The Safety & Occupational Health Specialist serves Safety & Emergency Management Service, Office of the Medical Center Associate Director, Dorn Veterans Administration Medical Center, (VAMC), Department of Veterans Affairs, Columbia, SC.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Duties include, but may not be limited to the following: Technical Advice and Inspections: Supports the medical center safety, health, fire protection, and emergency management programs. providing program pertinent technical advice and assistance and staying informed to changes in applicable codes and regulations while keeping management informed of these changes. Inspects and evaluates medical center and institutional environments for occupational health and safety hazards and determines the compliance with applicable regulations, standards, codes and requirements; conducts Life Safety Code (NFPAl0I) compliance assessments of the medical center, institutional environments, and other contracted facilities, such as, but not limited to, community nursing homes, adult daycare facilities, Vet Centers, medical foster homes, and Veteran homeless shelters. Performs evaluations of projects to ensure that interim life safety measures ( ILSM's) are implemented as required; selects, recommends, and implements environmental and personal monitoring and sampling methods; evaluates and selects the appropriate engineering, administrative, and personal protective equipment controls for identified physical and environmental stressors or environmental condition. Occupational Safety and Health Programs Oversight: Aids VA services and departments upon request; conducts background reviews of service operations and of the work processes; and reviews applicable standards and requirements contained in VA circulars and applicable federal, state and local requirements to ensure regulatory compliance. Responds to requests and complaints from VA management, employees and employee representatives concerning occupational health and safety matters with responses that may include environmental, physical risk assessments, and/or personnel sampling through the usage of a variety of sampling instruments. Leads a team of medical center staff members from various other program areas to ensure all areas of the medical center are inspected twice per year. Provides support for the Emergency Management programs as assigned as well as other duties. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 7:00am - 3:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. AND Education: having a Undergraduate and Graduate Education: in a 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 twenty-four (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 GS-11: having one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent to the next level in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes having experience in or related to safety and occupational health that provided the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform 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 SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE GS-11: having three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or LL.M, if related which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. The Major study must be-- safety or occupational health fields (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene), or degree in other related fields that included or was supplemented by at least twenty-four (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: Only graduate education beyond the second year may be used to qualify. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) OR COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION GS-11: having the equivalent combinations of education and specialized experience (as described above) to meet the requirements at the GS-11. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) OR Certificates: having a Certification as a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), or Certified Health Physicist (CHP), or similar certification. (Applicants may also qualify for higher grade levels based on their education and/or experience). You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Accident InvestigationAnalysis and Problem SolvingCritical ThinkingSafety EngineeringTechnical Credibility 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 Safety & Occupational Health Specialist is required to make recurring scheduled inspections and investigations in all areas, such as inside and outside the Medical Center and at other locations owned or operated by the VA, such as Residential Care homes, Nursing Homes, Outpatient Clinics, outreach Centers, and Cemeteries. These inspections and investigations involve climbing, crawling into cramped spaces, working around moving machinery, considerable walking, standing, and bending. In addition, the Safety & Occupational Health Specialist occasionally will be required to lift and carry objects. 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 Columbia VA Health Care System 6439 Garners Ferry Road Columbia, SC 29209 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]