Safety and Occupational Health Specialist

Summary This position is located in the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site, in the Administration Division. This is a term position (more than 1 year) with an initial appointment expecting to last at least 13 months but may be extended up to a total of four years. Term positions do not convey permanent status in the Federal service. Responsibilities Major duties for this position may include but are not limited to the following: Serves as the primary safety, health, and wellness program advisor to the park. Writes safety plans. Establishes, improves, and implements systems for field and office safety, health, and wellness programs. Works closely with the Regional Safety Office and other Zone/Park safety managers to accomplish program goals. Arrange needed education and training for field personnel. Inspect for safety deficiencies and advise fixes. Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship required. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males. Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program. You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties. Prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year thereafter (or more frequently if management determines such need exists), you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying to your possession of a valid State issued drivers license that is current and has not been revoked, suspended, canceled, or otherwise disqualified in any way to prohibit your operation of a motor vehicle. You will also submit a photocopy of your valid State issued drivers license prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year, or more frequently if management determines such need exists. Lastly, you may be required to submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that discloses all valid drivers licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. Please indicate in your application whether you possess a valid State drivers license. You will be required to complete a one-year trial period. Applicants must be at least (1)18 years old or (2) at least 16 years old and: (a) Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or (b) Have completed a formal vocational training program; or (c) Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or (d) Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program. Qualifications All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-10/25/2024-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40 hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level, you must possess ONE of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: Participate as member of a survey or inspection team led by a higher graded specialist and exposure to the practical application of techniques and measures used to identify hazards; attend and observe closing sessions where violations of appropriate standards and subsequent corrective requirements are discussed with management representatives. Apply basic guidelines or standards, to safety related tasks to non-complex operations. Assist in managing safety or occupational health program elements. Recommend safety and occupational health policy to higher levels of management. Assist in developing safety and occupational health standards, regulations, practices, and procedures to eliminate or control potential hazards. Assist in developing or implementing programs to reduce the frequency, severity, and cost of accidents and occupational illnesses. Assist in designing or modifying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems to control or eliminate hazards. Assist in 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. Work in occupational fields such as industrial hygienist, safety engineer, fire prevention engineer, health physicist, and occupational health nurse. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least a masters or equivalent graduate degree or 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field directly related to safety or occupational health such as safety, occupational health, or 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. (You MUST submit a copy of your transcripts indicating degree earned and credit hours to qualify based on education). You must include transcripts. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. (You MUST submit a copy of your transcripts indicating number of credit hours to qualify based on the combination option and it must be in a field related to safety or occupational health, such as safety, occupational health, or industrial hygiene). You must include transcripts AND hours worked on your resume Volunteer Experience: 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. Education To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. Additional Information A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay. This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. Physical Demands: A significant amount of work is performed in an office environment. However, performance of inspections and investigations of mishaps requires frequent physical exertion such as frequent walking and hiking over rough, uneven, or rocky surfaces, crouching, climbing, stooping, climbing ladders, working on roofs, crawling under buildings and in attics, etc. There may be need for the incumbent to lift and carry moderately heavy objects. The use of personal protective equipment (hard hat, steel-toed boots, gloves, eye goggles, and respirators) may be required due to exposure to hazardous occupational environments. Working Conditions: Although most work is performed in an office, on-site inspections involve exposure to hazardous chemicals, moving equipment, heights, closed spaces, high noise levels, temperature extremes, fumes and smoke. A fair degree of potential risk is involved. The incumbent is required to wear protective clothing/equipment at times. The work requires frequent onsite surveys necessitating prolonged standing, walking, climbing, bending, crouching, stretching, reaching and other physical movements. As stairs and aisles are often under construction, some physical coordination and balance is necessary. The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.