Safety & Occupational Health Specialist

Full Job Description

The Safety Specialist position is physically located at the Hudson Valley VAMC - Montrose, NY, with responsibilities extending to community care homes, nursing homes, and satellite clinics within the network.

This position serves as a developmental assignment designed to provide the knowledge, skills and abilities and experience necessary to perform work at the GS-11 level within the FMS.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/11/2026.

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 by the closing date of this announcement.

For a GS-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. 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.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 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.

OR, ???????Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience.

To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have ???????Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree..

OR,???????

A combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the first year) and specialized experience, which may be used to meet total experience requirements for this grade level.

The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the Safety & Occupational Health Specialist position..

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Accident Investigation Administrative Law Communications and Media Compliance Inspection Safety Engineering 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; religions; 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week.

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.

Physical Requirements: ???????Work requires regular inspections of buildings, grounds, and construction sites, including walking, standing, climbing ladders, and entering confined spaces.

Occasional lifting of moderately heavy items (e.g., safety equipment) may be required. Personal protective equipment is used as necessary.

Work is performed in office settings and throughout medical center facilities, construction areas, and support operations.

The incumbent may be exposed to a variety of hazards including noise, chemicals, and moving equipment. Appropriate safety precautions and PPE are used.

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:

Duties include but are not limited to: Ensure a safe environment for patients, staff, and visitors by implementing and monitoring comprehensive safety programs Conducting safety and fire protection surveys, overseeing construction safety compliance, leading safety rounds, investigating accidents, managing the Lockout/Tagout program, and providing technical safety training Recommend measures to eliminate or control hazardous practices and conditions which may cause mishaps Conducts regular safety rounds and acts as team leader for one of the team safety survey teams Performs analysis of trends in accidents and areas where improvements can be made in safety Prepares and revises safety instructions and guides that are relevant to current or planned contractor and medical center employees Responsible for maintaining documentation to satisfy JCAHO Environment of Care standards for safety Serves as the primary point of contact for the facility's Lockout/Tagout program Works with Engineering shops to develop and maintain written energy control procedures for all applicable equipment Conducts annual reviews of procedures for accuracy and ensures they are posted at equipment locations and organized digitally Perform other assigned duties 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: Full-Time; Monday - Friday; 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Safety & Occupational Health Specialist/PD136160 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized