Safety Manager

Entity: Corporate Services

Department: Corporate Safety

Location: 800 Spruce St

Hours: (must live reasonable distance from location) Hybrid (3 days in office per week, 24/7 on call

This position is responsible for recognition, evaluation, monitoring and control of facilities, operational and environmental safety factors occurring in the varied settings of a major medical center possessing multiple buildings and functions related to patient care, medical education and research. In such a setting, a variety of facilities, operational, environmental, chemical, physical, biological, emergency management and ergonomic stressors may arise. Any one of them may have potential to threaten or impair the safety of patients, staff, visitors and the surrounding community and which may also impact the ability to provide appropriate care.

The Safety Manager plans, develops, organizes, implements, evaluates and executes assigned portions of the safety and emergency management program and related activities. The Safety Manager is responsible for compliance and enforcement of regulatory and accreditation requirements including the Joint Commission, NFPA, the PA Department of Health, PA Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other federal, state and local codes and ordinances. Guidance and direction come from established entity policies and procedures, the Environment of Care Committee, the UPHS Corporate Director of Emergency Management and Safety, and the UPHS Director of Safety - City Hospitals.

Daily activities of the Safety Manager focus upon fire safety; construction and life safety; hazardous materials and chemical safety;emergency preparedness; ergonomics and injury prevention; as well as staff training and education to ensure a safe environment. Many of the programs and activities performed are required by the Joint Commission and a variety of regulatory agencies.

The Safety Manager position requires the skills and ability to identify risk and hazards typically related to the healthcare environment and the ability to perform vital activities associated with the safety of the entire medical/health system community. A variety of hazards may occasionally be encountered during special situations such as fire, chemical spills, and other emergencies. This individual will be expected to assume a leadership role during a variety of emergency situations and demonstrate emotional stability in stressful situations as well as creative problem solving to succeed.

Accountabilities

Safety Management

• Coordinates the planning, design, implementation, ongoing evaluation and monitoring of safety program initiatives that provide for a safe Environment of Care (EOC) for patients, visitors, staff and the surrounding community.
• Coordinates and/or monitors initial, recurrent and ongoing safety training programs to meet regulatory requirements as well as operational needs of the Entity/operational site.
• Oversees Safety staff, students, employees, interns and consultants who assist with projects and assignments supporting safety initiatives.
• Acts as lead contact with Security and Physical Plant staff during activations of the Fire Alarm system and declared emergencies.
• Provides leadership and support to Environment of Care (Safety) committee, sub-committees and/or management programs including but not limited to: Emergency Management, Hazardous Materials, incident review and injury prevention analysis, fire prevention and life safety issues, quality improvement and patient safety issues. Performs staff support of the EOC committee as assigned.
• Serves as a member of the EOC committee, the Department Directors council and any other committee as directed by Entity leadership.
• Acts as liaison with the University safety programs, regulatory agencies such as the Joint Commission, PA DOH, PA DEP and other local/regional agencies in coordination of activities related to the safety program. Acts as liaison for the inspection of patient areas by the PA DOH Division of Life Safety & Codes.
• Reviews, investigates, tracks and trends accident and incident reports for patterns, cause and effect and makes appropriate recommendations for improvement and implementation of preventative or corrective actions. Works with UPHS Workforce Injury Prevention specialist to coordinate appropriate injury prevention and safe patient handling programs.
• Monitors and collects/produces data regarding levels of compliance with the variety of regulatory and standard setting bodies applying to the hospital.
• Schedules, coordinates, monitors, and maintains documentation of compliance associated with emergency management drills for the entity, incorporating multi-disciplinary staff, local and regional involvement and support as appropriate. In cooperation with the UPHS Safety & Emergency Management Director plans emergency/disaster preparedness drills for the site and maintains the Emergency Operations Plan with Appendices.
• Helps facilitate and assists Engineering with Fire Drill for the site, incorporating multi-disciplinary staff, state and local agency involvement and support, as appropriate.
• Participates in UPHS Emergency Management initiatives including Hazard Vulnerability Assessment process; Mitigation activities; Emergency Planning Response Management; and Recovery Phase Activities, as appropriate.
• Participates and contributes to UPHS safety management initiatives for employee education, safety awareness training, and other resources developed for communication of the safety activities of knowledge to our staff, patients, and visitors.
• Performs and documents regular assessments of regulatory and code compliance, hazardous operations and the general condition/operation of the facility for development of safety concerns, issues, or unsafe practices.
• Develops a familiarity and understanding of the functions, operations, priorities, and safety concerns of departments and operational areas of the entity. This includes assisting departments with assessing risks associated with safety issues regarding operations, facilities, and equipment.
• Responds to fire safety and hazardous material incident emergencies at entity, as well as other UPHS operating sites, as needed.
• Consults with other UPHS Safety Management staff for guidance and expertise, as needed and appropriate, while maintaining "lead role" for assigned entity.
• Performs duties in accordance with Penn Medicine and entity values, policies, and procedures
• Other duties as assigned to support the unit, department, entity, and health system organization

Minimum Requirements

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor's Degree preferably in safety (public or environmental), fire prevention, emergency management, environmental science, business, health administration or a health-related discipline is required.
• 5+ years in safety/emergency management experience is required
• 1+ years formal or informal leadership/management experience is required
• Experience working in a hospital or health care setting is required
• Knowledge of health care operations and regulations and experience managing standards and guidelines related to Joint Commission, DOH, EPA, OSHA, and NFPA isrequired.
• Knowledge of, and experience in academic health care and/or allied health fields is preferred

Required Skills and Abilities

• Sound judgment, situational awareness, excellent record keeping, verbal and written communication skills, and "follow through" are key attributes for successful performance.
• Flexibility, clarity of thought, tact and diplomacy are vital for successful performance.
• Multitasking and good time management capability

Additional Information:

As part of our COVID-19 response, this position may currently be offering partial or full remote work. However, in the near future this position will require full or partial on-site work.