Many medium-to-large health systems are evolving their occupational medicine (employee health) programs to have registered nurses (RNs) or other licensed staff take on dual roles: providing traditional employee health services and actively managing workplace risk and safety programs.

In these models, including Total Worker Health®, RNs not only handle immunizations, screenings, and injury care for employees, but also participate in safety inspections, incident investigations, training, and regulatory compliance. Below are examples of hospital-based programs and roles in which RNs fulfill both occupational health and safety functions, followed by relevant job titles and descriptions encompassing the detailed responsibilities mentioned.

Examples of Combined Occupational Health & Safety Programs

Northwell Health (New York) – Occupational Health RNs with Safety Duties

Northwell Health, a large multi-hospital system, employs Occupational Health Registered Nurses who explicitly handle safety-related tasks alongside routine employee health care.

According to a Northwell job description, these RNs assess the work environment for hazards and conduct workplace safety inspections (e.g. checking PPE usage and hazardous substances)linkedin.com.

They also develop and deliver health and safety training programs for staff and communicate safety concerns to management linkedin.com.

In addition, Northwell’s occupational health nurses investigate workplace accidents/injuries – they prepare accident reports and conduct accident investigations to determine causes of common injuries linkedin.com.

They monitor employee exposures to chemicals/agents and ensure the organization meets OSHA and other regulatory standards for worker safety. linkedin.com This integrated approach shows Northwell’s occupational health nurses functioning as de facto safety officers as well, by combining traditional employee health services with proactive safety and risk management duties.

Stony Brook Medicine (New York) – Employee Health Nurse Manager in Safety Committees

Stony Brook Medicine (which includes multiple hospitals/campuses) provides another example.

Their Employee Health Nurse Manager role is structured to oversee employee health programs and participate in organizational safety initiatives.

In a Stony Brook hospital job description, the Employee Health Nurse Manager is responsible for Employee Health services and is a standing member of key safety committees. Specifically, this RN participates in the Hospital Safety Committee and the Workplace Violence Prevention Committee, reporting on staff injuries (needle sticks, falls, etc.) and identifying injury trends.

The nurse manager also helps maintain OSHA compliance, ensuring that employee incidents are properly recorded and that required reports (like the OSHA 300A annual summary of work-related injuries/illnesses) are completed.

Notably, this RN-manager investigates employee accidents/injuries, oversees the workers’ compensation claims process, and recommends safety education programs such as the Safe Patient Handling program to prevent injuries.

The role also involves collaborating with Security and other departments via the Workplace Violence committee to develop prevention strategies.

In summary, Stony Brook’s program embeds an RN in a leadership position that bridges employee health and enterprise safety, from managing immunizations and fitness for duty, to leading safety committees, incident trend analysis, and regulatory compliance. jobleads.com.

Cleveland Clinic Health System (Ohio) – Occupational Health Nurses Ensuring Safety Compliance

The Cleveland Clinic (a large multi-hospital academic health system) similarly integrates safety responsibilities into its Occupational Health RN roles.

A Cleveland Clinic Occupational Health RN job posting emphasizes promoting “the healthiest, safest and most optimal work environment” for all employees. jobs.clevelandclinic.org.

These RNs provide clinical care to ill/injured staff as expected, but also ensure compliance with Joint Commission, OSHA, and other regulations affecting employee health and safety. For example, they coordinate and track safety compliance programs to meet regulatory standards for the health and safety of caregivers jobs.clevelandclinic.org. They perform surveillance activities like respiratory fit testing, audiometry, blood-borne pathogen counseling, and ensure employees follow infection control and safety protocols.

In essence, Cleveland Clinic’s occupational health nurses function as front-line safety coordinators, translating regulatory safety requirements into practice and monitoring compliance to protect staff.

Mayo Clinic Health System – Holistic Occupational Health Approach

Mayo Clinic’s multi-hospital system highlights a more holistic integration of health and safety in their occupational medicine program.

According to a Mayo Clinic job summary, their Occupational Health Nurse (OHN) role “plays a crucial role in preventing adverse health effects from occupational and environmental hazards” and uses a multidisciplinary approach to deliver comprehensive health & safety programs tealhq.com.

Mayo’s OHNs work collaboratively to identify workplace health and safety needs, conduct health hazard assessments, and prioritize interventions that promote a safe work environment tealhq.com. They coordinate occupational health services (screenings, case management for injured workers) while also focusing on preventive care and health promotion for employees. While specifics vary by site, the emphasis is on an integrated role where the nurse addresses both individual employee health issues and broader workplace safety risks.

