Hospital Environmental Health and Safety Inspector; HSC DOH

This is a full-time, permanent, home-based Hospital Environmental Health and Safety Inspector position with a requirement for regular travel throughout Washington state.

Field work throughout Western Washington region (primarily within King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Thurston counties) is expected to comprise approximately 45% of work time. However, the employee must be available to travel anywhere in Washington state based on operational needs.

This Hospital Environmental Health and Safety Inspector position is located within the Office of Health Systems Oversight (OHSO), whose role is to support the department’s mission to work with others to protect and improve the health of people in the state of Washington by contributing to safe care and providing oversight of state-licensed and federally certified clinical and behavioral health entities, and by ensuring they meet applicable standards.

This position serves as an agency expert in health care facility inspections and/or complaint investigations and may serve as lead on health inspections.

This position also conducts environmental health and safety inspections and other non-clinical inspections and complaint investigations in state-licensed and federally certified Acute Care Hospitals (ACH), Birthing Centers (CBC), Behavioral Health Hospitals (HPSY), Alcohol/Chemical Dependency Treatment Hospitals (HALC), Critical Access Hospitals (CAH), Outpatient Physical Therapy (OPT), and Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (CORF). This position may also serve as an expert assisting other inspectors and investigators representing the agency to health providers, facilities, patients, the public, and others regarding issues of high visibility or sensitivity.

• Develop an overall approach and create an inspection or investigation plan by gathering information on past inspections, complaints, current laws, rules, and regulations, and team member/co-worker input for planning and organizing inspection and investigation processes.
• Review complaint documentation and allegations (if assigned a complaint investigation) to determine if a possible violation of state or federal rules/regulations is within the jurisdiction of the regulated health care facility or agency.

• Conduct on-site and off-site inspections and investigations primarily within the Western Washington region (King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Thurston counties) to determine compliance with state and federal health and safety standards in assigned health care facilities.
• Lead and direct initial and routine inspections and/or complaint investigations of assigned facilities under the direction of the supervisor.
• Collect information by interviewing staff, patients, family members or representatives, providers, agency/facility personnel, other interested or affected parties.
• Review documents, policies, procedures, and personnel records to evaluate the regulated health care facility or agency's compliance with required personnel requirements, internal/external policies, and state/federal laws.
• Observe and evaluate the health care facility or agency, as well as the operation of the facility's health and safety activities.
• Use environmental measurement instruments and apply critical thinking when observing an environment for safety hazards, including slip hazards, air quality, hygiene, infection control, food safety, and physical environment.

• Review, analyze, and evaluate the information from observations, interviews, and document reviews to determine areas of compliance/non-compliance based upon state and federal laws, rules, regulations,…