The Safety Technician/Program Support Assistant assists the Safety Manager in providing administrative, technical, fiscal, and Life Safety support to the entire Iowa City VA Health Care System (ICVAHCS) and its customers. The Safety Technician performs and coordinates activities pertaining to the ICVAHCS safety, fire, and disaster programs.

Duties

Duties Include but are not limited to: Manages the Safety Office and Emergency Management Fund Sites to ensure that spending is appropriate, legal and within allotted budget. Maintains an accurate ledger for tracking the multiple Fund Control Point (FCP) balances for the Safety Office and Emergency Management. Provides technical support and access to Personal Computer (PC) menus/software for Safety Office personnel as the service line ADPAC. Maintains an accurate inventory of records created and stored by the Safety Office, in compliance with the RCS 10-1. Serves as the Safety Office timekeeper, also requiring security measures are followed as employee sensitive data may be viewed through the electronic timekeeping system. Helps implement fire protection and prevention programs, including the associated fire protection equipment, apparatus and procedures. Utilizes significant judgment and interpretation to apply codes to specific cases and adapt or improvise procedures to mitigate unique life-safety hazards. Inspects fire extinguishing apparatus such as fire extinguishers, fire hose connections and equipment, and fire alarm boxes. Inspects equipment (fixed and portable), health care public areas and employee work areas for fire and safety hazards. Conducts classes for the training of employees on life safety, accident prevention, fire protection, prevention, control and extinguishment. Serves as fit-testing technician, responsible for providing fit-testing for employees and procuring Respiratory Protection Program (RPP) equipment. Arranges meetings, training classes, inspections, etc., as required or requested by the Safety Manager and performs necessary follow-up to assure compliance. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: 7:30am-4:00pm, Monday-Friday Telework: Ad Hoc Only, as determined by agency policy and discussed with Supervisor. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Safety Technician/PD502970 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Bargaining Unit: Yes, AFGE/1276 The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/22/2024. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: training employees on life safety, accident prevention, fire protection, and personal protective equipment (PPE); scheduling and coordinating various trainings, meetings and activities of an office; maintaining accurate bookkeeping for an office while tracking multiple fund balances; performing timekeeping duties for employees; investigating and accumulating data on occurrences of fires and accidents, and creating reports based on findings. Specialized experience is further defined as (1) 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. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed one (1) full year of graduate education directly related to the work of the position. Examples of education include subjects such as safety, fire prevention, industrial hygiene, or other directly related subjects. (Transcripts Required) OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an equivalent combination of specialized experience and education beyond a bachelor's degree related to the work of the position. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and ManagementAttention to DetailCustomer Service (Clerical/Technical)LearningTeamwork 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 Environment: The duties of this position require the incumbent to be standing for extensive periods of time. Additionally, there is considerable amount of climbing stairs and ladders. The movement of fire extinguishers involves lifting items up to 50 pounds. The position calls for a person of normal endurance and strength. Good corrected eyesight is required in the reading of instruments. Long periods of walking, climbing stairs and climbing ladders are a common part of performing safety inspections. The employee is subjected to all risks and discomforts found in a health care facility; because the incumbent must perform assessments or inspections in such places as mechanical rooms, high roofs, offices, patient care areas and utility shafts. Incumbent must drive a Government Owned Vehicle (GOV) on occasion to perform liaison tasks with the municipal Fire Department, support remote inspections, and to perform respirator fit-testing at CBOCs and other satellite sites owned or operated by the ICVAHCS. He/she may be exposed to dust, dirt, soot, heat, vibration and noise in the performance of 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

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
* Please ensure a graduation/completion date is clearly seen on your transcript.

One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement.

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 Iowa City VA Health Care System 601 Highway 6 West Iowa City, IA 52246 US
• Name: Tracy Casady
• Phone: 402-995-4028
• Email: [email protected]