Site EHS Manager BESS Project (HF)

Site EHS Manager BESS Project (Dual Civil & High-Voltage Focus)

Location: Ako Hyogo Prefecture Japan (100% Site-Based)
Position Type: Full-time Project-Based
Reports To: Project Director
Language Requirement: Native or Fluent Japanese & Business-level English

Job Purpose
The Site EHS Manager will lead all safety operations for the utility-scale Battery Energy
Storage System (BESS) project in Ako. This complex infrastructure project demands a rare
dual-expertise: managing high-risk heavy civil works and deep foundation engineering
during the initial phases and seamlessly transitioning to supervise high-voltage (HV)
electrical installation substation integration and energization phases. The candidate
ensures a zero-incident environment across both engineering disciplines.

Key Responsibilities:

Civil Works & Structural Infrastructure Safety
Oversight of Earthworks & Excavation: Monitor heavy excavation slope stability
retaining wall construction and deep trenching. Enforce strict shoring requirements
to prevent soil collapse.
Heavy Equipment & Traffic Segregation: Manage a high volume of heavy
machinery (excavators piling rigs concrete trucks) and establish foolproof traffic
plans to separate heavy plant machinery from ground workers.
Foundation & Structural Civil Works: Supervise the structural integrity of deep
piling and the pouring of massive reinforced concrete pads engineered to support
heavy battery enclosures.
Heavy Lifting Operations: Review and approve critical rigging and heavy-crane lift
plans for placing high-tonnage battery containers transformers and electrical
skids.

High-Voltage Electrical & Commissioning Safety
Lock-Out/Tag-Out (LOTO) Governance: Establish audit and strictly enforce the
sites LOTO and Permit-to-Work (PTW) systems during electrical fit-out and testing.
Arc Flash & High-Voltage Hazards: Enforce personal protective equipment (PPE)
compliance safe approach distances and boundary controls for high-voltage
substation areas and grid-connection points. 1

Battery Specific Hazards: Manage specialized risks associated with DC battery
strings including stranded energy hazards chemical exposure and thermal
runaway prevention during cell installation and testing.
Utility Integration Liaison: Collaborate closely with the appointed Chief Electrical
Engineer (Denki Shunin Gijutsusha) to ensure all safety steps align with the
Electricity Business Act (Denki Jigyou-hou) and Kansai Electric Power Company
(KEPCO) grid requirements.

Site Governance & Contractor Management
EPC Oversight Across Phases: Manage the high-risk transition window where civil
subcontractors hand over work areas to electrical and commissioning teams.
Lead Joint Safety Initiatives: Conduct daily TKY (Teiki Kyouniku / Tool Box Talks)
addressing both civil hazards (e.g. open trenches blind spots) and electrical
hazards (e.g. live circuits cable pull tracking).
Emergency Response Execution: Design and test an agile Site Emergency
Response Plan (ERP) capable of handling both civil emergencies (landslips
machinery entrapment) and electrical disasters (arc flash lithium battery fires). 1

Corporate HSE Governance:
Act as the primary interface between project site local management and Group HSE
leadership team (Equans Solar & Storage). Ensure the timely and accurate reporting
of HSE performance indicators significant incidents near misses and ESG-related
metrics in accordance with project requirements client expectations Japan
regulatory obligations and company corporate governance standards.
Support the implementation of site-specific safety initiatives compliance monitoring
and continuous improvement programs to maintain the highest standards of health
safety environmental and operational performance.

Required Qualifications & Skills
Technical Civil & Electrical Certifications
Mandatory Certification: Licensed Health Officer (Eisei Kanrisha Type 1).
Highly Desirable Civil/Electrical Credentials:

Operations Chief for Excavation Work (Kurubori Sagyokaichou) / Shoring
(Shibakou).
Valid Japanese Electrical License (e.g. Electrician Denki Kojishi or working
knowledge of Denki Shunin Gijutsusha requirements).
Standards Proficiency: Deep familiarity with both Japanese Civil Construction
safety laws (Kensetsu Gyouhou) and Electrical Installation standard practices.

Experience
Minimum 7 years of dedicated site-based EHS experience leading large
infrastructure projects.
Proven track record executing projects that combine heavy civil foundations with
complex electrical substations (e.g. utility-scale Solar/Wind Thermal Power Plants
or large-scale BESS facilities).
Proven experience managing diverse civil and electrical EPC subcontractors in
Japan.

Language & Location
Native or Bilingual Japanese: Mandatory to manage communication with local
equipment operators electrical technicians KEPCO representatives and the Ako
Fire Department.
Business English: Required to deliver comprehensive incident reports and progress
metrics to the global executive team.