Safety Technician

Full Job Description

This position is located in the Safety Office of the Engineering Service at the Richmond VA Medical Center under the management of the Safety and Occupational Health Manager.

The incumbent will provide support in the safety field that involves obtaining and providing factual information about safety; participating in routine safety inspections and surveys; and identifying a variety of straightforward safety violations.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/06/2026.

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-5 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-04. 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-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Technical knowledge of general safety practices to assist in the conduct of inspections of medical facility operations where exposure and type of hazard is predictable in advance.

General understanding of medical facility work processes, systems, equipment, machinery design, wastewater and hazardous waste treatment and storage, material handling, and related environmental controls to identify obvious violations to safety procedures that contribute to accidents and result in hazardous working conditions.

Practical knowledge of blueprints and designs in order to determine the specific location of equipment while conducting safety inspections and surveys.

Practical knowledge of common safety and occupational health hazards and protective measures. ??????? OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience.

To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a four (4) year course of study above high school leading to a Bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation such as safety, fire prevention, industrial hygiene or other directly related subjects.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Follow Directions Inspect Problem Solving 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: Survey or inspection work requires regular and recurrent physical exertion such as walking, standing, bending, climbing, crouching, reaching, and lifting of a variety of moderately weighted products fabricated by employees.

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: Participate in routine safety inspections and survey in medical facilities and identify a variety of safety violations in support of the enforcement of occupational safety and health laws.

Look for and report on unsafe mechanical and physical conditions and work practices bordering on carelessness or negligence that may involve injury to persons or damage to property.

Observes safety practices and procedures, including equipment utilization. Monitors safety checklists for compliance with safety requirements; shares findings with supervisor or specialist.

Participates in routine safety inspections and surveys. Reviews accident reports to determine specific cause and nature of injuries or damage to property.

Maintains files of accident reports and Government compensation cases. Works independently, but within the framework of established practices and prescribed procedures.

Other directly related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: 03:30pm to 12:00am and 12:00am to 08:30am Tuesday - Saturday. Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Safety Technician/PD024160 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized