Position Summary:
As part of a collaborative team of public servants, a Safety Officer protects residents receiving long-term care in Texas by assessing facilities’ compliance with state and federal life safety code requirements. This position offers a competitive starting salary; excellent state benefits, including health insurance and retirement; and the opportunity to regularly travel to different facilities within a region. In this front-line field position, a Safety Officer is mobile and flexible and performs minimal work at an office, though the role does require writing reports detailing any deficiencies/violations against a facility, remedies to correct those deficiencies, and narrative to support determinations. Must be professionally qualified as a Safety Officer – see below for details. Examples of applicable experience can include skills such as construction or inspection work, firefighting, fire marshalling, engineering, or architecture.
Key Responsibilities:
- Completes inspection/survey reports listing deficiencies and prepares professionally written reports using HHSC’s required principles of documentation supporting the actions and remedies recommended.
- Provides facilities with professional knowledge of National Fire Protection Association Life Safety Code requirements and applicable local, state, and federal standards to ensure compliance.
- Attends work on a regular and predictable schedule in accordance with agency leave and policy and performs other duties as assigned.
- Conducts exit conferences with facility staff regarding findings.
- Answers questions from providers in person and over the phone.
- Surveys facilities for compliance with federal and state life safety laws, regulations, and interpretations, which entails extensive walking, crawling through attic spaces, and climbing ladders.
- Performs desk reviews and reviews plans of correction to ensure compliance.
- Visit’s facilities to verify correction of previously cited regulatory violations.
- Coordinates with agency staff conducting surveys of facilities for certification in the federal Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Required Education & Experience:
- Experience in inspection or construction work or another applicable field, such as firefighting, fire marshaling, engineering, or architecture, is preferred.
- Skill in operating a personal computer and office equipment.
- Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
- Ability to maintain effective working relationships with others.
- Skill in analyzing and evaluating complex issues of compliance relative to a variety of standards and regulations.
- Ability to regularly climb ladders and inspect attic spaces that may be hot or cramped.
- Skilled in effective communication, including the ability to efficiently generate clear and concise reports to describe inspection results.
- Ability to apply state and federal rules and regulations to detailed inspections of long-term care facilities.