Occupational Health Nurse Specialist

Albertsons Companies is a leading food and drug retailer in the United States, with both a strong local presence and national scale. Albertsons Companies is committed to bringing people together around the joys of food and inspiring well-being, and making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood. The organization includes 2,271 stores, 22 distribution facilities and 19 manufacturing plants with over 290,000 associates across 34 states and the District of Columbia. Albertsons Companies is publicly traded with supermarkets across the country including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs, ACME, Jewel-Osco, Lucky, Shaw’s, Star Market, Super Saver, United Supermarkets, Market Street and Amigos.

Diversity is fundamental at Safeway. We foster an inclusive working environment where the different strengths and perspectives of each employee are both recognized and valued. We believe that building successful relationships with our customers and our communities is only possible through the diversity of our people. And a diverse workforce leads to better teamwork and creative thinking, as well as mutual understanding and respect.

This position will be located at the Safeway Distribution Center in Tracy, CA.
 

POSITION PURPOSE: 

The Occupational Health Nurse Specialist is responsible for maintaining a leadership role in the development and implementation of health services programs. Develops, implements, and oversees occupational and non-occupational health programs to mitigate risk, improve accident frequency and severity and associate health and wellbeing. Collaborates with risk management and TPA to manage the worker's compensation process and coordinates with operations and HR to facilitate proactive stay-at-work / return-to work programs. Responsible for providing emergency care, first aid and episodic treatment of injuries and illnesses. Develop and maintain onsite clinical protocols in collaboration with corporate Medical Director. 

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Oversee daily operation of the onsite clinic and medical department activities, including reviewing and developing policies and procedures. 
• Keep updated on pertinent regulations, including but not limited to workers compensation, OSHA, FMLA, ADA as well as federal guidelines for DOT.
• Remain aware of the environmental hazards located in the facility and stay familiar with employees' work areas.
• Communicate appropriate information to management and staff concerning issues of employee health and safety.
• Assesses, treats, evaluates, refers (if necessary), and follows up on non-occupational and occupational injuries and illnesses incurred by sick or injured employees.
• Monitors symptoms of an illness or injury and collaborates with safety on measures that could be implemented to prevent future occurrences of the problem that resulted in the illness or injury.
• Develops and collaborates with safety and risk on injury and illness prevention, first responder program, and coordinates preventive programs with operations. 
• Administers and coordinates routine health examinations to prevent occupational injury and health problems. These examinations include but are not limited to screening, and hearing conservation.
• Develops and coordinates procedures in response to corporate policies impacted by employee health.
• Administers health maintenance and illness/injury prevention programs designed to educate employees on topics such as musculoskeletal injury prevention, smoking, weight reduction, stress control, cancer screening, hypertension screening and control, and cholesterol levels.
• Maintains privacy of employee medical records and documentation. Develop monthly/quarterly reports on key KPIs.
• Reviews employee absenteeism statistics and collaborates with HR to review and manage FMLA cases. 
• Provide medical expertise on employee health issues.
• Participate in designing and presenting initial and ongoing training and orientation for associates.
• Review and develop health services policies and procedures to ensure optimal outcomes and proactive cost-effective utilization of clinical resources.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Education Level: 

• Registered Nurse - licensed to practice in CA required.
• Current CPR certification required.
• B.S.N. or A.D.N. required.
• Certification: COHN, or COHN-S strongly preferred.

Experience Level: 

• Minimum of three (3) years of experience in occupational health required.
• Manufacturing, warehouse or distribution center experience preferred.
• Prior experience in community health, ambulatory care, critical care or emergency care is beneficial.

Skills and Experiences: 

• Excellent assessment skills. 
• Knowledge of prevention of illness & injury, protection from work related and environmental hazards, and promotion and restoration of health. 
• Knowledge of related employment benefits (ADA, FMLA, state disability, LTD, SDI, group health benefits) and how they interact with workers’ compensation benefits.
• Knowledgeable in occupational health/ employee health practices, including Evidenced Based Medicine (EBM) practices for managing occupational and non-occupational health programs.
• Self-motivated and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively with HR and existing safety & risk control teams is a must.
• Ability to build and balance relationships between the employee, employer/operations, and service provider’s needs in order to keep injured workers at work or RTW as quickly as possible.
• Assertive and independent medical decision making.
• Strong interpersonal, oral and written communication skills, with good attention to detail and deliver effective presentations.
• Strong ability to influence.
• Effective listening skills.
• High degree of initiative, proven team player.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office products such as Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint and Word.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills.

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT:

• Work may be performed in a warehouse clinic environment.
• Must sit, stand, or walk for extended periods of time.
• May spend long periods of time at a desk or computer terminal.
• May use calculators, keyboards, telephone, and other office equipment in the course of normal workday.
• Stooping, bending, twisting, and reaching may be required in completion of job duties.
• Workdays are fast paced; some evening and weekend work may be required.

• The minimum starting pay for this position is $110,000 annual but no less than the local minimum wage. Starting rates will vary based on things like location, experience, and qualifications and the terms of any applicable collective bargaining agreement.

Disclaimer:

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this job classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and skills required of personnel so classified.