSHA, ADA, and EEOC).

  • Partner with Facilities, Factory, and Cell Managers to drive continuous health and safety improvements including participation in the safety committee.

  • Conducts on-site safety reviews and audits of operation at all Graco facilities as needed. (Mpls campus primarily)

  • Utilize R.N. and Occupational Health expertise to act as a health resource to HWS Team, Security, ERT members, and other employees as necessary.

  • Responsible for oversight and coordination of Graco’s Audiometric and Respiratory surveillance programs to assure they are compliant with OSHA requirements.

• Disability

  • Provide direct disability management backup when necessary including FMLA, Short Term Disability, and determining need for fitness for duty or independent medical exams as necessary.

• Other duties as assigned.

Position Requirements

Education/Certifications

• Bachelor’s degree: nursing, public health, human resources or safety, R.N. preferred.

• Masters’ degree in a health, human resources or safety preferred.

• Healthcare Reform, Wellness & Health Coaching certifications are a plus

Experience

• Minimum of five years experience in Occupational Health prefer experience in a manufacturing environment with a company that has a global footprint.

• Experience with managing an outcomes-based wellness program.

• Subject matter expert in health, wellness, and occupational health practices and standards.

• Minimum of two years working in a manufacturing environment.

• Minimum of three years in an occupational health and safety role.

• Experience in developing and delivering continuous improvements in health, wellness, and safety.

• Three years of comprehensive case management in workers’ compensation, disability and FMLA.

• Prior experience overseeing a First Responder/Emergency Response Team.

• Experience and desire to work with diverse population groups. 

• Disease management experience in diabetes, cholesterol, and hypertension preferred.

Skills/Competencies

• Familiarity and ability to effectively communicate with physicians, employees, and supervisors to comprehensively manage medical leaves and assure a safe and reasonable return to work plan.

• Ability to work collaboratively with employees and supervisors/managers to maximize return to work options.

• Positive, engaged and motivated health and safety professional that acknowledges, respects and encourages individual employees to participate in creating a healthy and safe workplace.

• Demonstrated and effective interpersonal, negotiation and conflict-resolution communication skills

• Strong written, oral, and presentation communication skills. 

• Confident and energetic self-starter that excels in the organization.

• Visionary who can maximize resources to identify, facilitate and implement innovative health, wellness and safety management programing.

• Certified in provider-level CPR/AED and First Aid.

Proven Quality. Leading Technology. Launch your career with Graco!

Graco offers attractive compensation, benefits and career development opportunities. Graco’s comprehensive benefits include medical, dental, stock purchase plan, 401(k), tuition reimbursement and more.

Our expectations are high. That’s why we are always looking to hire the brightest and the best!