This position will serve as Safety Specialist for the Safety Management Service, Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System (HCS), Tuskegee and Montgomery, Alabama and associated Community Based Outpatients Clinics in Columbus, Georgia and Dothan, Ft. Rucker, Vet Center and the Podiatry clinic at Maxwell AFB, both in Montgomery, Alabama and the Vet Centers which doesn't include the new clinics coming into the HCS.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Major Duties include but, not limited to: Conducts safety and occupational health surveys at a large health care system, recommends measures to eliminate or control hazardous practices and conditions, and prepares supplemental safety procedures for application. Assists the Emergency Management with conducting semi-annual disaster drills in preparation for real world events. Assists Greens Environmental Management System (GEMS) Coordinator with environmental compliance at CAVHCS. Prepares and revises safety instructions and guides that are relevant to current or planned contractor or health care system employees. Investigates mishaps, records circumstances of mishaps, estimates cost of property damage and prepares a final report of findings with recommendations. Provides technical safety training to supervisors and employees using a wide variety of material, publications, exhibits, protective devices and visual aids. Reviews construction and /or maintenance projects dealing with safety, fire protection and occupational health for compliance with fire codes and safety regulations. Assists Industrial Hygienist with surveys which support safety programs at the facility. Conducts inspections of external entities such as contract nursing homes, medical foster homes, community rehabilitation homes to determine safety of residents and compliance with existing codes and regulations. Applies the full range of safety standard independently, but frequently consults with the Safety Manager and other management officials on any deviation, problems, or unusual situations. Provides knowledgeable in the agency regulations, policies, procedures, manuals, and pertinent appeal rulings to accurately cite violations of safety and occupational health provisions and to explain basis for citations. Assists with interpretation of design criteria sufficient to review building plans, drawings, and sketches for compliance with applicable OSHA, VA, and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. Performs other duties assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday: 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

Minimum Requirement: The following are minimum requirements for appointment as a Safety and Occupational Health Specialist in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which all applicants must met. Specialized Experience (GS-09): You must have one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (i.e., GS-07) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. The specialized experience for this position is defined as experience in or related to safety and occupational health that provided the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully 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. (CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.) OR, Education (GS-09): Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 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. or J.D., if related. 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 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: 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. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.) OR, Combination (GS-09): Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level (i.e., 1 full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement) may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.) You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Hazardous MaterialsProject ManagementPublic Safety and SecurityStandards 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: Incumbent will have assignments that involve surveys of construction projects of a conventional nature requiring the identification and appraisal of a variety of hazardous conditions. The type and degree of exposure found must be evaluated to ascertain its potential for harm to individuals and damage to property. The specialist recommends corrective measures to supervisors and employee from among many alternatives but establish techniques. The work requires frequent onsite surveys necessitating prolong standing, walking, climbing, bending, crouching, stretching, reaching and other physical movements. As stairs and aisles are often under construction, some physical coordination and balance is necessary. 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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).

Contacts

• Address Central Alabama VA Medical Center-Montgomery 215 Perry Hill Road Montgomery, AL 36109 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]