Safety & Occupational Health Specialist - GEMS

Full Job Description

Serves as the Safety and Occupational Health Specialist (GEMS/IH) for the Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISN 20) an integrated healthcare system comprised of eight healthcare institutions in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.

The VA Northwest Network provides healthcare coverage for over 320,000 unique Veterans.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet Time-In-Grade and Specialized Experience requirements met within 30 days of 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 within 30 days of the closing of this announcement.

For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR). An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for the GS 0018 occupational series.

Education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.

To qualify for this occupational series, applicants must have one of the following listed below: 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.

(Transcripts Required) 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 Requirement, applicants may qualify based on their experience as described below: You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Assist with program planning, develop mitigation plans/strategies for remediation of Safety/Occupational Health/and Fire Protection programs; environmental issues; Ability to interpret federal, state, and local regulations (OSHA, EPA, DEQ, NFPA, etc) toward implementation and monitoring of safety and health compliance programs; Acts as an authoritative consultant on all environmental safety & occupational health program matters when problems arise; Track and direct facilities to comply with all safety, industrial hygiene, GEMS, CEOC inspection initiatives, and fire safety measure; Evaluate or investigate employee safety related complaints that cannot be resolved at the local level; Develop changes and modifications to work processes, equipment operation, and /or protective devices to minimize injuries; Providing consultation and technical assistance to leadership, facility management and staff.

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 (GEMS/IH) reports directly to the VISN Safety Manager and assists with program planning, development, and execution of the Network Environmental, Safety, Occupational Health, and Fire Protection Program Manager (ESOH) programs.

The specialist assists with the direction and coordination of VISN-level programs and execution throughout the Network, including evaluations of the comprehensive Environmental, Safety, Occupational Health (Industrial Hygiene), and Fire Protection programs.

Duties include but not limited to: Program Support Assist the safety manager or, on the incumbent's behalf, acts as the principal network safety consultant during large-scale emergencies affecting individual or multiple facilities and/or national events.

The specialist acts as a principal advisor to the Network as assigned or in the absence of the Network Safety Manager.

Interprets and applies new and existing safety and health regulations, codes, and standards and assures that specific programs, policies, and practices are consistent with all applicable federal regulations such as EPA, OSHA, NIOSH, NRC, NFPA, and other regulations and includes state and local regulations as they apply.

Serves as the technical advisor for ESOH-related programs. Conducts the Annual Workplace Evaluations (AWE) annually or as required.

Safety Oversight: Assist in ensuring adequate resources and oversight to support the VISN programs that potentially impact safety, health, and the environment across the Network.

Advises the VISN Director, Deputy Network Director, Capitol Assets Manager, VISN Capitol Assets Committee, VISN Chief Financial Officer, and facility management on issues and needs that justify or significantly impact capital and operating expenditures, including equipment needs.

Represent V20 Facilities or the Network in conferences as necessary, including local, state, and federal agencies and private concerns.

Acts as an authoritative consultant on all environmental safety & occupational health program matters when problems arise that cannot be resolved at the local level.

Evaluates or investigates employee safety related complaints.

Administers an effective safety management system to disseminate safety & health-related information and coordinate communication between VHA Headquarters, the Network, and Facilities.

Identifies specific hazardous conditions that require in-depth analysis and subsequent implementation of measures to control or eliminate unsafe conditions.

Assists and consults with medical center engineering staff, directors, and the Network Director's staff in the proper development and prioritization of projects to correct safety, health, and fire protection deficiencies.

Reviews and recommends professional development, training, and education activities. Provides technical guidance to VHA managers in the development of training materials and guidebooks.

Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm (PST) Position Description/PD#: Safety & Occupational Health Specialist - GEMS/PD104420 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.