Workplace Safety Specialist

The Workplace Safety Specialist assists in developing and administering programs to ensure team member and environmental health and safety and compliance with safety, health and environmental regulations and supports the safety function by conducting inspections, training sessions, data gathering, and implementation of safety protocols and acts as the field representative of the safety department.

Program Development

• Assists with drafting documents, implementing programs

Compliance

• Interpret, apply and explain applicable laws, codes, regulations and guidelines.
• Maintain accurate safety records, training logs, and inspection reports
• Ensures the organization complies with all environmental regulations regarding hazardous substance handling and disposal.

Education, Coaching & Support

• Assist with conducting safety training at new employee orientations.
• Delivers departmental training sessions, maintains training records

Risk Assessments

• Performs on-site job and task risk assessments and hazard identifications
• Perform ergonomic risk assessments when indicated or requested.
• Conducts environmental safety audits and inspections to ensure compliance
• Identify unsafe conditions and escalate concerns to the Workplace Safety Manager
• Assist with PPE inventory and distribution

Incident Management

• Support incident investigations with data collection and documentation.
• Gathers initial reports, conducts interviews, supports investigations.
• Reviews accidents and makes recommendations for prevention of similar future incidents.

Reporting & Metrics

• Perform data collection, measurement, and analysis, including benchmarking and comparative data evaluation to develop quality reports.

Communication

• Communicates safety protocols to staff and assists in field coordination.

Emergency Response

• Respond to and investigate hospital safety emergencies such as fires, hazardous materials incidents, and severe employee injuries on a 24/7 on-call support rotation.
• Respond to the hospital and assist with the activation of disaster plans.
• Work to build consensus with departmental response plans. Identify systems and operational problems and propose solutions.
• Support the implementation of on-going education of the Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) throughout the organization.
• May be required to stay at or return to work during public health incidents and/or emergencies to perform duties specific to this classification or to perform other duties as requested in an assigned response position. This may require working a non-traditional work schedule or working outside normal assigned duties during the incident.

Continuous Improvement

• Support and contribute to the development and maintenance of a positive safety culture.

• Attend Workplace Safety Committee meetings and provide regular updates, reports on progress.

• Attend hospital-related subcommittee meetings, contribute ideas, and monitor the planning process. Develop project plans and timelines for accomplishing outstanding tasks. Identify inconsistencies among plans and proposes corrective measures.

• Provides feedback from the field and suggests improvements.

• Stay up-to-date on safety best practices and recommend improvements.

• Monitor employee adherence to safety policies on-site.

• Travel to various offsite locations, including patient care areas, as needed

• Performs Other Duties as Assigned.

Education and/or Experience Required:

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Safety, Environmental Science, or related field.
• Experience:
• 1-3 years of health & safety experience.
• Equivalent combination of education, certification and/or experience acceptable as determined by hiring manager.

Education and/or Experience Preferred:

• Experience: 1-3 years of experience in the healthcare industry.

License and/or Certification Required:

• Within 6 months of hire:
• OSHA 10 General Industry.
• Hazwoper First Responder level.
• RCRA/DOT Training.

License and/or Certification Preferred:

• CSP or CIH.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Knowledge:

• Knowledge of principles, practices and applicable equipment related to occupational safety and health, fire and life safety, and hazardous materials and waste management.
• Understand standard occupational hazards, including accident analysis, prevention, and control techniques.
• Knowledge of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Environmental Protection Agency. (EPA)/Connecticut Department of Environmental and Energy Protection (DEEP) regulations, and The Joint Commission (TJC) standards, related to environmental health and safety.

Skills:

• Expertise in safety science and quality improvement principles.
• Excellent attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Work effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Confident and effective decision-making abilities.
• Exhibit strong coaching, teaching, and mentoring capabilities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Establish and maintain effective work relationships utilizing conflict resolution and group process techniques, when necessary, with varying levels of management and professionals.
• Make effective oral training presentations to large and small groups.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, with the ability to build positive working relationships.
• Operational problem solving/decision-making experience.
• Quality improvement methodologies, including Lean, Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA), and other evidence-based improvement models.
• Fluency in computer applications such as Microsoft Office related to safety administration.

Abilities:

• Analyze problems, make independent decisions, interpret data, and formulate clear, actionable reports
• Prioritize tasks, plan effectively, and manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Collaborate across departments to implement and sustain safety standards and guidelines
• Foster a collegial, respectful, and engaging environment with team members at all levels