Member Spotlight
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PIC |
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Chuck Vaughn |
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Environmental Safety Specialist |
| Tucson
Medical Center |
Currently I am working on 31 years with
TMC and my 7th year as the Environmental Safety Specialist
at TMC. Regulations with environmental implications that
affect TMC are mostly my purview. If you define an expert as
an unknown quantity of a drip under pressure (x-spurt) then
I qualify. Keeping track of regulatory requirements and
changes, and managing permits, licenses and program elements
for Air Quality, Hazardous Waste, Underground Storage,
Wastewater, ACM and Domestic Water fills my work day.
Other responsibilities as a Safety Team
member includes:
- Being a resource to TMC staff for
Life Safety issues including Required Fire Protection
Systems
- Facility Assessments
- Fire Drills
- Safety Updates
- Hazardous Material/Waste Handling and
Storage
- Spill Response
- Disaster Response
- Historian
- Other duties as assigned. The primary
skill required for this position is that you are an
x-spurt.
How did I get where I am now? For myself,
as with most of us who are involved in a healthcare
engineering related career, the process was more an
evolution than an intentional act, no grand plan.
I took a break from my education at the U
of A to take a summer job at TMC 31 years ago to park cars
while, as part of a large expansion project, drive in access
to Ambulatory Surgery was under construction. From my start
as a valet I pulled a short stint in Security and moved into
Plant Services for 24 years performing maintenance and
repair work then adding central plant operations and
currently Envr Safety Spec.
Key to my tenure is that I have never
stopped being curious, seeking knowledge and taking
advantage of opportunities for education.
I have had several bosses at TMC that have
supported these pursuits and helped guide and develop myself
and many others into what turned out to be healthcare
careers.
TMC is expanding again and this has
triggered thoughts of all the opportunities out there for
those that are “parking cars”, taking on a “summer job” or
want to move to a new challenge.
Is the environment stimulating those with
no “grand plan” to “evolve” into a career in healthcare
engineering?
- What tools do they needed in the tool
box?
- How do you describe what the puzzle
will look like, so people know where they can fit in?
- Will anyone else look back years from
now and ask, how did I get where I am now?
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