Life Safety and Accreditation Specialist

About the role

The Life Safety & Accreditation Specialist serves as the primary resource for organizational safety, emergency management, and accreditation readiness across all CARTI locations. This role independently manages the life safety and emergency preparedness programs, maintains compliance with applicable federal and state regulatory standards, and supports ongoing accreditation readiness activities. The Specialist collaborates with Facilities, Occupational Health, Infection Prevention, and operational leadership to identify compliance gaps, implement corrective actions, and maintain a safe environment for patients, visitors, and team members. This is an individual contributor role requiring a high degree of autonomy and self-direction.

Responsibilities

• Manage, review, and revise safety and emergency management policies and procedures to ensure organizational readiness.
• Plan, coordinate, and conduct emergency preparedness drills, tabletop exercises, and After-Action Reviews (AARs) across all locations.
• Conduct Environment of Care (EOC) and life safety rounds to identify hazardous conditions, document findings, and ensure corrective action follow-up.
• Support oversight of life safety systems, emergency equipment audits, and inspection documentation in coordination with the Director of Facilities & Construction.
• Coordinate Construction Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) processes for construction and renovation projects.
• Maintain organizational compliance with CMS, ACHC, OSHA, NFPA, Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), and other applicable regulatory standards.
• Support accreditation and survey readiness activities, including participation in mock surveys, tracers, and regulatory inspections.
• Monitor regulatory and accreditation developments and communicate relevant changes to leadership in a timely manner.
• Prepare compliance reports, dashboards, and committee materials for the Environment of Care (EOC), QAPI, and Safety Committees.
• Investigate workplace safety incidents, including root cause analysis and development of corrective action plans.
• Conduct or assist with industrial hygiene testing, air and surface sampling, pharmacy-required media sampling, and environmental monitoring activities.
• Coordinate N95 respirator fit testing and respiratory protection compliance in collaboration with Occupational Health.
• Educate and train team members on safety policies, emergency procedures, and regulatory requirements.
• Support organizational risk reduction strategies and performance improvement projects related to patient and workplace safety.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in emergency management, occupational health, environmental health, healthcare administration, or related field required. In lieu of a bachelor’s degree, a minimum of four (4) years of directly relevant experience in healthcare safety, emergency preparedness, or regulatory compliance will be considered.
• One or more of the following certifications preferred; the organization supports professional development toward relevant credentials: Certified Healthcare Safety Professional (CHSP), Certified Healthcare Emergency Professional (CHEP), or other relevant safety, emergency management, or accreditation certification.
• Minimum 3 years of experience in safety, emergency management, environmental health, or accreditation compliance required.
• Experience in a healthcare or ambulatory care setting strongly preferred.
• Valid Arkansas driver’s license required.

Skills

• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, or schedule form.
• Strong interpersonal skills; must interact and communicate both verbally and in written form.
• Must interact and exchange information regarding patients with physicians and other departmental personnel, and outside agencies on a frequent basis while respecting the confidentiality of patient information.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• Regularly required to talk or hear.
• Regularly required to stand, walk, sit, use hand to finger, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms.
• Specific vision abilities required include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment

The work environment described here is representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

• This position involves potential exposure to infectious diseases. Team members are offered appropriate vaccinations and safety training.

This position is designated as a Safety Sensitive Position as defined by 2017 Arkansas Laws Act 593 and any other federal or state rules, guidelines, or regulations governing drug and alcohol testing. Applicants or other candidates that engage in or currently use medical marijuana are not eligible for this safety-sensitive position.