Safety & Occupational Health Specialist

Summary The incumbent in this position is located within the Facilities Section of the Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP) performing various tasks related to the day-to-day technical administration of the Safety and Occupational Health Programs. S/he will also assist in special assignments or projects as directed. Responsibilities These duties include, but are not limited to the following below: Safety and Fire Prevention Program: Responsible for assuring that inspection and testing of all fire protection equipment and systems is accomplished in accordance with codes and policies. Ensures that inspections of fire extinguishers throughout the facility and testing of the fire alarm system are conducted on an ongoing basis and directs overall program. Responsible for the administration and execution of the facility safety and fire prevention program. Reviews all accident reports for completeness, accuracy and adequacy of corrective actions. Serves as a general staff assistant for safety-related programs. Accident Investigation and Inspection: Investigates lost time accidents and fire incidents. Prepares analyses of accident and injury trends for review and action by the facility Safety Committee. Reviews all accident reports for completeness, accuracy and adequacy of corrective actions. Incumbent conducts accident investigations; checks and analyzes accidents, illnesses, hazardous conditions and code deficiencies for the purpose of informing management and meeting report schedules. Accident investigations consist of visiting the accident scene and interviewing staff and visitors as needed. Construction Inspection The incumbent is responsible for the identification of hazards related to local construction activities. Must collaborate with occupational and health safety experts from outside the facility (e.g., national safety personnel, university experts or consultants) to advise on or devise safe work protocols and/or required use of protective devices. Schedules hazard evaluations of any identified hazards and reviews all reports of hazards for completeness, accuracy and adequacy of corrective actions. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM (EST) or upon the discretion of the supervisor and the needs of the agency. Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: Not Available Virtual/Remote: This is not a virtual/remote position. Position Description/PD#: Safety & Occupational Health Specialist/PD037190 Relocation/Recruitment Incentive: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Critical Shortage Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure: Not Required Physical Requirements: This position involves the performance of inspection activities which requires frequent extensive walking, standing, bending, climbing, crouching, reaching and lifting of a variety of moderately heavy items such as large metal lids on storage containers. Work Environment: Approximately fifty percent of the incumbents work is performed in an office setting, and fifty percent of the incumbents work is performed inspecting. The incumbent must observe the normal safety precautions as set by this CMOP at all times. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/28/2024. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current VA/Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 grade level position, applicants must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 grade level. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal Service. An SF-50 that shows 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. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Basic Requirement for an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): An IOR is a basic requirement that all applicants must meet to qualify for entry into this occupational series for positions above the GS-05 grade level, and it is something that cannot be waived. In addition to the education and/or specialized experience below, applicants must meet the IOR for this position. Education: Applicants must have undergraduate or graduate education in a major field of study in safety or occupational health fields (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene), or 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. OR Specialized Experience: Applicants must have specialized 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; and work in occupational fields such as industrial hygienist, safety engineer, fire prevention engineer, health physicist, and occupational health nurse. OR Certificates: Applicants must have certification as a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), or Certified Health Physicist (CHP), or similar certification that included successful completion of a written examination meets the requirements for GS-5. Applicants may also qualify for higher grade levels based on their education and/or experience. Minimum Qualifications for the GS-11 Grade Level: In addition to the IOR as described above, applicants may qualify based on experience and/or education as described below. Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal Service that has equipped them with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to: administers and executes the facility safety and fire prevention program; prepares policies, reports, safety, occupational health, and fire prevention correspondence; inspects and tests all fire protection equipment and systems in accordance with codes and policies; investigates, reviews, prepares and analyzes lost time accidents and fire incidents; identifies hazards related to local construction activities; collaborates with occupational and health safety experts from outside the facility to advise on or devise safe work protocols and/or the use of protective devices; analyzes safety design features and specifications to identify potential problem areas and suggest methodologies to control hazardous construction practices; and serves as the authority who has jurisdiction over ensuring compliance with all safety, occupational health, and fire prevention requirements by contractors while on facility grounds. OR Education: Applicants must have successfully completed a Ph.D. OR equivalent doctoral degree OR three (3) years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.M. if related in an accredited college or university that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. [NOTE: One (1) year of full-time progressively higher graduate level education is 18 semester hours, 27 quarter hours, or the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one (1) year of full-time study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended.]. OR Combination: Applicants must have equivalent combinations of specialized experience and progressively highter level graduate education as described above to meet total experience requirements at the GS-11 grade level for this position. Only progressively higher graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be combined with specialized experience. [NOTE: When combining specialized experience and progressively higher graduate level education at the GS-11 grade level for this position, applicants first two (2) years of progressively higher graduate level study are not qualifying for the GS-11 grade level. One (1) year of full-time progressively higher graduate level education is 18 semester hours, 27 quarter hours, or the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one (1) year of full-time study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. Part-time progressively higher graduate level education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended.]. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communications Critical Thinking Emergency Management Public Safety and Security For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Managements website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information 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. Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicants criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.