This reflects the “Total Worker Health” philosophy of simultaneously managing worker wellness and safety. For example, Mayo’s OHNs perform hazard surveillance of worker populations and keep current on best practices in occupational safety tealhq.com, ensuring that employee well-being and risk mitigation go hand in hand.

Other Notable Examples and Programs

Even outside traditional hospital HR structures, some healthcare organizations explicitly combine employee health and safety in nursing roles.

For instance, Optum’s clinic network in Washington state (serving a large outpatient system) created an “Employee Health and Safety Nurse” position that closely mirrors the requested responsibilities. In that role, the nurse manages the employee infection control program including OSHA compliance, responds to employee exposure incidents, and collaborates with Patient Safety on incident investigations linkedin.com.

This nurse also conducts new-hire orientation and annual safety training on topics like PPE use, blood-borne pathogens, TB exposure control, and hazard communication linkedin.com. They coordinate sharps injury prevention evaluations and lead development of employee infection control policies and staff education linkedin.comlinkedin.com.

Notably, the nurse serves as a liaison with the Employee Safety Manager, providing ergonomic assessments and proactive solutions to prevent injuries, and participates in multiple committees (Employee Safety Committee, Employee Health & Safety Steering Committee, Environment of Care Committee, Quality committees) linkedin.com.

They even take part in environmental safety rounds to identify hazards alongside the Safety Manager linkedin.com.

This example illustrates how a single nursing role can encompass workplace inspections, incident response, training development, safety committee involvement, and OSHA compliance within a healthcare setting – exactly aligning with the multifaceted duties listed in the question.

Many large health systems also establish specialized nurse-led programs targeting specific risk areas. For example, some hospitals have Workplace Violence Prevention coordinators or Safe Patient Handling program managers (often RNs or allied health professionals) who develop these safety initiatives.

These individuals frequently serve on crisis management teams, lead training like de-escalation techniques, and coordinate Behavioral Emergency Response Teams (BERT) to respond to violent incidents.

While such roles may focus on one domain of safety, they often work closely with the Employee Health/Occ Health department.

In systems without a dedicated safety nurse role, the occupational health nurse or employee health nurse may take on these responsibilities in addition to their clinical duties. This trend reflects an overall integration of employee health services with environment of care safety programs, aiming for a safer workplace for healthcare workers (often branded under initiatives like “Caring for Our Caregivers” osha.gov).

Relevant Job Titles and Role Descriptions

Given the breadth of responsibilities – from hazard inspections and training to incident investigation and OSHA compliance – hospitals use various titles for roles that combine occupational health and safety functions. Below are some relevant job titles (and examples of descriptions) that encompass the detailed duties listed:

• Occupational Health & Safety Nurse (Occupational Health RN): This title is often used when an RN is expected to handle both employee health clinical duties and safety oversight.
  • For example, an “Occupational Health RN” at Northwell Health not only manages traditional occ health tasks (health assessments, immunizations, case management) but also “assesses the work environment for potential health and safety problems,” conducts inspections, and “develops safety training and accident prevention programs” linkedin.com.
  • Such a nurse investigates workplace injuries and works to identify root causes of common staff injuries, linkedin.com, interfacing with departments to mitigate hazards. They are typically well-versed in OSHA regulations, with many job descriptions requiring knowledge of OSHA/NIOSH standards and even certification as an Occupational Health Nurse (COHN) linkedin.com.
  • In practice, this role aligns with the question’s list: the nurse performs workplace hazard inspections, coordinates safety training (e.g. PPE use), investigates incidents, and ensures compliance with occupational safety laws.
    
• Employee Health Nurse Manager / Coordinator (with Safety Committees): This title is common in hospital systems where the Employee Health department is managed by an RN who also liaises with safety and quality teams.
  • The Employee Health Nurse Manager at Stony Brook Medicine is a prime example: they “manage the Employee Health program…[and] participate on Safety Committee, Infection Control committee, and Workplace Violence committee,” reporting injury trends and helping find preventive solutions jobleads.com. The formal job description shows this role conducts and investigates employee accident reports, prepares OSHA injury logs, and spearheads programs like safe patient handling training jobleads.com.
  • Similarly, other systems might use “Employee Health Coordinator” or “Employee Health & Safety Program Manager” for an RN who ensures employees are both medically screened and working in a safe environment. These roles typically partner with Security, Environmental Health, Infection Control, HR, and departmental leaders to address safety issues (from needlestick prevention to violence prevention). They are often the ones to **implement action items from incident Apparent Cause Analyses/Root Cause Analyses (ACA/RCA), given their dual insight into worker health and system safety.
    
