The Safety & Occupational Health Specialist serves in Engineering Service, Audie L. murphy, VA Medical Center, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, Department of Veterans Affairs, San Antonio, 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** Duties include, but may not be limited to the following: Life Safety Program Management: Performs duties within the structure of the Safety Management System (SMS). Exercises his/her authority in the development, maintenance, updating, and execution of the SMS and the accompanying manual, working in conjunction with the general Safety Program Manager and Industrial Hygienists, who complete the IH components of the SMS. Sets schedules for assessments, performs reviews, identifies needs, identifies non-compliance, recommends actions for remediation, collects, and analyzes data, and completes presentations and training to HCS leadership, services, and employees as required. Performs various duties to assess work practices and environmental conditions for hazards to the health and safety of workers. Construction Safety program Management: Conducts Pre-Construction Risk Assessments (PCRA) for Life Safety Hazards for Major and Minor construction and renovation projects. Develops, implements, manages, and evaluates the Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA)/PCRA process for all construction projects. Writes, maintains, and recertifies Health Care System policies pertaining to construction safety. Reviews engineering plans and construction drawings for life safety compliance, recommending action when proposed drawings are not compliant with regulatory standards or VHA Directives and policies. Performs contract oversight for life safety and fire safety systems, and documents performance as required. Prepares contracting packages for fire extinguisher and hood suppression maintenance, duct cleaning, fire alarm system testing and inspection, and fire alarm system maintenance and repair. Requests input from presenters in Safety, Infection Control, Quality Management (QM), and Engineering Services to compile the meeting PowerPoint. Fire Safety Program Management: Conducts no-notice fire drills for employees as required by The Joint Commission (TJC), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), and College of American Pathologists (CAP). Prepares documentation of drills in anticipation of review by surveying teams. Plans, organizes, and directs life and fire safety activities to ensure clinical and administrative operations are conducted in compliance with all applicable regulations and standards. Performs contract management and serves as the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) for the facility fire alarm, fire suppression, and firefighting equipment contracts totaling more $400,000.00. Performs on-site inspections of new construction to ensure compliance with all applicable codes, standards, and HCS policy requirements. Comprehensive Support of Programs: Investigates accidents and incidents involving employees, contractors, woe staff, visitors, and any other non-patients, and initiates the Employee's Compensation Operations and Management Portal (ECOMP) incident reporting in cases where there is no supervisor, or the supervisor has not the capability (such as an off-site contractor) to utilize the ECOMP system. Assists the supervisor and employee in the use of the system to ensure completeness and accuracy. Develops and executes periodic training, including training as requested to individuals or groups of employees. Prepares and communicates reporting from the ECOMP program, both for OSHA requirement and to inform the HCS. Compiles data from the ECOMP system for legally mandated Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements and reporting, and analyzes data for monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting to such committees as the Accident Review Committee and the EOC Safety Board through the Safety Committee. Promotes a culture of safety and fully cooperates in efforts to improve patient safety and eradicate potential events, including the reporting of events resulting in actual or potential injury to a patient. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00am-4:30pm 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: CommunicationsComplianceCompliance InspectionProblem SolvingRisk ManagementTechnology Application 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 work environment of the Safety and Occupational Health Specialist requires regular and frequently recurring periods of standing, walking, bending, crouching, climbing ladders, working on roofs, in basements, or in interstitial spaces, working in chemical laboratory environments, including pushing and pulling carts to transport equipment, supplies, and/or hazardous materials, and standing and walking during training sessions and safety awareness activities such as safety fairs. There will be some periods of sedentary work while managing administrative duties. The Safety & Occupational Health Specialist organizes and executes training, public demonstrations, and safety fairs, which may include hands-on fire extinguisher training, set up and knock down of display tables for educational fair events such as Earth Day and America Recycles Day, and "stock room" type actions that accompany the Swap-It office supply and fixtures "swap meet" hosted by Safety Service several times per year (receiving, cleaning, arranging, and distributing items). The Safety & Occupational Health Specialist is required to lift or carry moderately heavy loads. Pushing/pulling a cart carrying supplies, training materials, and/or equipment is required. When conducting EOG rounds, the Safety & Occupational Health Specialist leads walking tours through inspection areas weekly. This includes descending and ascending steep stairs to/from the basement, wearing a hard hat due to limited height in some areas and ducking underneath pipes suspended overhead. EOC rounds also include walking tours of exterior spaces like the campus grounds, parking areas, smoking shelter, and the shipping/receiving dock. The Safety & Occupational Health Specialist leads rounds through interior spaces including administrative offices, maintenance and operations machine shop areas, patient care areas that may require donning of gloves, gowns, etc., for infection precautions, or exposure to hazards in dirty utility rooms. Certification for respiratory protection may be required. Physical capability and good balance and dexterity may be required to navigate areas such as construction areas, interstitial spaces, sub-basement levels, and rooftops while executing duties. 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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).

Contacts

• Address Audie L Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital 7400 Merton Minter Boulevard San Antonio, TX 78229 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]