Manager – Environment, Health & Safety

The Head of Environmental Health Services (EHS) is responsible for planning, leading, and overseeing all housekeeping and environmental hygiene operations across Novacare Hospital. The role ensures a clean, safe, and healing environment for patients, families, staff, and visitors, while maintaining strict compliance with infection prevention, patient safety, and accreditation standards. This position is critical in supporting clinical outcomes, patient experience, and regulatory readiness in a tertiary care hospital setting, particularly during pre-opening, commissioning, and expansion phases.

1. Department Leadership & Strategic Planning

The Head of EHS provides overall leadership to the housekeeping function, establishing departmental structures, staffing models, policies, and workflows aligned with hospital operations and service complexity.

Key accountabilities include:

• Developing and implementing housekeeping policies, SOPs, and cleaning protocols

• Planning staffing levels and shift coverage across all hospital areas

• Ensuring operational readiness for commissioning and phased opening

1. Environmental Cleaning & Hygiene Operations

The role oversees daily cleaning, disinfection, and environmental hygiene services across all clinical and non-clinical areas, ensuring consistency and high standards of cleanliness.

Areas covered include:

• Patient rooms, ICUs, operating theatres, and emergency areas

• Outpatient clinics, diagnostics, and procedural areas

• Public areas, offices, cafeterias, and staff facilities

1. Infection Prevention & Control Compliance

The Head of EHS ensures full alignment of housekeeping practices with hospital infection prevention and control (IPC) policies and clinical risk assessments.

Responsibilities include:

• Implementing terminal cleaning, isolation room cleaning, and outbreak response protocols

• Ensuring proper use of PPE and approved disinfectants

• Coordinating with Infection Control and Nursing teams

1. Waste Management & Hazardous Materials Handling

The role oversees hospital waste segregation, collection, storage, and disposal processes in compliance with legal, environmental, and healthcare regulations.

Key responsibilities include:

• Managing biomedical, hazardous, general, and recyclable waste streams

• Ensuring color-coding, labeling, and safe transport of waste

• Coordinating with licensed waste disposal vendors

1. Equipment, Chemicals & Supplies Management

The Head of EHS manages housekeeping equipment, cleaning chemicals, and consumables to ensure safe, effective, and standardized usage.

This includes:

• Selection and maintenance of cleaning equipment

• Ensuring chemical safety and proper dilution practices

• Inventory control and consumption monitoring

1. Quality Assurance, Audits & Accreditation

The role implements quality monitoring systems to ensure environmental hygiene standards meet regulatory and accreditation requirements.

Key responsibilities include:

• Conducting routine cleanliness audits and inspections

• Managing corrective and preventive actions

• Supporting internal and external accreditation surveys

1. Patient Experience & Service Excellence

The Head of EHS contributes directly to patient and family experience by ensuring a visibly clean, comfortable, and respectful hospital environment.

This includes:

• Addressing housekeeping-related patient complaints

• Training staff on service etiquette and patient interaction

• Supporting patient-centered care initiatives

1. Vendor & Outsourcing Management

Where housekeeping services are outsourced or partially outsourced, the role manages vendor performance and contract compliance.

Responsibilities include:

• Defining service level agreements (SLAs)

• Monitoring quality, staffing, and safety compliance

• Conducting regular vendor performance reviews

1. Budgeting & Cost Control

The Head of EHS develops and manages departmental budgets while ensuring cost efficiency without compromising safety or quality.

Key responsibilities include:

• Budget planning and expenditure tracking

• Optimizing resource utilization and consumables

• Evaluating cost-effective cleaning technologies

1. Human Resource Management & Training

The role oversees recruitment, training, deployment, and performance management of housekeeping staff and supervisors.

This includes:

• Training on infection control, chemical safety, and equipment use

• Implementing performance standards and disciplinary processes

• Building a culture of accountability, dignity, and teamwork

1. Safety, Risk & Emergency Preparedness

The Head of EHS ensures safe working practices and preparedness for emergencies impacting environmental services.

Key responsibilities include:

• Occupational health and safety compliance

• Spill management and biohazard response

• Participation in hospital disaster preparedness drills

1. Reporting, KPIs & Continuous Improvement

The role prepares regular performance reports and leads continuous improvement initiatives.

Key performance indicators include:

• Cleanliness audit scores

• Infection control compliance

• Waste segregation accuracy

• Patient satisfaction metrics

• Staff productivity and training compliance

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Hospital Administration, Environmental Health, or related field
• Master’s degree preferred

Experience

• 8–12 years of experience in hospital housekeeping or environmental services
• Minimum 4–5 years in a senior leadership role