The Safety and Occupational Health Specialist assumes a lead role in the development of safety goals, policy, and procedural strategic planning for the facility. The employee works closely with facility Chief Safety and leadership to review how safety consideration are integrated into the planning and operational activities of the facility. Coordinates safety activities with regional representatives and supports the development of integrated planning for all facilities within the region.

Duties

Develops, organizes, and maintains the records for the Safety & Occupational Health Program. The employee directs investigations of accidents, analyzing precipitating factors and accident cause data in order to develop specific methods for prevention. He/she also consults with specialists from related occupations concerning work process modifications and recommends corrective or remedial safety measures. The employee advises senior level management officials within the assigned area on the status of the safety and occupational health programs and recommends changes in the design of work programs to meet new safety and occupational health standards. Assists in performing accident investigations on all injured employees and maintains OSHA 300/300A logs ensuring compliance with OSHA requirements. Reviews and inspects construction sites and recommends changes and additions to ensure compliance with fire safety code requirements. Performs safety and health inspections in areas and buildings such as Engineering Shops, oxygen storage tanks, all patient care areas including psychiatric and long term care units, research areas, parking garage and work areas including construction sites. Writes comprehensive technical reports tracking and following up on discrepancies to ensure deficiencies are corrected. Maintains accurate files on inspections, safety hazards, and related files. Maintains constant surveillance over any changing safety related conditions as well as accurate files on inspections, safety hazards, and related files. Provide instruction and training to supervisors and employees in proper Occupational Health and Safety workplace practices to include new employee orientation and specialized courses for supervisors and clinical staff. Assumes the lead role in the development of safety goals/objectives, policies, and procedural documentation for the facility by working closely with leadership to promote the integration of safety considerations into the planning and operational activities of the Healthcare Delivery System. Executes the facility Safety Management System (SMS). This includes primary responsibility for hazard identification and analysis; setting objectives and targets for improvement; document control and records management; internal and external communications; monitoring and measuring leading and lagging indicators; compliance inspections and evaluations; and incident investigations. Manages, develops, organizes, and maintains all records from the development, implementation and sustainment of a comprehensive Fire and Life Safety program Serves as the subject matter expert by developing goals and objectives providing extensive advice and direction on fire, life safety matters to leadership, managers, supervisory and VA staff. Incumbent will be required to be a Contracting Officer Representative for multiple contracts in the department to ensure compliance with any pillar in Environmental Health and Safety. Responsible for all data and reporting to Department of Labor for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Reviews new construction sites and recommends changes and additions to ensure compliance with fire safety and fire and life safety code requirements. Will require interaction with all associated Engineers. Serves as lead consultant to the Medical Center Accident Review Board, serving as a member leading the Organizational Safety Committee and Destructive Behavior Committee. Tracks and monitors all trending indicators related workplace injuries reporting to Executive leadership. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:00 am - 3:30 pm.(Subject to change depending on the needs of the agency). 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 Specialist/PD001670 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, 06/17/2024. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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 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. or Specialized 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. or Certificates: Certification as a 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-5. Applicants may also qualify for higher grade levels based on their education and/or experience. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-11 Grade Requirements Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Knowledge of safety and occupational health principles, methods, and techniques to minimize unsafe conditions and hazards, Advising senior level management officials within the assigned area on the status of the safety and occupational health programs and recommendations, Directing investigations of accidents, analyzing precipitating factors and accident cause data in order to develop specific methods for prevention, Training other employees and lower grade occupational safety and industrial hygiene staff, providing instruction on a variety of subjects, including chemical, biological, or physical safety topics. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related OR, Combination: Applicants may combine education and experience to meet the total qualification requirements. Applicants must have at least 2 full year in excess of graduate level education combined w/ education. The total percentages of graduate level education & experience must equal at least 100%. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analytical ReasoningCustomer ServiceOrganizational StewardshipStrategic ThinkingTechnical 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: There will be walking, climbing, bending, stooping, and lifting to 50 lbs daily. When at field locations or conducting inspections. On occasion, the work requires the employee to wear various form of Personal Protective Equipment to include respirators. Incumbent must remain physically fit in all area to perform all assigned duties. This position may require the use of a respirator. Working Conditions: Work is usually performed in an office setting, although there may be occasional work may be performed in a varying of heights, dusty and dirty environments, outside during inclement weather, and during off hours. The employee will be required to travel off site to perform inspections and work areas throughout the state. Travel to each campus, CBOC and other VA and contract sites of care is required. 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 Northern Indiana HCS 1700 East 38th Street Marion, IN 46953 US
• Name: Jessica Creal
• Phone: 8325160096
• Email: [email protected]