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Austal USA

Designs and builds U.S. Navy vessels

Safety Representative

Full-Time
$27.70 - $38.10/hr
Junior
San Diego, CA, USA
In Person
Facilities OperationsEnvironmental Health & Safety
No H1B Sponsorship

About the job

Requirements
  • One to two years of related environmental, health, and safety experience, or a combination of education and experience.
  • Prior military, police, or professional fire service experience may be considered in lieu of education.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of standards, concepts, practices, and procedures in health, safety, and environmental fields.
  • Working industry knowledge and basic Occupational Safety and Health Administration safety training certification in one of the following work groups: 29 CFR 1915, 1910, or 1926.
  • Possess or have the desire and ability to complete Occupational Safety and Health Administration and National Fire Protection Association training to be recognized as a marine competent person for hot work inspections.
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills for training, presentations, and report writing.
  • Ability to work effectively with employees at all organizational levels and in a diverse work group.
  • Possess or have the desire and ability to complete a medical first responder course within six months of hire.
  • Willingness and ability to work in close and confined spaces.
  • Willingness and ability to work any shift, including holidays, and to be on call.
  • Ability to remain calm and in control when faced with angry or confrontational employees.
  • Demonstrated beginner-level or higher personal computer skills using Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), Publisher, and Adobe products.
  • Ability to obtain Confined Space Competent Person Certification within six months of hire.
  • Ability to obtain Occupational Safety and Health Administration Maritime 30-hour Certification within six months of hire.
  • Must be at least 18 years old at the time of application.
  • Must provide proof of U.S. Person status.
  • Must have no felony convictions for theft, deception, or violent crimes within seven years of disposition, and no felony convictions for drug crimes within three years of disposition.
  • Must be willing to submit to a drug screen and background check.
  • Must be able to tour vessels and work sites; stand, walk, manipulate and handle objects, reach, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, and talk or hear, and occasionally sit.
  • Must be able to bend, squat, stoop, crawl, and kneel; stand for prolonged periods; turn the head and body from side to side and around the vertical axis; and lift, push, or pull 50 to 75 pounds occasionally and up to 20 pounds frequently.
  • Must safely climb stairs, scaffolding, ladders, and ramps, work at heights above 12 feet from ladders, scaffolding, or man lifts, and work at waist, eye, and overhead levels.
  • Must safely use required tools and equipment, maintain balance on uneven surfaces and around obstacles, and have sufficient handgrip and coordination to carry and operate tools and equipment.
  • Must safely use personal protective equipment in accordance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards.
  • Must tolerate hot and cold temperatures, enter 18-by-36-inch openings, and work in confined spaces for prolonged periods.
  • Must respond to verbal and audible commands, have adequate visual skills, fully extend the arms in multiple directions, and perceive an object's size, shape, temperature, and texture through touch.
  • Must comply with company, federal, state, and local safety and environmental rules and regulations while performing daily tasks.
Responsibilities
  • Assist the Environmental, Health, and Safety Department in ensuring compliance with company safety policies, the fire and flooding plan, and corporate, state, and federal occupational safety and health regulations and guidelines.
  • Work with employees on safety issues and provide assistance with safety and risk or accident-prevention concerns.
  • Perform site and equipment inspections and assist with accident investigations and safety inspections.
  • Conduct safety surveys to identify and evaluate occupational health, safety, and environmental conditions.
  • Perform comprehensive on-site inspections to audit physical conditions and safe work practices.
  • Recommend corrective actions, including temporary work stoppages or area closings.
  • Provide first-response medical assistance until the medical team arrives.
  • Calibrate, use, and interpret air-monitoring equipment.
  • Conduct monthly inspection programs for fire extinguishers, air monitoring, vehicles, and eyewash stations, and complete the required paperwork promptly.
  • Extinguish live fires at the incipient stage.
  • Respond to and mitigate small hazardous-material spills promptly.
  • Work with safety personnel, supervisors, and managers and take direction.
  • Perform other related duties as assigned, such as operating ships’ onboard fire-suppression systems.
  • Comply with the employee handbook, company procedures, and company policies.
  • Conduct health, safety, and environmental workplace investigations.
  • Liaise with GDIS, Navy personnel, Sup Ship, company employees, supervisors and foremen, subcontractors, contractors, and other designated parties.
Desired Qualifications
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration Outreach training related to the shipyard industry is a plus but is not required.

About the company

Austal USA builds and maintains ships for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, covering aluminum and steel hulls and a lifecycle of maintenance and modernization. Ships are designed and constructed with modular manufacturing and in-house capabilities, supported by a large, continuously operating facility and a Repair & Services division. The company also develops advanced technologies—autonomy, unmanned surface vessels, AI, and submarine modules—with partnerships like Electric Boat, plus an Advanced Technology division that runs the Navy’s additive manufacturing efforts. Its goal is to deliver and sustain modern vessels, broaden its maritime footprint, and advance defense-focused autonomous and additive manufacturing technologies.

Company Size

1,001-5,000

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

N/A

Founded

1999

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • September 16, 2026 dry-dock contract expands emergency maintenance work and utilization.
  • March 19, 2026 Master Boat subcontract broadens distributed T-ATS production capacity.
  • A new 192,000-square-foot assembly building completes by early 2027, boosting OPC and TAGOS-25 throughput.

What critics are saying

  • DOJ criminal trial starts October 5, 2026; conviction threatens debarment from Navy contracts.
  • Wildcat and Hanwha takeover fights distract management and expose ownership uncertainty.
  • Reuters reported A$202.8 million 2026 U.S. business EBIT loss; margin pressure remains severe.

What makes Austal USA unique

  • Mobile yard builds steel and aluminum warships for Navy and Coast Guard.
  • Austal USA leads Virginia and Columbia submarine module fabrication since 2022.
  • West Coast repair yard and certified dry dock extend recurring sustainment revenue.

