Photo By Elizabeth Stoeckmann | District Occupational Nurse Tina Shivel visits employees in the field and provides...... read more read more
For the first time in the St. Paul District’s history, an occupational health nurse takes hold of employee health programs as she builds trust in her new role.
Whether on an active construction site or behind a desk, Christina Shivel intends to help employees mitigate workplace risks.
“The safety team decided there was a greater need to support employees in the district whether onsite or in the field,” Shivel said, who took the new position in November 2023. “I’m pretty excited to see where we go with the program.”
As a full-time employee, Shivel maintains the district’s occupational health program to meet Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, requirements for approximately 700 district employees working in hazardous (and nonhazardous) positions.
“My priority is monitoring the health of our employees through medical surveillance screenings to ensure they are healthy and physically able to perform their jobs,” Shivel said. “The other part of my job is inspecting workplaces, identifying hazards and making recommendations on how to reduce those hazards in order to provide our employees with safe workspaces.”
Employees who work as electricians, mechanics, or hold jobs that involve tasks including grinding, sanding or exposure to toxic chemicals are required to participate in regular medical screenings for vision, hearing, respiratory, toxicology and radiation.
The Corps of Engineers-Safety and Occupational Health Management System provides a framework for the Corps to systematically manage their safety and occupational health programs, protect Soldiers, civilians, and property from workplace risks and hazards, and, ultimately, achieve an organization’s goal of mission readiness.
“I’m a one-deep position, overseeing the care of all district employees and identifying and investigating possible changes in their health,” she said. “It’s my job to educate employees, to ensure medical screenings are performed annually and they’re properly using and maintaining personal protective equipment, or PPE.”
Shivel said the difference between occupational health and going to a doctor is that we don’t provide health care at all, rather we look for changes in employee’s health and compare their tests each year to baselines. We then determine if there are any significant changes that need to be investigated and work to identify and reduce any hazards found.
“As the district nurse, it’s my job to keep our employees safe and provide them with the best health options and wellness programs, so they can focus on providing the best engineer solutions to the nation.”
| Date Taken: | 03.07.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 03.07.2024 15:50 |
| Story ID: | 465634 |
| Location: | ST. PAUL, MN, US |
| Web Views: | 133 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, District’s first nurse prioritizes employee health and safety, by Elizabeth Stoeckmann, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT