As the Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, the incumbent will provide veterans the world-class benefits and services they have earned - and to do so by adhering to the highest standards of compassion, commitment, excellence, professionalism, integrity, accountability, and stewardship.

Duties

Major Duties: Serve as a safety and occupational health specialist who plans, schedules, and conducts difficult inspections in establishments and worksites where there is a strong probability of encountering hazardous work processes and materials, and unsafe environmental conditions, involving a substantial number of employees. Conduct safety surveillance audits and inspections on a frequent basis according to the required standards and regulations and depending on the degree of hazard. Obtains immediate corrective action of conditions, which are of imminent danger to life or limb. Plan, develops, and implements safety promotional and educational campaigns containing aspects of difficult issues that are designed to meet both general and specific goals of reducing accidental occurrences and meet unique local situations. Ensure the distribution of information and guidance developed by accident prevention committees is distributed to all pertinent parties. Evaluate technological changes in the workplace and recommends appropriate safety measures for possible application. Provide necessary administrative support for the assigned safety program or program segment. Determine data needs, data processing requirements, and technical expertise needed in support of data management of accident records. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: 8 AM-4:30 PM Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Safety and Occupational Health Specialist/PD654-02522-O and PD654-02521-O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/22/2023. Basic Requirement: I have a graduate degree with a major study in 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. (NOTE: TRANSCRIPT(S) MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH APPLICATION MATERIAL. CONFERRAL OF DEGREE(S) EARNED SHOULD BE PRESENT ON TRANSCRIPT(S). UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT(S) OK.) OR Must have specialized 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 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. In addition to the basic requirement, for a GS-09, must meet the specialized experience/education described below: Must have at least one year of specialized experience that equipped me with particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. [To be creditable, the specialized experience must have been at the GS-07 grade level or higher, or an equivalent level of responsibility. Examples of creditable specialized experience includes: investigate accident causes and safety complaints and take action to resolve noted problem; work from safety resource material and previous experience to complete work assignments; and follow established guidelines for resolving or controlling noted hazards. (This experience must be well documented in your resume or application package.)] OR Must have successfully completed a Master's degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a major field of study related to the work of the position ( 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.) which provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of this position. (NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH THE APPLICATION MATERIALS. CONFERRAL OF DEGREE(S) EARNED SHOULD BE PRESENT ON TRANSCRIPT(S). UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT(S) IS OK.) OR Must have a combination of experience and education. [Note: To combine education and experience, first determine how much of the qualifying experience and education you have, as a percentage of what is required for each. Add the percentages together, and if the total is 100% or more, then the combined education and experience is qualifying for the position. EXAMPLE: To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of education beyond the first 18 semester hours (i.e. beyond the first year) by 18. Add the two percentages together. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify.] (NOTE: TRANSCRIPT(S) MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH APPLICATION MATERIAL. CONFERRAL OF DEGREE(S) EARNED SHOULD BE PRESENT ON TRANSCRIPT(S). UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS OK). For GS-11: Must have at least one year of specialized experience that equipped me with particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. [To be creditable, the specialized experience must have been at the GS-09 grade level or higher, or an equivalent level of responsibility. Examples of creditable specialized experience includes: Knowledge of a wide range of safety and occupational methods. Skill in applying standardized, analytical, and evaluative methods and techniques. Comprehensive knowledge of occupational health and safety principles, techniques, regulations, and standards in order to identity, evaluate and control a wide variety of industrial and construction hazards. Knowledge of evaluation and investigation techniques and psychological and physiological factors to determine causes of problems and accidents and develop corrective or control procedures. Prepare reports of findings to provide information and to motivate other follow safety requirements. Knowledge of infection control procedures. Knowledge and ability to read and interpret blueprints. Knowledge of established construction practices. Knowledge and ability to use and education other on appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Knowledge of Hospital fire and safety policies and procedures. Comprehensive understanding of OSHA 29 CFR General Industry Standards, Hazardous Communications Standards and 40 CFR Hazardous Material Handling and Disposal for application to control hazardous situation in existing facilities and new construction series. (This experience must be well documented in your resume or application package.)] OR Must have successfully completed a Ph. D degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a major field of study related to the work of the position which provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of this position ( 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.) which provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of this position. (NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH THE APPLICATION MATERIALS. CONFERRAL OF DEGREE(S) EARNED SHOULD BE PRESENT ON TRANSCRIPT(S). UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT(S) IS OK.) OR Must have have a combination of experience and education. [Note: To combine education and experience, first determine how much of the qualifying experience and education you have, as a percentage of what is required for each. Add the percentages together, and if the total is 100% or more, then the combined education and experience is qualifying for the position. EXAMPLE: To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of education beyond the first 18 semester hours (i.e. beyond the first year) by 18. Add the two percentages together. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify.] (NOTE: TRANSCRIPT(S) MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH APPLICATION MATERIAL. CONFERRAL OF DEGREE(S) EARNED SHOULD BE PRESENT ON TRANSCRIPT(S). UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS OK).

Education

Qualifications Continued:
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Accident Investigation
• Building and Construction
• Compliance Inspection
• Public Safety and Security
• Safety Engineering

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. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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.

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: Most work is performed in an office or workplace setting, and the work is sedentary in nature. There may be some walking, standing, bending and carrying of light items, occasionally carrying moderate weight items, but no specific physical demands are required to perform the work.

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/.

Education:

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System 975 Kirman Avenue Reno, NV 89502 US
• Name: Yesenia Nery
• Phone: 910-488-2120 X1273
• Email: [email protected]