Environmental Health & Safety Specialist (Occupational Safety)

An Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) professional in a hospital is responsible for ensuring a safe, healthy, and compliant environment for patients, staff, and visitors. This role involves identifying and mitigating risks, managing hazardous materials, ensuring infection control practices, maintaining regulatory compliance (e.g., OSHA, EPA, Joint Commission), and conducting safety training and inspections. The EHS professional also responds to incidents, partners on emergency preparedness plans, and promotes a culture of safety throughout the organization.

This is a 0.8 FTE (32 hours per week) hybrid opportunity with an expectation of working onsite at our St. Paul campus three days per week, with additional onsite presence as needed to support the role. Initial training will be conducted 100% onsite. The position follows standard business hours, Monday through Friday.

Compensation & Benefits 

The annual salary range for this opportunity is $80,828 to $121,264, with a median salary of $101,046. Pay is dependent on several factors including relevant work experience and internal equity. Salary is just one component of the compensation package for employees. Gillette supports career progression and offers a competitive benefits package, including a retirement saving match, tuition and certification reimbursement, paid time off, and health and wellness benefits for .5 FTE and above.

Primary Job Responsibilities

• Conduct regular safety inspections and risk assessments across all areas of the organization.
• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local safety regulations, including OSHA, Joint Commission, CMS, DNV, CARF, and relevant pediatric-specific safety standards.
• Participate in root cause analysis and investigations related to accidents, injuries, or safety incidents; support and ensure closure to corrective actions and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Collaborate with clinical teams to minimize hazards in child-accessible environments (e.g., secure medical equipment, safe furniture placement).
• Support safe practices in patient handling, infection control, ergonomics, and hazardous materials management.
• Develop and deliver safety education and training programs to staff, volunteers, and support personnel.
• Maintain accurate documentation for audits, incident reports, regulatory inspections, and safety compliance tracking.
• Partner with departments to proactively identify safety risks and implement best‑practice solutions throughout hospital and clinic operations, support services, and OPS manufacturing environments.
• Serves as primary contact for workplace injuries for follow-through to address root cause and corrective actions are completed.
• Participates in the development and update of policies and procedures to maintain compliance with appropriate accreditation and regulatory requirements. 
• Updates, coordinates, and manages safety data sheets,Right to Know program and LOTO program. 
• Manages AWAIR (a workplace accident and injury reduction) 
• Maintains all required and necessary data and documentation including CARF (Commission on Accreditation Rehabilitation Facilities), MDH (Minnesota Department of Health), Joint Commission and other governing bodies.
• Conduct and follow up on ergonomic requests. Maintains ergonomics program as required by state and local laws.
• Ensures that the proper report of findings, recommendations, actions taken, and results are measured to ensure improvement of the EOC (Environment of Care), Life Safety, Environmental Health and Safety, and Facilities Management programs. 
• Take an initiative-taking approach in identifying Environmental Health and Safety hazards that could cause harm to Gillette staff, patients, and visitors and work with appropriate organizational leadership to develop mitigation strategies and monitor outcomes. 
• Serves as a member of committees, taskforces, etc. as necessary/required. 
• Serves as the Gillette Safety Officer
• Employee safety committee chair.
• Supportsthe planning, design, and construction team on project safety, ICRA (Infection Control Risk Assessment), and ILSM (Interim life safety measures) requirements.
• Operational Hazard Control — Lead efforts to identify hazards and implement practical solutions, including water‑damage prevention, eyewash, and shower readiness, EOC support, hearing conservation, machine safeguarding, hazardous‑energy and chemical controls, air‑quality improvements, fall‑protection measures, confined‑space safety, and additional safety tasks as needed. General site safety - Support daily operations by monitoring and improving transport safety for all people and supplies moving throughout hospital and clinic environments, in coordination with Safe Patient Handling.
• Chemical Safety Program Oversight — Partner with EVS and Supply Chain to manage SDS accuracy, accessibility, and chemical‑safety compliance, while owning the hazardous chemical inventory to meet Joint Commission Physical Environment expectations.
• Partners with surgery to manage the Laser safety program.
• Provide oversight of the respiratory protection program. Conduct fit testing and PAPR training.
• ProvideDOT (Department of Transportation) compliance training.

Qualifications 

Required

• Bachelor's degree in occupational health & safety, Environmental Science, Public Health, Healthcare Administration, or a related field.
• Minimum 2–3 years of safety experience in a healthcare or manufacturing, or related environments
• Industrial Hygiene education
• Certification in Ergonomic assessments up hire, or obtain within 6 months employment.

Preferred

• Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Certified Healthcare Safety Professional (CHSP), or Certified Pediatric Healthcare Safety Specialist (if available).
• 1 year of experience in a pediatric hospital environment.
• OSHA safety certifications
•  Environmental safety experience.

At Gillette Children’s, we foster a culture where every team member feels a sense of belonging and purpose. We are dedicated to building an environment where all feel welcomed, respected, and supported. Our values are embedded at the heart of our culture. We act first from love, embrace the bigger picture, and work side-by-side with our patients, families, and colleagues to help every child create their own story. Together, we work to ensure patients of all backgrounds and abilities reach their full potential.

Gillette Children's is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of an individual's race, color, creed, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, marital status, familial status, genetic information, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation or gender identity, military status or any other class protected by federal, state or local laws.

Gillette Children’s is a global beacon of care for patients with brain, bone and movement conditions that start in childhood. Our research, treatment and supportive technologies enable every child to lead a full life defined by their dreams, not their diagnoses.

To learn more about working at Gillette Children's, please visit https://www.gillettechildrens.org/careers.

Gillette Children's participates in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) E-Verify program which is an internet-based employment eligibility verification system operated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, Gillette will give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact DHS or the Social Security Administration (SSA) to resolve the issue before Gillette takes any further action. Please visit https://www.e-verify.gov/ for further details regarding e-verify.