Safety and Occupational Health Specialist

Full Job Description

Employee will be assigned to Jesse Brown, VA Medical Center, Chicago IL, serving as a Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, planning, scheduling, and conducting difficult inspections in establishments and worksites where there is a strong probability of encountering hazardous work processes and materials, and unsafe environmental conditions, involving a substantial number of employees.

To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level, applicants must meet at least one of the following: GS-11 SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one year of specialized experience that is equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal service.

Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: managing safety or occupational health program elements; developing emergency readiness and response training programs; develops and projects budget requirements; applying safety and occupational health laws, regulations, principles, theories, practices, and procedures to advise on or resolve technical matters dealing with occupational safety, health requirements, and emergency management; 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; working in occupational fields such as industrial hygienist, safety engineer, fire prevention engineer, health physicist, and occupational health nurse.

-OR- GS-11 EDUCATION: A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree.

The major study of such education must be in a safety or occupational health field (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene) or in another related field 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- GS-11 COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: An equivalent combination of graduate education and specialized experience as described above.

Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level (GS-9) may be combined with experience to qualify for the GS-11 level.

* If using education to qualify, transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

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/.

Major Duties:

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Duties include, but may not be limited to the following: Conducts safety surveillance audits and inspections on a frequent basis according to the required standards and regulations; investigates hazardous conditions, equipment, practices, etc.

to identify and analyze the nature and severity of hazards and possible remedial actions; and investigates or assists investigators in investigating accidents/mishaps, obtains witness statements, photographs the accident scene, records circumstances and extent of injuries, estimates cost of property damages, and prepares report of findings; Plans, develops, and implements safety promotional and educational campaigns containing aspects of difficult issues designed to meet both general and specific goals of reducing accidental occurrences; and develops or adapts material for safety campaigns and training courses and conducts technical training for personnel; Conducts comprehensive analytical surveys and/or studies of serviced safety programs; reviews safety policies, procedures, and regulations published by serviced organizations; and works closely with all personnel in the establishment of realistic safety requirements and compliance with applicable directives and regulations; Creates and conducts area-specific safety hazard initiatives; maintains long-term historical safety records and notes trends or changing conditions that warrant revision of safety procedures; and assists in the planning, organizing, directing, and controlling information used in safety databases; Reviews issues prior to presenting them at meetings as coordinator and executive secretary for the Sub-Committee on Research Safety; Prepares meeting agenda, leads meeting, prepares and distributes meeting minutes, orients new members, and advises committee on regulations regarding laboratory safety and conduct.

Performs all other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved