This is a single incumbent position (one per facility) and is at the full performance level located at a VHAHCS facilities in Omaha, Nebraska and Grand Island, Nebraska. Occupational Safety and Health Program Specialist is concerned with the recognition, evaluation, and control of those workplace environmental conditions or stresses arising in or from the workplace, which may cause sickness, impaired health, significant discomfort, or inefficiency.

Duties

Duties include, but may not be limited to the following: The incumbent conducts in-depth surveys and evaluations of working conditions/environments to determine the nature and magnitude of hazardous exposures and the effectiveness of existing control measures. The incumbent accumulates information and material required for analysis and evaluates the interpretation of data. Incumbent is designated as Life Safety expert and is responsible for the initiation, development, administration, coordination and auditing all aspects of Federal, State, and municipal safety and fire protection. The incumbent uses experienced judgment adapting past practices and/or developing new approaches to protocols when guidelines are inadequate and/or conflicting. The incumbent participates in the review of plans for new or modified facilities, processes, and materials for the evaluation of the adequacy of hazards. The incumbent ensures employees are appropriately protected from emerging hazards with limited information, with limited guidance, and with few or no standards. Assessments need to be conducted to determine exposure levels. The incumbent conducts education and training for the Health Care System staff and for other personnel on specific occupational, life and fire safety program requirements including PPE Assessments, JHAs, Life and Fire Safety Assessments, SMS auditing, EOC auditing and PCRAs. The incumbent participates on VISN and national-level committees to ensure that consistent and appropriate occupational, life and fire safety measures are followed throughout VHA, providing their expert knowledge and experience to better life safety and fire protection processes and programs. The incumbent is the technical authority who ensures compliance with all safety and OSHA requirements by employees and contractors while on VA grounds/facilities. The incumbent monitors contracts and scheduled work for fire suppression and protection systems. Manages the reports and documents from inspections and interprets findings for determining required repairs, abatement, and follow-up. The incumbent assists in the development and execution of an annual budget for the occupational, life and fire safety program and provides budget information for life safety and fire protection to the Occupational Safety Manager. The Incumbent maintains FAC-COR II certification. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm 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 and Occupational Health Specialist/PD23516A 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, 05/10/2024. 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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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 certification as described below: INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENTS: Must meet one of the following Education or Experience:Education. Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- 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. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) OR, Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are 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 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; and work in occupational fields such as industrial hygienist, safety engineer, fire prevention engineer, health physicist, and occupational health nurse. OR, ??????? Certification in Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), or Certified Health Physicist (CHP), or similar certification that included successful completion of a written examination meets the requirements for GS-12. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Accident InvestigationHealth Risk AnalysisPersonnel Security and SafetySafety Engineering 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: Investigations and surveys involve moderate physical exertion, including carrying equipment, climbing, standing, walking, and bending, as well as use of personal protective devices and occasional work in confined spaces. 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.

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 Nebraska-Western Iowa HCS - Omaha 4101 Woolworth Avenue Omaha, NE 68105 US
• Name: Monique Donald
• Phone: 216-399-3383
• Email: [email protected]