This position is located within the Occupational Safety and Health Department at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System (VAPHS) in Pittsburgh, PA and may be required to work at both divisions Heinz and University Drive campus as well as community based care facilities. The position works with supervisors, union officials and safety and occupational health committees to eliminate or control hazardous operations or conditions.

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 involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed below represent the full performance level of GS-11. At the GS-09 grade level, you will perform assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-11. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher level work, and availability of funds. The major duties include but are not limited to: Develops, implements and enforces assigned elements of 29CFR 1960 Federal Agency, 29CFR 1910 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) General Industry and 29CFR 1926 OSHA Construction standards as well as applicable consensus standards, such as (Joint Commission, American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, American National Standards Institute, National Fire Protection Association, etc.); Reviews and works with activities in all areas of the Healthcare System to determine where the appropriate safety standards are applicable and works with the departments to develop and implement programs to assure compliance; Develops criteria to monitor compliance with OSHA standards, conducts reviews of all policies and procedures and conducts periodic inspections of workplaces to ensure compliance with assigned program areas; Coordinates with Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), consultants and regulatory agency staff on external audits or inspections to include Life Safety Assessments, OSHA inspections, Annual Workplace Evaluation (AWE), Joint Commission, Long-term Care Institute or specified inspections of VAPHS facilities; Works with the responsible departments to develop corrective action plans for any identified deficiencies and conducts follow-up monitoring and inspections to assure that corrective actions have been implemented and are effective; Responsible for the occupational injury and illness record keeping program for the VAPHS; Conducts investigations of accidents and fires; Investigates reports of unsafe or unhealthy working conditions; Develops training programs and conducts training sessions on a wide variety of topics including OSHA compliance, general safety, life safety and fire protection; Reviews engineering drawings to ensure that building maintenance and repair, modifications, renovations and new construction projects incorporate safety standards and criteria; and, Performs all other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:00 am - 3:30 pm. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position at the GS-9 grade level, you must meet one of the following: Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-7) in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Safety & Occupational Health Specialist at a development level, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Qualifying specialized experience includes: 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. These assignments would have been performed of a more limited scope and with less independence than the full performance level, and be performed under supervision, consulting with the supervisor when problems are encountered. ~OR~ Education: Successfully completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree or two (2) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B., J.D., if related. The major study must be 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. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the Safety & Occupational Health Specialist position. ~OR~ Combination: Equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the first year) and specialized experience, as described above, which may be used to meet total experience requirements for this grade level. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the Safety & Occupational Health Specialist position such as safety or occupational health fields (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene). To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level, you must meet one of the following: Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Safety & Occupational Health Specialist, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Qualifying specialized experience includes: 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. At this level, assignments would have been performed with little or no supervision, consulting with the supervisor when unusual problems are encountered. ~OR~ Education: Successful completion of a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. The major study must be 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. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the Safety & Occupational Health Specialist position. ~OR~ Combination: Equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the second year) and specialized experience, as described above, which may be used to meet total experience requirements for this grade level. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the Safety & Occupational Health Specialist position such as safety or occupational health fields (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene). You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: INFORMATION MANAGEMENT PLANNING AND EVALUATING TECHNICAL COMPETENCE 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. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

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 Pittsburgh VA Medical Center 1010 Delafield Road Pittsburgh, PA 15215 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]