Safety & Occupational Health Specialist

Robert J Dole VAMC is committed to Diversity and Inclusion. Together, we strive to create and maintain a working and learning environment that promotes professional growth and teamwork. We offer an inclusive, equitable, and welcoming environment where we celebrate our individual differences and unite as a team toward a common goal of providing outstanding service to our Nation's Veterans.

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/28/2023.

SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):

• Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
• An SF-50 showing your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade
• Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
• Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
  • Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
  • 2 SF-50s at the highest grade held with an effective date at least 52 weeks apart.

This occupational series has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR). An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for entry into this job series, and it is something that can't be waived.
Basic IOR Requirements - The education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.

Applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

Education

• A bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree in industrial hygiene, occupational health sciences, occupational and environmental health, toxicology, safety sciences, or related science; or
• A bachelor's degree in other related fields that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours of study from among the following (or closely related) disciplines: safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene, occupational medicine, toxicology, public health, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological sciences, engineering, and industrial psychology;

Specialized Experience: Experience in or related to safety and occupational health that provided the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:

• Managing safety or occupational health program elements.
• Developing and recommending safety and occupational health policy to higher levels of management.
• Applying safety and occupational health laws, regulations, principles, theories, practices, and procedures to advise on or resolve technical matters dealing with occupational safety and health requirements.
• Developing safety and occupational health standards, regulations, practices, and procedures to eliminate or control potential hazards.
• Developing or implementing programs to reduce the frequency, severity, and cost of accidents and occupational illnesses.
• Analyzing or evaluating new and existing jobs, processes, products, or other systems to determine the existence, severity, probability, and outcome of hazards.
• Designing or modifying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems to control or eliminate hazards.
• Inspecting or surveying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems for compliance with established safety and occupational health policies or standards and to identify potential new hazards.
• Training of workers, supervisors, managers, or other safety and occupational health personnel in safety or occupational health subjects.
• Work in occupational fields such as industrial hygienist, safety engineer, fire prevention engineer, health physicist, and occupational health nurse.

In addition to meeting the IOR requirements you must meet either the specialized experience or education requirements (Education Substitutions for specialized experience listed on in the Education section). The specialized experience and education must be demonstrated in your resume, for education a transcript that indicates degree, when and where degree was conferred is required.

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS 09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Inspecting construction projects for compliance with established safety and occupational health standards
• Coordinating with Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and contractor on review of safety and occupational health practices as it relates to impact on facility
• Investigating incidents related to possible or confirmed occupational health problems and associated complaints as it pertains to environmental factors or stress
• Selecting and recommending appropriate controls based on exposure assessments
• Conducting required emergency evacuation drills in accordance with regulatory and accreditation standards

OR
Education Listed under Education Section
OR
Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-11 level.

To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-11. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.
Physical Requirements: The performance of duties requires long periods of walking, standing, crawling, kneeling and bending. Moderate lifting and carrying of equipment, use of personal protective devices, and work in hazardous and confined spaces is required. Use of all appendages, good vision, and hearing are necessary. Emotional and mental stability are required.

Work Environment: The incumbent is frequently exposed to potentially hazardous conditions and materials such as noise, dust, asbestos, fumes, smoke gases, solvents, flammables, explosives, etc. Also, the incumbent is frequently exposed to equipment in operation and construction hazards. Temperatures encountered can be extremely hot or cold for periods of time. Per OSHA requirements, a beard is not permitted due to the usage of a respirator. The ability to operate a motor vehicle is necessary.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Responsibilities:

Major Duties include:

• Prepares safety guides and internal instructions for low safety and normal safety risks encountered in an assigned area of responsibility; identifies the need for higher level risk guides or instructions. Advises senior level management officials within the assigned area on the status of the safety and occupational health programs and recommends changes in the design of work programs to meet new safety and occupational health needs.
• Periodically confers with safety and occupational health specialists at universities, hospitals, and research organizations to identify hazards related to new medical equipment and to become familiar with evolving techniques and protective devices for controlling or eliminating potential safety hazards.
• Performs special environmental monitoring tasks using a variety of instruments to determine potentially unsafe exposures. Coordinates long-term studies of unsafe work conditions with appropriate supervisors. Instructs employees on a variety of safety and occupational health subjects including chemical, biological, or physical safety, various laboratory safety needs, or ventilation requirements. Adapts various available media to fit special and unique training requirements and participates in the development of novel or innovative safety training and promotion activities.
• Independently schedules surveys of medical facility laboratories, shops, and offices to identify and evaluate potential risk involving a wide variety of work environments and occupations; determines the extent to which mechanical and physical conditions comply with required or accepted standards, their adherence to established safety policies and procedures, and the effectiveness of the assigned program. Certifies laboratories or other work environments where local guidelines or standards require assurance that specific and predetermines safeguards or practices are present prior to work beginning. Directs investigation of accidents, analyzing precipitating factors and accident cause data in order to develop specific methods for prevention. Consults with specialists from related occupations concerning work process modifications and recommends corrective or remedial safety measures.

Salary: GS 11: $64,649 - $84,049 per year
Work Schedule: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Monday - Friday
Position Title/Position Description: Safety & Occupational Health Specialist/PD# 04022-A
Bargaining Unit Status: Covered
Fair Labor Standards Act: Non-Exempt
Financial Disclosure Statement: Not Required