The primary purpose of this position is to support the Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) programs and functions at the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center (MGVAMC) in Spokane, Washington and its associated facilities.

Duties

Duties include but not limited to: Performs inspections of clinical and non-clinical worksites, buildings, plants and grounds to identify hazards and assess the potential for harm to employees of the facility and the environment. Conducts workplace inspections and provide assessments relating to compliance and/or non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations and will assist higher-graded staff with environmental, occupational safety and health, and fire and life safety inspections and assignments. Responds to reports of unsafe conditions and/or work practices that resulted or could result in injury, illness or exposure to persons and/or damage to property. Observes safety practices and procedures, including equipment utilization; monitors safety checklists for compliance with safety requirements; and reports findings to the appropriate service chief and/or delegated occupational health and safety staff member (e.g. Industrial Hygienist - IH). Participates as member of a team to support various phases of occupational health and safety inspections occurring at MGVAMC. These inspections include (but not limited to) the use of machine guarding, chemical storage areas, and related hazardous working conditions; and assist the IH to prepare reports of findings which will outline proposed corrective measures (e.g. personal protective equipment (PPE) recommendations / assessments, workplace hazard assessments, exposure assessments, etc.) for specific unsafe conditions and hazardous work practices. Participates in informal and formal instruction sessions to provide MGVAMC leaders and employees with guidance on general safety and occupational health subjects including mishap prevention and safe working practices. Provides supervisors, employees and safety representatives with clearly applicable information concerning accident hazards in the work setting. Assists the EHS Manager and higher-graded EHS specialists in the implementation and administration of their programs by performing day-to-day, routine work in support of the: Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) Manager, to include periodic inspections, records management, process waste designations and employee training activities Industrial Hygienist (IH), to include respiratory protection, ergonomics, sampling and test equipment maintenance, Hazard Communication, and emergency eyewash and showers Life Safety Specialist, to include fire extinguisher inspections, fire drills, and fire safety inspections Participates in Environment of Care rounds, GEMS Committee activities and Safety and Health Leadership Committee activities, including all relevant subcommittees, as assigned. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00 pm Compressed/Flexible: May be available to a highly qualified candidate after an approximate six month observational period. Telework: Ad-Hoc Only Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Safety Technician/PD706310 and PD706320 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved 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, 02/19/2024. 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 within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. For a GS-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6. 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. Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR): The Safety Technician 0019 series requires specific education or experience to be met in order to be appointed into a position of this series. Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Applicants may also qualify by substituting education for experience, or with a combination of education and experience. The IOR is set by Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and includes: Specialized Experience: Experience that involved: (l) identifying, preventing, or eliminating safety hazards in work methods or environmental conditions; or (2) safety training or promotion. Such experience must have provided a practical knowledge of occupational and environmental safety hazards, survey techniques, and control and preventive methods. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: biological technician, medical technician, engineering technician, fire prevention inspector, and environmental health worker. In addition to meeting the IOR, applicants must also meet the minimum qualifications s as described below: GS-6 Qualifications: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-5) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience in this developmental position would typically include but are not limited to: Knowledge of fire prevention and fire protection standards to identify and evaluate life safety requirements and construction building codes, and to eliminate risks in environmental, fire and building construction areas; fire extinguishers, emergency eyewash and showers, hazardous material storage, handling and disposal, and respiratory protection equipment; computer applications for hazardous material management, safety incident record keeping, fire prevention inspection reports, and respiratory protection fit testing. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. Please see the Education section below for more details. GS-7 Qualifications: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-6) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Technical knowledge of hazards present in a health care facility, hazard abatement and surveillance procedures and ability to correct hazards identified; safety and occupational health standards including environmental, occupational safety and health and fire protection policies and procedures, pertinent to clinical and industrial settings, to identify and evaluate a wide variety of environmental risks and conduct meaningful inspections. Working knowledge of fire prevention and fire protection standards to identify and evaluate life safety requirements and construction building codes, and to eliminate risks in environmental, fire and building construction areas. Working knowledge of fire extinguishers, emergency eyewash and showers, hazardous material storage, handling and disposal, and respiratory protection equipment; computer applications for hazardous material management, safety incident record keeping, fire prevention inspection reports, and respiratory protection fit testing. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. Please see the Education section below for more details. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: ComplianceSafety EngineeringTechnical Competence 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: The work involves frequent standing, walking, climbing, crouching, and stretching in the performance of inspection and survey duties and occasional lifting of moderately heavy objects. Work Environment: During inspections or assessments, there may be regular exposure to all the hazards and discomforts to which the workers are subjected. This may include machine and equipment operations, hazardous materials, high noise levels and temperature extremes. The employee must use a variety of protective equipment and clothing. 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

GS-6 Education Substitution:

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed 6 months (9 semester hours) of graduate education that is directly related to the work of the position which may include safety, fire prevention, industrial hygiene or other directly related subjects. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university.

GS-7 Education Substitution:

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed 1 year (18 semester hours) of graduate education that is directly related to the work of the position which may include safety, fire prevention, industrial hygiene or other directly related subjects. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and graduate education as described above to meet the total experience requirements for this position. At the GS-7, only education beyond 6 months (9 semester hours) of graduate level education may be used to qualify applicants.

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

Contacts

• Address Mann-Grandstaff Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 4815 North Assembly Street Spokane, WA 99205 US
• Name: Stephenie Merrill
• Phone: 509-525-5200 X26794
• Email: [email protected]