Safety & Occ Health Specialist

Full Job Description

The Safety and Occupational Health Specialist is an integral member of a Safety and Health program ranging from fire safety to radiation safety and industrial hygiene.

The candidate supports safety and health staff in regulatory compliance, research, training, program development, accident prevention and safety surveys in a healthcare environment.

The position is in the Safety and Emergency Management service at the VA Maine Healthcare System located at the Augusta, ME location.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/18/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

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.

For a GS7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS5 For a GS9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS7 For a GS11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS9 INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENTS (IOR) BASIC REQUIREMENTS: You must meet one of the following Education or Experience Requirements: EDUCATION: 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.

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.

In addition to meeting the Individual Occupational Requirements above, you must possess the required specialized experience, education, or combination of experience and education as identified below: GS-7 Specialized Experience: Assists with surveys, inspects construction projects and designs to determine compliance.

Assists in the recommends corrective measures to eliminate or control hazards.

Identifies actual and potential hazards of various workplace settings Reviews construction activities and assists in on-site inspections.

OR Education: One full year of graduate level education or SAA (Superior Academic Achievement) GPA=3.5 or above. OR Combination: You may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level.

GS-9 Specialized Experience: Performs surveys, inspects construction projects and designs to determine compliance. Recommends corrective measures to eliminate or control hazards.

Identifies actual and potential hazards and ability to explain the need to apply specific safety measures.

Surveys construction activities, reviews plans and drawings, emergency exits, and types of construction materials used.

OR Education: A master's degree or equivalent graduate degree in a related field OR 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a related field OR LL.B or J.D in a related field.

OR Combination: You may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level.

GS11 Specialized Experience: Performs surveys, inspects construction projects and designs to determine compliance. Recommends corrective measures to eliminate or control hazards.

Identifies actual and potential hazards and ability to explain the need to apply specific safety measures.

Surveys construction activities, reviews plans and drawings, emergency exits, and types of construction materials used. Interprets NFPA, JC and OSHA regulations to determine compliance.

OR Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR three (3) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree Or a LL.M, in related field.

OR Combination: You may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level.

Preferred Experience: Knowledge in Occupational Safety and Health management including industrial and construction practices. Lockout/tagout, electrical, fall protection, & training concepts.

Physical Requirements: The incumbent is sedentary for long periods but is frequently required to make site surveys requiring prolonged standing, walking, climbing, bending, stooping, stretching, reaching, and other physical movement.

Because the incumbent is often exposed to workplace hazards. construction sites and hazardous materials, physical coordination, balance, and good health are required.

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:

The Safety and Occupational Health Specialist is an integral member of a Safety and Health program.

Duties for this position include but are not limited to: Prepares written procedures for implementation of life safety/fire protection, employee safety, construction safety, and occupational safety and health policies.

Prepares monthly, quarterly, and annual occupational safety and health reports as specified VA Directives and Handbooks, OSHA and other federal, state, or local regulations.

Coordinates safety and occupational health activities with medical and administrative personnel and other medical center representatives.

Conducts safety and life safety, and/or Environment of Care (EOC) orientation classes for all employees.

Conducts training classes for supervisors in fire/life safety, general safety, construction safety, accident prevention and reporting, etc., and conducts safety promotional programs for all services as scheduled.

Conducts administrative inspections of workplaces for hazards and occupational safety and fire/life safety code violations.

Investigates alleged adverse incidents involving hazardous materials, machinery. or other items that have an impact on employee/patient safety or occupational health.

Performs other related work as assigned Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met.

Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Telework: this position may be authorized for Ad-Hoc telework.

Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Safety & Occ Health Specialist/PD028180, PD028170, and PD028160