This position is in Facilities Management Service located at the Fayetteville NC VA HCS within VISN 6 Mid-Atlantic Healthcare Network. The incumbent in this position serves as the Safety & Occupational Health Specialist and provides planning, scheduling, and conducting 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.

Duties

Duties include, but may not be limited to the following: Conducts safety surveillance audits and inspections on a frequent basis according to the required standards and regulations; investigates hazardous conditions, equipment, practices, etc. to identify and analyze the nature and severity of hazards and possible remedial actions; and investigates or assists 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 report of findings. Plans, develops, and implements safety promotional and educational campaigns containing aspects of difficult issues designed to meet both general and specific goals of reducing accidental occurrences; and develops or adapts material for safety campaigns and training courses and conducts technical training for personnel. Conducts comprehensive analytical surveys and/or studies of serviced safety programs; reviews safety policies, policies, procedures, and regulations published by serviced organizations; and works closely with all personnel in the establishment of realistic safety requirements and compliance with applicable directives and regulations. Creates and conducts area-specific safety hazard initiatives; maintains long-term historical safety records and notes trends or changing conditions that warrant revision of safety procedures; and assists in the planning, organizing, directing, and controlling information used in safety databases. Performs all other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM (EST) Compressed/Flexible: Not available Telework: Not available Virtual/Remote: This is NOT a virtual/Remote position. Position Description/PD#: Safety and Occupational Health Specialist/PD081540 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Physical Requirements: The work of this position requires, on a regular and recurring basis; on-site visits throughout the Medical Center and moderate physical exertion, such as when transporting equipment (weighing up to 50 lbs.}, climbing, standing, walking, crawling, and bending. The work requires the incumbent to have good hearing, eyesight, color and depth perception, and the use of all limbs. Work Environment: The work of this position is frequently performed in both a normal office setting, which is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated, and within a wide variety of other Medical Center/patient care areas, laboratories, shops, construction sites, and areas with possible exposures to operating machines, equipment, hazardous materials, high noise levels, confined spaces, dust, and chemicals. Exposures to such hazards necessitate the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as an N95 mask, and Universal Precautions. Required to travel off-site to conduct inspections and to attend meetings, seminars, or other activities related to the position.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/18/2023. Driver's License Requirement: Applicants must possess a current valid state driver's license. GS-09 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-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. Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR): In addition to the experience and/or education listed below for this position, an IOR is a basic requirement that must be met to qualify for entry into this occupational series for positions above the GS-05 grade level, and it is something that cannot be waived. In addition to the education and/or specialized experience below, applicants must meet the IOR for this position. 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. 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. OR, Certificates Certification as a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), or Certified Health Physicist (CHP), or similar certification that included successful completion of a written examination meets the requirements for GS-5. Applicants may also qualify for higher grade levels based on their education and/or experience. In addition to the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) above, applicants may qualify based on their experience and/or education described below: GS-09 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Performs Safety Inspections to identify hazards, detect risks, and determine causal relationships. Develops abatement recommendations for Safety and Occupational Health hazards. Responsible for overseeing the compliance and day-to-day operation of the Emergency Eyewash and Shower Program. Reviews and conducts investigations of accidents resulting in injury, property damage, and/or fire. Prepares monthly, quarterly, and annual accident reviews and reports. Note: Evidence of specialized experience must be supported by detailed documentation of duties performed in positions held on your resume. You must provide work experience information such as hours per week, salary, and starting/ending dates of employment (month and year format) to establish you have one (1) full year of Specialized Experience at or comparable to the required grade level. OR, GS-09 Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related, in an accredited college or university. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. OR, GS-09 Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience directly related to the work of the Safety & Occupation Health Specialist position and education beyond 1 year of graduate level education (the first year of graduate study is not qualifying for GS-9). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Critical ThinkingCustomer Service (Clerical/Technical)FacilitiesFire ManagementFirst ResponseSafety 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. 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 Fayetteville NC VA Medical Center 2300 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28301 US
• Name: Traci Poston
• Phone: 6159974265
• Email: [email protected]