Safety & Occupational Health Specialist

Full Job Description

The Safety and Occupational Health Specialist position is located in the Safety & Industrial Hygiene Section of Engineering Service in the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System with consists of the Alvin C.

York medical center, Nashville medical center with an active Research Development Service, outpatient clinics in Chattanooga, Clarksville and others in southern Kentucky.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/17/2026.

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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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.

In addition to meeting the time-in-grade requirement, applicants must meet the IOR and Specialized Experience/Education as follows: The Occupational Series 0018 includes an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR).

Candidates may not hold a position in this series without meeting one of the IOR requirements established by OPM.

INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENTS: Must meet one of the following Education or Experience: 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 Experience General Experience (for GS-5 positions): Experience in scientific or technical work that provided an understanding of the basic principles and concepts of the safety and occupational health field.

Creditable general experience must have demonstrated the achievement of knowledge equivalent to the education described above.

Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): 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.

OR Certificates 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.

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-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: administering local directives and procedures for technical and administrative safety and occupational health requirements for various types of facilities; planning and scheduling periodic surveys of facility activities and operations providing guidance to employees engaged in industrial, maintenance and healthcare functions; conducting fire drills and other safety drills within the facility; recommending new methods, techniques and procedures to eliminate or control unsafe acts or conditions; conducting accident investigations; analyzing hazardous conditions and providing proper recommendation for mitigation; conducting safety education activities.

OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D.

or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related..

OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate level.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communications Compliance Health Risk Analysis Risk Management Safety Engineering Technical Competence 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: The work is primarily sedentary, although some physical effort may be required, e.g., walking, standing, carrying light items such as manuals, or driving or traveling by motor vehicle.

Work Environment: Incumbent works in many environments such as an office, medical center support buildings and grounds.

Then incumbent's duties occasionally require visiting environments where there is possible exposure to contagious disease and hazardous substances.

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 & Occupational Health Specialist independently plans and administers the safety and occupational health program, coordinating specific actions with installation managers and supervisors, resolving difficulties, and carrying out program requirements under the general supervision of the Supervisory Safety & Occupational Manager.

The Specialist and supervisor develops program activities and sets due dates. The incumbent's duties will include, but are not limited to: Conduct accident investigations.

Investigate tort claims against the government arising from the medical center's operation. Visit accident scene and interview staff, patient and visitors as required.

Compile reports on accident statistics. Investigate and analyze mishaps and hazardous conditions to determine origin, cause and contributing elements.

Schedule, conduct and critique fire drills throughout the medical facility as required by the Joint Commission (TJC).

Acquire technical data on safety related issues by communicating with safety related issues by communicating with safety and federal regulatory officials, industrial hygienists, health physicists, medical personnel, employee health, fire department personnel, OSHA, EPA, NFPA, TJC, NIOSH and others as appropriate.

Perform monthly inspections and maintenance of portable fire extinguishers; insuring guidelines for identification are followed.

Perform inspection of all vehicles used by contract ambulance and taxi-cab companies for the transportation of veterans to ensure compliance with county, state, federal and VA regulations.

Plan and schedule periodic surveys of facility activities and operations. Provide advice and guidance to managers engaged in a full range of industrial, maintenance, and health care functions.

Recommend solutions to safety and life safety deficiencies found during conducted surveys.

Recommend to installation management the application of specific techniques, methods and procedures to eliminate or control unsafe acts or conditions identified in surveys.

Administer local directives and procedures for establishing technical and administrative safety and occupational health requirements for clinical laboratories, health care wards, industrial support operations, commercial support facilities, construction, and transportation activities.

Provide safety and education classes and materials to managers and employees.

Initiate and carry out safety education activities, promote safety awareness through safety councils, and provide training courses within the medical center.

Prepare articles, bulletins and newsletters explaining job safety procedures. Serve as the Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COR) on service contracts.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:00am - 3:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Safety & Occupational Health Specialist/PD07319A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized