Safety and Occupational Health Specialist

Full Job Description

The Safety and Occupational Health Specialist is responsible for participating in the development, implementation, and management of a comprehensive occupational safety and health strategy or biological safety program designed to facilitate Agency wide initiatives, while protecting employees, U.S.

agriculture from workplace or biological hazards.

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

TIME-IN-GRADE: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.

Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) for 0018 job series: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- 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: 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.

These examples are not all inclusive.

OR 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.

In addition to individual occupational requirements for the 0018 job series, applicants must meet the following: FOR THE GS-12 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-11 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates: Conducting assessments to identify potential occupation safety hazards and/or biosafety hazards, and risks, and making recommendations.

Interpreting policies and regulations, solving problems, finding resources, and collaborating with other subject matter experts.

Relaying technical information in plain oral and written language to educate others on findings and recommendations.

Developing and implementing safety policies and procedures to ensure compliance with applicable standards and regulations.

Conducting training in safety and occupational health topics such as preparedness, safety and health monitoring, personal protective equipment, biosafety or emergency response programs.

Note: There is no education substitution for this grade level. TRANSCRIPTS are required if: This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified.

This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university 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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.

You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Major Duties:

• The duties described are for the full-performance level. At developmental grade levels, assignments will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity.
• The duties may include, but are not limited to:
• Review, develop or extend, recommend, and implement hazard control techniques that will minimize or eliminate unsafe operations and conditions
• Investigate complaints received from employees or the Safety and Health Committee on hazardous work conditions and reports findings, with recommended solutions.
• Providing training to employees such as, but not limited to preparedness, safety and health monitoring in areas such as personal protective equipment, respiratory protection, defensive driving, and response.
• Recommend safety training based on first incident report, weather, seasonal conditions, telematic reports.
• Conduct and maintain job hazard assessments
• Coordinate employee fit testing, assist in completing and tracking APHIS Form 29, and any other paperwork required.
• Assist with development, implementation, and monitoring of programs to control and mitigate the risk of biological hazards as well as providing for the safe use, proper storage, and disposal of biological and potentially infectious waste materials.
• Assist supervisors in conducting investigations of biological exposures, accidents, and injuries and develops recommendations for prevention of their recurrence.
• Help facilitate emergency planning, preparedness, response, and recovery activities related to accidents and incidents involving Biohazardous materials.