• Employee Health and Safety Nurse: Some organizations explicitly title the role to reflect combined duties. In the Optum/Everett Clinic example, the job title “Employee Health and Safety Nurse” was used.
  • The primary responsibilities in that formal description included managing the employee infection control and OSHA compliance program, coordinating post-exposure and injury follow-up, leading safety training (respiratory protection, blood-borne pathogens, hazard communication, etc.), and serving on multi-disciplinary safety committees linkedin.com.
  • This title is a clear acknowledgment that the nurse is responsible for both the health of employees and the safety of the work environment. A nurse in such a role would indeed conduct workplace safety rounds/inspections, collaborate on training development with Education/Security (e.g. for de-escalation training), and assist with OSHA programs (like managing exposure control plans and sharps injury logs) linkedin.com. They often act as a bridge between clinical risk management and employee health, participating in safety huddles, quality improvement meetings, and even BERT or crisis response planning as needed.
    
• Injury Prevention Coordinator (RN) / Employee Safety Specialist: In some hospitals (especially those with trauma centers or high workplace injury rates), there are RN roles specifically focused on staff injury prevention and safety culture. For instance, a “Team Member Injury Prevention Coordinator (RN)” role was instituted at at least one academic health center (University of Virginia Health) to develop programs that reduce employee injuries (covering areas like safe patient handling, needlestick prevention, etc.).
  • While formal details of that position aren’t publicly available, it likely included many of the listed duties: partnering with unit leaders on injury Root Cause Analyses, leading post-incident debriefs for staff, tracking injury trends for safety committees, and promoting a culture of psychological safety so staff report incidents and participate in solutions.
  • Other systems may not have a dedicated title for this, but assign these functions to an Employee Health Nurse or Quality/Safety Nurse. Notably, safe patient handling program managers (often nurses or physical therapists) and workplace violence prevention coordinators are specialized examples – they develop SOPs, training and emergency response teams (like BERT) for those specific risks. These can be considered best-fit roles covering many of the question’s points, even if the title doesn’t explicitly say “occupational health.”
  • For example, the Veterans Health Administration often hires RNs as Safe Patient Handling and Mobility Coordinators, who train staff, investigate lift-related injury incidents, and chair the Safe Patient Handling Committee (analogous to the Safe Patient Handling duties listed) usajobs.gov. Likewise, a Workplace Violence Prevention RN might co-chair the violence prevention committee and coordinate Behavioral Emergency Response Team drills and responses – fulfilling the liaison and training aspects of the responsibilities.
    
• Quality and Patient Safety Nurse (with Employee Safety focus): Some hospitals roll employee safety into their overall quality or risk management departments. In such cases, an RN with a title like “Quality & Patient Safety Coordinator” or “Safety Officer (RN)” may have employee-focused safety tasks in addition to patient safety.
  • For example, an Ascension Health posting for a Quality & Patient Safety Nurse Coordinator notes collaboration on safety initiatives system-wide jobs.ascension.org, and while primarily patient-centric, these roles often interface with Employee Health on OSHA compliance and staff training (since caregiver safety and patient safety are closely linked). If no single role covers all the listed duties, a combination of roles might – for instance, an Occupational Health Nurse working alongside a non-clinical Safety Officer.
  • However, many institutions find value in having a clinically trained safety specialist (RN) who understands both the clinical environment and the regulatory safety requirements for healthcare workers. This person can lead safety huddles, contribute clinical insight during safety rounds and RCAs, and champion workforce safety programs such as sharps injury reduction, violence prevention, and psychological safety initiatives.
    

In summary, job titles that best fit the comprehensive list of duties include Occupational Health Nurse, Employee Health & Safety Nurse, Occupational Health & Safety Coordinator, or Employee Injury Prevention Specialist (RN). Each of these implies a dual responsibility for employee well-being and safety management. The formal descriptions and examples provided show that these roles typically involve:

• Workplace Hazard Surveillance: performing regular workplace inspections and safety rounds to identify risks (from ergonomic issues to violence hazards) linkedin.com.
  
• Training and Education: developing or co-developing safety training programs (e.g. safe lifting, de-escalation techniques, PPE use) in collaboration with Security, Education, or other departments linkedin.com. They often deliver orientations and annual refreshers on OSHA-mandated topics (hazard communication, bloodborne pathogens, etc.)linkedin.com.
  
• Incident Investigation and Response: taking the lead or partnering in investigating employee injuries and incidents, documenting findings, and escalating serious events through proper channels (e.g. to risk management or leadership) per protocol linkedin.com. They participate in root cause analyses (RCA) or similar processes for significant events and ensure action plans (ACA/RCA follow-ups) are implemented in their area.
  
• Committee Involvement: actively serving on or supporting safety committees – such as Environment of Care, Workplace Violence Prevention, Safe Patient Handling, Crisis Management, Employee Safety Steering committees, etc. – where they report injury data trends and recommend prevention strategies linkedin.com. They act as a liaison during daily safety huddles or leadership safety rounds, representing employee health concerns.
  
• Regulatory Compliance (OSHA/JCAHO): managing programs to comply with OSHA regulations (e.g. injury recordkeeping, exposure control plans, annual OSHA reports) and relevant Joint Commission standards on employee safety jobs.clevelandclinic.org. This includes maintaining logs (sharps injuries, OSHA 300), coordinating OSHA inspections or surveys, and ensuring policies like Hazard Communication, Respiratory Protection, and Bloodborne Pathogen plans are up to date and staff are trained.
  
• Support for Injured Workers and Return-to-Work: providing clinical case management for injured employees (first aid, coordination with workers’ comp), facilitating return-to-work plans, and offering support such as referrals or work accommodations. They often follow up after incidents with the affected staff (debriefings) and use those insights to improve protocols and support services (e.g. counseling, ergonomic fixes).
  
• Program Development and Culture: helping lead broader safety initiatives – for example, assisting in developing a Behavioral Emergency Response Team (BERT) for their facility if workplace violence is a concern, or writing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for new safety processes. They also work with Quality/HR on programs to bolster psychological safety (so staff feel comfortable reporting near-misses or violence without fear) and to recognize departments for safety improvements ohsonline.com. Essentially, they champion a “culture of safety” for the workforce in the same way patient safety officers do for patients.
  

Each health system may title these roles differently, but the best-fit titles are those that convey both domains – e.g. “Occupational Health and Safety Nurse” is immediately clear about the dual focus. In cases where no single job listing encompasses every bullet in the question, one might combine the scopes of an Employee Health Nurse and a Safety Specialist. However, as shown by the examples (Northwell, Stony Brook, Cleveland Clinic, Optum, etc.), many hospitals have indeed formalized roles that blend employee health with safety/risk management. This reflects a growing recognition that protecting caregiver health is intertwined with managing workplace safety risks, and nurses with occupational health expertise are well suited to lead these efforts ohsonline.comlinkedin.com.

Sources:

• Northwell Health – Occupational Health RN job responsibilities linkedin.com (hazard assessment, safety training, accident investigations).
  
• Stony Brook Southampton Hospital – Employee Health Nurse Manager job description jobleads.com (safety committee and workplace violence committee participation; OSHA compliance and injury trending).
  
• Cleveland Clinic – Occupational Health Nurse role summary jobs.clevelandclinic.org (regulatory compliance programs for caregiver health & safety).
  
• Mayo Clinic – Occupational Health Nurse overview tealhq.com (preventing hazards via multidisciplinary health/safety programs).
  
• Optum/Everett Clinic – Employee Health and Safety Nurse duties linkedin.comlinkedin.com (OSHA/DOSH compliance, exposure response, safety training, committee participation).
  
• OSHA “Worker Safety in Hospitals – Caring for Our Caregivers” osha.gov and OHS literature ohsonline.com (context on integrating worker health and safety programs).

Many of our members are being asked to do more with less—especially when it comes to workplace safety and injury prevention.

NAOHP recognizes the expanding scope of occupational health professionals and is proud to support those bridging OccMed, Employee Health and Safety, consistent with our Total Worker Health® initiatives.

Our new training modules, ready-to-use toolkits, and peer forums are built specifically for you—so you can reduce injuries, meet compliance goals, and protect your workforce.

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