The Safety and Occupational Health Specialist position is located at the El Paso VA Clinic in El Paso, TX.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** This position serves as a safety and occupational health specialist who plans, schedules, and conducts difficult inspections in establishments and work sites where there is a strong probability of encountering hazardous work processes and materials, and unsafe environmental conditions, involving a substantial number of employees. Major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to: Conducts healthcare-related 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; 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); 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; As required, 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; Plans, develops, and implements safety promotional and educational campaigns containing that are designed to meet both general and specific goals of reducing accidental occurrences and meet unique local situations; Promotes safety campaign and education materials; selects appropriate medium (i.e., lecture, campaign, safety meeting, posters, video, eLearning, brochures, training assembly, etc.) for use in promoting safety; Ensures that safety standards are published in appropriate training manuals; and establishes necessary safety committees; The position performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:45pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one year of specialized experience that is equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-7) 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 EDUCATION: A master's or equivalent graduate degree OR at least two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's 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. Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR 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-7) may be combined with experience to qualify for the GS-9 level. For example, 6 months of appropriate experience equivalent to the GS-7 level (50 percent of the experience requirement for GS-9) and 27 semester hours of appropriate graduate education (50 percent of the education requirement for GS-9, in excess of that required for the GS-7 level) would be qualifying for the GS-9 level (assuming that there is no evidence that the attended college or university requires more than 18 semester hours as equivalent to a year of graduate study). Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. PREFERRED EXPERIENCE AND CERTIFICATION: At least 3 years of verifiable experience in fire alarm and sprinkler system maintenance, repair and report management. Completion of a recognized fire safety program with certifications in Class A fire alarm systems and/or dry/wet sprinkler systems. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)Health Risk AnalysisPublic Safety and Security IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. Physical Requirements: The regular and recurring work is carried out in an office or workplace environment. The work is usually performed in a well-lighted, heated, and ventilated space. Normal safety measures prevail. The work occasionally requires special safety precautions such as utilizing safety gear or following particular safety procedures. 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

IMPORTANT: 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 El Paso VA Clinic 5001 North Piedras Street El Paso, TX 79930 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]