Safety & Occupational Health Specialist

Full Job Description

This position is located in the Southwest Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP) at the Tucson VA Medical Center in Tucson, AZ.

The incumbent will be responsible for the day-to-day technical administration of the Safety and Occupational Health program.

GS-11 SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one year of specialized experience that is equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal service.

Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: managing safety or occupational health program elements; developing emergency readiness and response training programs; develops and projects budget requirements; applying safety and occupational health laws, regulations, principles, theories, practices, and procedures to advise on or resolve technical matters dealing with occupational safety, health requirements, and emergency management; 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; working in occupational fields such as industrial hygienist, safety engineer, fire prevention engineer, health physicist, and occupational health nurse.

OR GS-11 EDUCATION: A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree.

The major study of such education must be in a safety or occupational health field (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene) or in another related field 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 GS-11 COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: An equivalent combination of graduate education and specialized experience as described above.

Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level (GS-9) may be combined with experience to qualify for the GS-11 level.

* If using education to qualify, transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

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:

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** MAJOR DUTIES: Exercises responsibility for the administration and execution of the facility safety and fire prevention program, including preparation of all policies, reports, safety, occupational health and fire prevention-related correspondence.

Ensures that inspection and testing of all fire protection equipment and systems is accomplished in accordance with codes and policies.

Ensures that inspections of fire extinguishers throughout the facility and testing of the fire alarm system are conducted on an ongoing basis and directs overall program.

Investigates lost-time accidents and fire incidents. Prepares analyses of accident and injury trends for review and action by the facility Safety Committee.

Reviews all accident reports for completeness, accuracy and adequacy of corrective actions.

Incumbent conducts accident investigations and checks and analyzes accidents, illnesses, hazardous conditions and code deficiencies for the purpose of informing management and meeting report schedules.

Accident investigations consist of visiting the accident scene and interviewing staff and visitors as needed, investigating the cause of the accident, and making recommendations on how they can be prevented.

Compiles reports on accident statistics. Schedules hazard evaluations of any identified hazards and reviews all reports of hazards for completeness, accuracy and adequacy of corrective actions.

Conducts general and fire safety training classes for all employees, including special supervisory training classes in fire and occupational safety.

Exercises responsibility for designing and executing an employee awareness program in safety, and informing services of employees trained.

Schedules, conducts and documents fire drills and emergency preparedness drills in all areas of the facility.

Acts as co- chair of Emergency Preparedness Committee and follows up on deficiencies found during Emergency Preparedness Drills.

Conducts workplace inspections throughout the facility and storage areas. Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved