Safety & Occupational Health Specialist

Summary This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Mid Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), VA Medical Center (VAMC) Hampton, VA, in the Safety Section of the Facilities Management Service. Performs work in support of Safety, Occupational Health, Industrial Hygiene, Environmental, Fire Safety, and Emergency Management programs for a medical center engaged in a diversity of programs, including medical, psychiatric, and alcohol/drug abuse. Responsibilities THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION Major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to: Serves as an integral member of the Safety Department team assigned with assisting the safety staff functions ranging from, but not limited to Fire/Life Safety, Environmental Engineering, Industrial Hygiene and Emergency Management. Supports the Safety Department staff in regulatory compliance, life/fire safety inspections, training, safety/environmental programs, and office administration within a health care environment. Performs life safety and safety inspections work (weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually). Conducts independent inspections where exposure and type of hazard is predictable in advance. Serves as staff advisor to the Safety Manager and assists in providing guidance, technical assistance and advise to all levels of medical center management for effective application of the program. Plans, organizes and administers a series of comprehensive inspections of the medical center inpatient care areas, laboratory areas, engineering shops, administrative offices, as well as community homes, nursing homes, medical foster homes, residential board and care homes. Provides reports on compliance and violations of safety and fire protection mandates. Issues notices of unsafe working conditions to management when inspection findings warrant and recommends methods for hazard abatement and the correction of unsafe conditions or practices. Identifies, evaluates, and recommends means for controlling a wide variety of safety issues associated with occupational or patient care activities. Responds to and investigates employee, patient or visitor complaints relating to safety issues, takes actions to mitigate imminent danger situations, and intercedes when a threatening condition exists. Investigates and analyzes accidents and safety reports from services and evaluates the causal factors and environmental conditions that lead to accidents. Devises measures to control hazards detected. Prepares annual reports. Assists in the development, preparation and updating, as necessary, comprehensive safety program policies and standard operating procedures. Other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved 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) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) – See “Additional Information” below for details. Qualifications To qualify at the GS-9 grade level, you must meet one of the following: Experience: At least one (1) full year of specialized experience in or related to safety and occupational health that has equipped you with the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. This experience must be equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-7) in Federal service. 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. ~OR~ Education: Successful completion of a masters or equivalent graduate degree or two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. The major study must be in safety or occupational health fields (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene), or a 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. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~ Combination: Equivalent combinations of specialized experience and graduate level education (beyond the first year), as described above. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Compliance Critical Thinking Health Risk Analysis Vulnerabilities Assessment IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. Physical Requirements: Incumbent accomplishes on-site visits throughout the facility and requires moderate physical exertion, including transporting equipment, climbing, standing, walking and bending, as well as using personal protective devices and occasional work in confined spaces. Incumbent must have good hearing, eyesight, color and depth perception, and the use of all limbs. 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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov). Additional Information 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.