POSITION SUMMARY:
Under the general direction of the Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) Manager of the Occupational Safety and Environment of Care (OSEC) Unit, or designee, this EH&S Assistant Safety Officer is responsible for supporting the implementation of the EH&S programs for UMass Medical School and UMass Memorial Medical Center Hospital based safety programs at their main and offsite campuses. They will assist the EH&S Manager with managing day to day operations of various programs. The EH&S Assistant Safety Officer will work independently to prioritize multiple projects and operationally manage multiple EH&S programs, may have direct report(s), and may assist managing an onsite regulatory response.
The EH&S Assistant Safety Officer is responsible for assisting with maintaining the organizations’ compliance with existing and developing standards and regulations issued by federal, state, municipal agencies and non-governmental and accreditation agencies. This includes Joint Commission Environment of Care compliance for UMass Memorial Medical Center and its licensed off-site facilities, as well as OSHA, Mass DLS, EPA, DEA, DOT, TJC, NFPA, NIOSH, ANSI, CDC, Mass DOS, Mass DEP, Mass DPH, Worcester FD, and Worcester HD for both the Medical School and Medical Center.
Programs under the Occupational Safety and Environment of Care (OSEC) Unit include respiratory fit testing, indoor air/environmental quality, accident/incident/occurrence investigations, ergonomics, risk/ligature risk assessments, hazard surveillance audits, construction safety, industrial hygiene exposure monitoring, asbestos management, lead management, hazard communication, hazardous chemical and pharmaceutical materials and waste management, hazard communication, spill response, fire drills, Joint Commission Safety and/or Hazardous Materials & Waste Management compliance, and general OSHA standards compliance.
MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Manage day to day operations of:
- The industrial hygiene exposure monitoring program, including development of a sampling strategy, conducting task evaluations to determine need for sampling, conducting personal and area sampling using passive and aggressive processes, maintaining monitoring equipment and badges, and providing reports on findings with recommended actions
- The Medical Center hazard surveillance survey/inspection program in accordance with The Joint Commission and other applicable standards and regulations.
- The Medical Center focused risk assessment and annual proactive risk assessment program to identify and reduce the risk to individuals, units and the organization and develop risk reduction plans as required.
- Training programs to ensure compliance for staff education and new hire orientation related to the above mentioned OSEC programs. Acts as OSEC Unit training coordinator, which includes onboarding new team members to the OSEC Unit, ensuring annual training requirements are completed and training other EH&S unit staff to OSEC programs.
- May manage the day to operations of any of the other programs under the OSEC unit, including respiratory protection and fit testing, indoor environmental/air quality, occurrence/injury/accident investigation, ergonomic/injury prevention/safe patient handling, industrial hygiene exposure monitoring, chemical and pharmaceutical waste, asbestos management, hazard communication, fire safety and drill, or chemical spill response.
- Assist the EH&S Manager of the OSEC Unit with Joint Commission Environment of Care General Safety and/or Hazardous Materials and Waste compliance, with data trending, report development, training and ongoing monitoring processes.
- May participate in a variety of committees or design teams as a designee of the EH&S Manager of the Occupational Safety and Environment of Care Unit
- Responsible for maintaining the OSEC Unit annual equipment calibration process and schedule.
- Develops and delivers training curriculum on various aspects of health and safety to other departments within the Medical School and Medical Center. Maintains a compliance calendar of these trainings and ensures they are completed as required.
- Conducts inspections, document results and provides data analysis.
- Develop, manage, and conduct worksite evaluations, risk assessments, inspections, audits, investigations, or surveillance surveys for assigned OSEC compliance programs including being a team leader or coordinator. Create and prepare checklists for the inspections. Identify potential risks and recommend appropriate solutions.
- Develop, manage, conduct training and provide technical guidance for occupational safety (OSHA) and environment of care (The Joint Commission) programs.
- Supports EH&S in Medical School and Medical Center emergency management program activities
- Policies, SOPs, Data Trending and Record Maintenance:
- Maintains appropriate unit safety records and other necessary documentation, including Environment of Care Committee and TJC compliance documents
- Maintain records and documentation including training records, calibration records, waste manifests, SDS, safety equipment certifications, hazard surveillance reports, and other regulatory compliance documents.
- Review, analyze and present data for trends, deficiencies, quality control, and seeking solutions to correct identified issues.
- Develop and update policies and procedures related to occupational safety and the environment of care programs. Manage a process for continued policy review.
- Develops and maintains departmental SOPs/SOGs for the Occupational Safety and Environment of Care unit.
- Provides technical support, guidance and training in regulatory compliance for all areas of the Medical School and Medical Center relative to EH&S policies and procedures, and applicable regulations, permits, codes, and standards, including those of EPA, DPH, DOT, OSHA, DEP, Worcester Fire Department, NIOSH, ANSI, CDC, NFPA and The Joint Commission. Advises/supports various committees to develop and review policies and procedures.
- Assists with regulatory compliance, providing training, support and materials as needed, and advises personnel at the Medical School, Medical Center, and off-site facilities on safe work practices related to laboratory safety, general safety, injury prevention, ergonomics, hazardous materials, and hospital safety in accordance with internal, state and federal safety related regulations and guidelines
- Monitor governmental organizations for new rules, regulations, laws and policies applicable to the specific area
- Responds to urgent and emergent calls, including as a member of the EH&S off hour, night, weekend and holiday on-call system.
- Performs other applicable duties as required
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in safety, chemistry, biology, environmental health and safety, environmental engineering, environmental science, emergency management, a related field, or equivalent job experience
- Minimum of five (5) years of relevant job experience.
- Valid driver’s license and dependable transportation.
- Certified or become certified within six months of hire as a 40 Hour Emergency Chemical Responder (HazWoper) and DOT/Manifest certification
- Comprehensive working knowledge of applicable regulations such as OSHA, EPA, JC, NFPA, NIOSH, FEMA, MEMA, Mass DOS, Mass DEP, Mass DPH, Worcester FD, and Worcester HD.
- Ability to prioritize multiple tasks and manage time effectively to complete assigned projects and tasks. Analytical skills include evaluating and developing alternatives to address problems and issues.
- Ability to evaluate worksites for potential hazards, conducts necessary monitoring, write reports and relate information clearly and effectively.
- Ability to work with technical monitoring equipment, applying principals of laboratory safety, Biosafety, and environmental compliance, and working with regulations governing the use and disposal of hazardous substances.
- Proficient and competent with all Microsoft Office software and database applications.
- Demonstrated oral and written communication skills. Proficient in writing reports and trending data. Demonstrated ability to develop and deliver safety training sessions.
- Effective at interacting with people.
- Physically capable of wearing personal protective equipment, including a full-face respirator or comparable protection.
- Physical condition must allow for considerable walking and lifting of 25 pounds.
- Possess aptitude and willingness to safely handle chemical wastes and hazardous chemicals with appropriate equipment
- In this position, the incumbent may interact with all levels of management and diverse employee and student populations and cultures to accomplish identified goals and objectives and is expected to maintain a respectful and professional demeanor and to resolve any unplanned opportunities that arise.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH)
- Certified Safety Professional (CSP)
- Knowledge of and experience with Joint Commission Environment of Care standards.
- Previous similar experience working with a healthcare/hospital facility, or an academic institution such as a university or college.
- Previous managerial or supervisory experience.
