This position is located within the Occupational Safety and Health Service at the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System in Topeka, KS. The purpose of the Safety & Occupational Health Specialist position is to perform limited occupational hazard and safety surveys of a medical facility, study and review inspection safety records, participate as a member of survey or inspection teams that identify safety hazards and violation and analyze accident and injury reports.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** The major duties include but are not limited to: Advises supervisors and safety representatives of appropriate safety and occupational health measures to control or eliminate hazardous operating processes or environmental conditions; Drafts revisions of safety instructions and guides that are relevant to current or planned contractor and base employees; Investigates mishaps, obtains statements from witnesses and photographs mishaps scenes; Records circumstances of mishap and extent of injuries, estimates cost of property damage and prepares reports of findings with recommendations to correct unsafe acts or conditions that caused personnel injuries or property damage; Participates in technical safety training for supervisors and employees using materials, publications, exhibits, protective devices and visual aids; Helps promote safety campaigns; Recommends measures to eliminate or control hazardous practices and conditions which may cause mishaps; Proposes supplemental written safety procedures; Inspects construction projects and designs to determine compliance with applicable occupational safety standards; and, Performs all other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 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, 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. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. ~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. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~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). NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION COMPLIANCE INSPECTION CUSTOMER SERVICE PUBLIC 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: Survey or inspection work requires regular and recurrent physical exertion such as walking, standing, bending, climbing, crouching, reaching and lifting of a variety of moderately weighted products fabricated by employees. Work involves frequent exposure to construction hazards, high noise levels and adverse weather conditions. Protective gear may be required when conducting surveys. 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 VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System 2200 SW Gage Blvd Topeka, KS 66622 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]