Responsible for the planning, development, implementation, administration, policy, guidance and monitoring of the Occupational Health & Safety program; Emergency Preparedness and Fire Protection program; Workplace Violence Prevention program; Safety Training Program; Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) program; and works closely with Infection Control on all issues related to employee health and safety within the healthcare system.

Duties

Responsible for the Environment of Care Program IAW regulations ensuring the facility maintains a safe environment to maintain accreditation and to avoid citations. Maintain regulatory compliance with CARF, EPA and other regulatory bodies. Responsible for the safety of employees and ensures compliance with OSHA regulations. Ensures risk assessments are performed to identify, eliminate or control hazards. Provide expert advice, consultation, and guidance on safety and health issues regarding OSHA, Joint Commission, VA policies, NFPA and other pertinent organizations and regulations for facility activities, professional and administrative services, and management. Inspects buildings, grounds, and operations regarding safety, health, and fire deficiencies. Responsible for safety inspections of nursing homes, community residential care facilities, halfway houses, and Michigan Veterans Home contracted with the VA. Oversees the Workplace Violence Protection Program (WVPP) and serves on the Employee Threat Assessment Team (ETAT) addressing employee-generated disruptive behavior, threats or violence that may undermine a culture of safety. Oversees the Emergency Management Program ensuring the development and implementation of fire/safety and disaster plans and programs to ensure compliance. Ensures facility is ready to act as a Federal Coordinating Center (FCC) and has a functioning Decontamination Program. Ensures the review of all plans and specifications for new construction, minor improvements, and non-recurring maintenance projects to ensure incorporation of adequate fire/safety features and compliance with applicable codes. Initiates and assists with the design for all fire/safety projects, including the incorporation of the most suitable/economical method of correction of deficiencies and assignment of priorities based on severity of hazards. Oversees the Green Environmental Management Systems (GEMS) program to ensure facilities are in compliance. Oversees the development of an industrial hygiene program. Ensures the development and implementation of hazardous and toxic waste programs and coordinates with Michigan health authorities for required licenses and permits. Oversees the Safe Patient Handling and Mobility Program ensuring the development of a robust program, train staff, replace equipment, and review injuries. Works with the program manager to develop the Unit Peer Leader process for SPHM. Oversees committees responsible for the preparation/completion of EOC Committee monthly meeting agendas and minutes. Responsible for quarterly reviews, analyses, and reports of all fires, vehicle accidents, and employee injuries, comparing results of previous years and offers recommendations for improvement. Prepares reports of evaluations for management review at the Healthcare System, VISN and Central Office level. Oversees the planning, organization, direction and presentation of education and training courses for all safety matters. Acts as main point of contact for all safety issues. Works with service chiefs to identify opportunities for improvement of safety programs and processes. Monitors safety incidents and engages with various services to inspect those areas where improvements need to be made. Responsible for defining safety and occupational health issues, collecting, and generating reports and investigating accidents and incidents. Coordinates with the VISN Environmental Safety and Health staff to report compliance activities and share best practices with other VISN facilities. Facility data is reported through the VISN to the national office. Coordinates responses to other federal agencies and accreditation bodies such as The Joint Commission, and CARF. Exercises full management responsibilities over personnel. Coordinates the development, implementation, evaluation, and improvement of the department while ensuring it is productive, effective, and efficient. Leads personnel in a way that encourages safety throughout the facility and encourages all employees to own safety within facilities. Manages the Service's budget and approves expenses. Provides leadership, guidance, and resources to Occupational Health and Safety staff. Evaluates the Service to ensure quality of work, regulatory compliance, and ability to assist DVAHCS services within reasonable time standards. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Telework: Ad-Hoc.VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Position Description/PD#: Safety & Occupational Health Manager/PD931370 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/26/2024. 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-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13. 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. May qualify based on your experience and/or education for the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) as described below: Specialized Experience: 1 year of experience in or related to safety & occupational health that provided the specific knowledge, skills, & abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. Examples of experience typically include, but not limited to: manage safety or occupational health program elements; develop & recommend safety & occupational health policy to higher levels; apply safety & occupational health laws, regulations, principles, theories, practices & procedures to advise on or resolve technical matters dealing w/ occupational safety & health requirements; develop safety & occupational health standards, regulations, practices, & procedures to eliminate or control potential hazards; develop or implement programs to reduce the frequency, severity, & cost of accidents & occupational illnesses; analyze or evaluate new & existing jobs, processes, products, or other systems to determine the existence, severity, probability, & outcome of hazards; design or modify workplaces, processes, products to control or eliminate hazards; inspect or survey workplaces, processes, products for compliance w/ established safety & occupational health policies or standards & to identify potential new hazards; train workers, supervisors, managers, or other safety & occupational health personnel in safety or occupational health subjects; work in occupational fields such as industrial hygienist, safety engineer, fire prevention engineer, health physicist, & occupational health nurse; OR, Education: May substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education you must have an undergraduate or graduate education w/ a major in safety or occupational health fields (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene), or degree in another related field 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, Certification: May also have 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. Grade Level Requirements: May qualify based on experience and/or education for the GS-14 as described below: Specialized Experience: 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but not limited to: 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 hazard, and developing or implementing programs to reduce the frequency, severity, and cost of accidents and occupational illnesses. 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. Physical Requirements: Work requires regular and recurring field visits to complete investigations. Requires some physical exertion, such as extended periods of standing, recurring bending, crouching, stooping or the lifting of light items such as manuals or briefcases, or driving or traveling by motor vehicle when conducting onsite evaluations or training. May be involved with emergency response incidents and work closely with the VISN to investigate hospitalizations or fatalities that are work related. 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

There is no educational substitution at this grade level but there is an Individual Occupational Requirement.

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. If you are basing your qualifications on education (or a combination of education and experience) or if the position requires a college education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your transcripts with your application. Your official or unofficial transcript must reflect: name of the college or university, full address of the college or university, your name, class title(s) with the number of credits earned/completed, the degree received, if applicable, and date degree conferred. A copy of your certificate/degree or screenshot of your current classes are not a replacement of your transcript and they will not be used in the qualifying process.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address John D Dingell Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 4646 John R Street Detroit, MI 48201 US
• Name: Sandra Barber
• Phone: 313-310-9915
• Email: [email protected]