LABORATORY SAFETY COORDINATOR

Location: JOHN H. STROGER, JR. HOSPITAL. Department: Clinical & Anatomical Services - Administration.

About the role

The Laboratory Safety Coordinator is responsible for developing, supporting, and maintaining the Cook County Health Laboratory Safety Program. This position supports compliance with College of American Pathologists (CAP), Joint Commission, and other applicable laboratory safety standards through safety audits, new hire safety training, laboratory safety education, policy review, and regulatory readiness activities. The Laboratory Safety Coordinator collects and analyzes audit data related to safety practices and supports corrective action efforts to ensure continued compliance with laboratory regulatory safety standards.

Responsibilities

• Develops and maintains the CCH Laboratory Safety Program, including compliant safe work practices for pathology and laboratory medicine departments at Stroger and Provident hospital laboratories.
• Collaborates with laboratory leadership to support compliance with College of American Pathologists (CAP), Joint Commission, and other applicable regulatory and accreditation standards.
• Performs monthly laboratory safety audits and ensures at least three audits are completed per laboratory department annually.
• Submits completed safety audits to the Clinical Laboratory Quality Manager.
• Serves as the subject matter expert for laboratory department Environment of Care (EOC) rounding.
• Maintains hazardous chemical inventories and ensures appropriate storage, use, labeling, and disposal of chemicals.
• Participates in Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) activities to support continuous improvement related to laboratory safety, audit findings, and identified areas of non-compliance.
• Collaborates with laboratory management to investigate process issues, safety concerns, and barriers impacting safe laboratory practices.
• Reviews, develops, and updates laboratory safety policies and procedures for review, approval, and implementation by Laboratory Management.
• Reviews and updates laboratory safety education modules for review, approval, and implementation by Laboratory Management.
• Identifies performance deviations and monitors remedial actions related to laboratory safety.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university (Must provide official transcripts at time of interview).
• Certification through the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) or American Medical Technologists (AMT) as a Medical Technologist (MT), Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS), or Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT). (Must provide proof at time of interview)
• Three (3) years of work experience in a hospital, healthcare, or clinical laboratory