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Benefits

Flexible Work Hours

Company News

Austal
Sep 29th, 2026
Austal launches into Land Forces for the first time.

Austal launches into Land Forces for the first time. September 29, 2026 Building on 38 years of sovereign shipbuilding and as the Landing Craft Medium (LCM) and Landing Craft Heavy (LCH) programs commence as part of the Australian Army's littoral manoeuvre capability, Austal will make its debut at the Land Forces International Land Defence Exposition for the first time. The Land Forces Exposition is taking place from 6 to 8 October 2026 at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre (PCEC) and provides a unique opportunity for Austal to demonstrate how its extensive shipbuilding experience and innovative technology can support defence partners in the littoral environment. Following two decades of global littoral capability development, which has seen the company deliver landing craft and littoral combat ships for use by the US Navy, US Marine Corps and US Army, Austal is turning its attention to the domestic customer. Headquartered in Henderson. Western Australia, Austal is building 8 Landing Craft Heavy and 18 Landing Craft Medium vessels for the Australian Army under the Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement. As part of these programs, Austal is undertaking a major recruitment campaign to hire hundreds of people across trades and office-based roles over a 12-month period and recruitment representatives will be at the Austal stand (2L16) to talk about career opportunities, including apprenticeships and early careers programs. Outside of the landing craft builds, the company has also been working on integrated autonomous solutions and decision support tools to provide commanders with advanced decision making during littoral operations. A new tool has been developed in house by Austal's R&D team to integrate vessel and environmental data, including mobility, cargo loading and beach conditions, supporting faster, better-informed and actionable decisions. Delivered in partnership with Greenroom Robotics, visitors to the Austal stand can also immerse themselves with a new digital command table, replicating the bird ops table. It will showcase manned unmanned teaming (MUM-T) in support of landing craft missions through Austal's AROS autonomy architecture and Vantage-class Optionally Crewed Surface Vessels. Major General (Retired) Kathryn Toohey AM CSC will host a thought leadership panel session delivered by the Austal team between 1130 - 1230 on Thursday, 8 October. Under the theme Advancing Littoral Capability: Austal's Integrated Advantage, the panel will explore how Austal's experience designing, constructing and sustaining world class maritime platforms helps deliver integrated solutions for its customers. Throughout the event, representatives from Austal's senior leadership, business development, technology, supply chain, human resources and sustainment teams will be available to discuss the company's capabilities and answer questions. "Austal is delighted to be participating in Land Forces 2026 for the first time, especially in WA, where we are beginning work on landing craft programs that mark the start of a continuous naval shipbuilding future in this state." "Land Forces is an important opportunity for Austal to emphasise the work and recruitment underway to build Australia's future defence fleet at Henderson, and the decades of experience and innovation that have led us to this point." Austal CEO Paddy Gregg "We look forward to welcoming our defence partners, the international community and stakeholders from across government and industry to the Austal stand and our thought leadership session, where we'll be highlighting the design, construction, sustainment and autonomy expertise that provides our customers with a unique integrated advantage in littoral capabilities."

Australian Defence Magazine
Sep 9th, 2026
Wild card bids for Austal USA.

Wild card bids for Austal USA. By Max Blenkin | Canberra | 9 September 2026 2 / 3 free articles left. Australian shipbuilder Austal has received a second bid to buy its US subsidiary Austal USA. That follows a bid for Austal USA from Hanwha Defense USA, a subsidiary of South Korean defence and industrial powerhouse Hanwha Aerospace. The latest bid comes from Miami-based Wildcat Infrastructure which has put forward a non-binding bid to Austal's board to buy Austal USA, comprising the company's US entities and shipyard at Mobile, Alabama. Their proposal values Austal USA at between $US 1.25 billion (approx. A $1.73 billion) and $US 1.35 billion (approx. A $1.87 billion). That's a big step up on the Hanwha bid which values Austal USA at US $1.05 billion (approx. A $1.45 billion) to US $1.2 billion (approx. A $1.66 billion). Not much is known about Wildcat Infrastructure. The company website says Wildcat Equity Partners is a privately held family investment firm "focused on businesses where long-term capital, management expertise and perseverance can make all the difference." According to its LinkedIn profile, Wildcat Infrastructure "builds and acquires next-generation companies driven by the global demand for critical infrastructure, specifically Energy (clean and renewable), Information (5G), Transport (bridge and roads) and Water Infrastructure (clean water and wastewater systems)." Wildcat Infrastructure president and executive director is businessman George Nicolaides whose entry on LinkedIn shows a background in the oil sector. In a statement to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), Austal said Wildcat had indicated it intended to operate the company as a standalone platform, retaining the Austal brand and the company's US operations. "The board and its advisers will consider the transaction proposed by Wildcat," the statement said. Like the Hanwha bid, this was good news for shareholders with Austal shares jumping 6.4 per cent to $4.63, their highest level since April. Austal is the largest Australian owned defence company operating in the US, building a numbers of ships for the US Navy, including the Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ships and Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport vessels. In 2024, Hanwha made an unsuccessful takeover bid for all of Austal. The company rejected the offer citing concerns that regulatory approvals from the US and Australia would not be forthcoming. But at the time, Austal said they remained open to "further engagement if Hanwha is able to provide certainty on whether a transaction would be approved." Hanwha subsequently withdrew the offer. However, Hanwha does own almost 20 per cent of Austal in Australia. Wildcat's bid could open the way for a bidding war. Another issue is whether the US would approve a sale to South Korea, considering the Trump administration's strong America first stance. As well, Trump ordered a scaling back on joint exercises because of South Korea's refusal to assist the US in its conflict against Iran.