Safety & Occupational Health Specialist

Full Job Description

The Safety and Occupational Health Specialist performs tasks to ensure employees are working in a safe workplace that meets all regulatory guidelines.

This position requires comprehensive knowledge of occupational safety and health principles, techniques, practices, and standards, applicable to the performance of surveys, in a VA Medical Center.

The specialist investigates potential and existing hazardous situations, identifying and evaluating unsafe operations and conditions.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/23/2026.

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-9. 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: Basic Requirements: This position has INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT which is a basic requirement that must be met to qualify for entry into this job series, and it is something that cannot be waived.

To meet the basic requirement for the Safety and Occupational Health Specialist Occupational series, applicants must demonstrate one of the following: Undergraduate and/or Graduate Education with Major study as follows -- 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 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.

Grade Requirements: Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, GS-11 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Creating safety plans and preparing supplements, guidelines, and written procedures to implement technical safety standards, codes, and safety requirements for a variety of operations and activities; Inspecting construction projects to determine compliance with occupational standards; and reviewing designs for new areas that are being built or renovated; Evaluating employee implementation of all prescribed occupational health, safety, and fire and life protection measures.

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 a Master's or equivalent graduate degree.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Compliance Inspection Risk Management 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 involves the frequent performance of surveys and onsite visits to offices, laboratory and maintenance shops necessitating prolonged periods of walking, standing, climbing, crouching, and lifting as much as 50 pounds.

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:

Major duties include, but are not limited to the following: The Safety and Occupational Health Specialist will independently schedule surveys to identify and evaluate risk potentially involving a wide variety of work environments and occupations.

Applies purchasing guidelines and credit card police and maintains all documentation for all transactions in direct support of the activities and operations for the EH&S service.

Maintains records of all area training; notifies supervisors when training is due; schedules training to include all shifts; and conducts training when requested or required.

Ensures corrective actions are initiated and consults with subject matter specialists and managers about changes in work processes and proposed methods to eliminate unnecessary risks and control hazardous conditions.

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.

Investigates hazardous conditions, equipment, practices, etc. to identify and analyze the nature and severity of hazards and possible remedial actions (i.e., elimination, correction, or protection).

Conducts safety and health studies and investigations, analyze findings, make recommendations, prepare reports, and related skill in organizing and delivering briefings to pertinent parties to encourage an understanding and acceptance of findings and recommendations.

Investigates or assist 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 a report of findings which includes recommendations to correct unsafe acts or conditions which caused the accident.

Develops and prepares supplements to guidelines developed by higher authority and initiates written procedures implementing technical safety standards, codes, and safety requirements for a variety of operations or activities within the serviced area.

Researches various sources of information for promotional items and campaigns to initiate and maintain interest in accident prevention and occupational health for at-work and off-the-job employee activities.

Promotes safety campaign and education materials; selects appropriate medium (i.e., lecture, campaign, safety meeting, posters, video, e-learning, brochures, training assembly, etc.) for use in promoting safety; ensures that safety standards are published in appropriate training manuals; and establishes necessary safety committees.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Safety & Occupational Health Specialist/PD12542A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized