The Safety and Occupational Health Manager reports to the Associate Director and works with other managers, supervisors, committees, union officials, safety staff, stakeholders, and external interested parties to oversee the elimination or control of hazardous operations and conditions at a complex, multiple site, accredited, and academically affiliated health care system.

Duties

Major duties include but are not limited to: Oversee the areas of construction safety management, emergency planning and response, environmental and safety, industrial hygiene, occupational safety and health, green environmental management systems (GEMS), and the Joint Commission (TJC) program accreditation, among others. Facilitate the full and effective implementation of regulatory compliance and accreditation programs. Collaborate directly with staff and stakeholders regarding the design and operation of a safe Environment of Care (EOC) for patients, visitors, and employees. Oversee the design and delivery of effective training programs and educational materials covering occupational safety & health, industrial hygiene, disaster preparedness, and EOC programs. Provide technical and administrative supervision to a unit of Safety Professionals. Make assignments to subordinates, provide direction, set and adjust priorities, and prepare schedules/deadlines for work completion. Implement, plan, oversee, and advise all Health Care System employees on a wide range of Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) management programs. Manage safety, health, and environmental issues by anticipating, addressing, eliminating, mitigating, and controlling hazardous conditions, exposures, practices, and other functions requiring communication of issues and problems relating to programs and associated regulatory obligations. Develop EHS policies and procedures to achieve regional and national goals. Conduct audits and investigations of HCS facilities. Ensure compliance with applicable standards, regulations, and laws related to EHS. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm Telework: 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. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Safety & Occupational Health Manager/PD208890 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Bargaining Unit Position: No Work Environment: The work involves regular and reoccurring exposure to moderate risks and discomforts, contagious diseases, infectious materials, or toxic or irritating chemicals, carcinogenic materials, flammable liquids, and radiation. Special safety precautions, including personal protective equipment and equipment are necessary. 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, 04/17/2024. 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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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. You must qualify based on your experience as described below: Individual Occupational Requirement: The Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, 0081, has an Individual Occupational Requirement that must be met. You must meet one of the following: Experience: 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. In addition to the Individual Occupational Requirement above, you must also meet the Specialized Experience below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-12) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include what is stated above, as well as, but not limited to: performing various supervisory/leadership duties, such as assigning work, setting priorities/deadlines for work completion, and developing performance standards; managing safety, health, and environmental issues by anticipating, addressing, and/or controlling hazardous conditions, exposures, etc.; developing safety & occupational health policies and procedures; conducting audits/investigations of facilities to ensure compliance with applicable laws/regulations; and overseeing/managing various programs (i.e. construction safety management, industrial hygiene, emergency planning and response). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: AuditingCommunicationSafety EngineeringTechnical Problem SolvingVulnerabilities Assessment 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: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. 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.

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 VA Black Hills Health Care System 113 Comanche Road Fort Meade, SD 57741 US
• Name: Kelsey Charley-Germain
• Phone: 651-405-5689
• Email: [email protected]