The incumbent of this position serves as a Safety and Occupational Health Specialist in the Safety Office and utilizes the expertise derived from the education and knowledge of the various sciences and professional experience to create or develop procedures, processes, standards, specifications and systems to achieve an optimal elimination or control of the hazards and exposures that are detrimental to people and/or property, research, planning, design and consultation.

Duties

Serves as a Safety and Occupational Health Specialist reporting to the Safety and Occupational Health Manager. Assists the Safety and Occupational Health Manager in the coordination, development and implementation of the VA Safety and Occupational Health Program across VA Healthcare System (VHABHS Hospital) organizational elements. Serves as a Safety and Occupational Health Specialist in the Safety Office and is responsible for a number of program elements such as inspection, evaluation, training and providing administrative and technical services to management representatives and employees. Utilizes the expertise derived from the education and knowledge of the various sciences and professional experience to create or develop procedures, processes, standards, specifications and systems to achieve an optimal elimination or control of the hazards and exposures that are detrimental to people and/or property, research, planning, design and consultation. Plans, develops and conducts or assigns all required NFPA, OSHA, Life Safety Code, Safety and Fire Protection/Prevention inspections of the entire medical center including all buildings and grounds, according to schedules specified in hospital policies. Inspections also include all VA owned/leased properties, i.e., VA Outpatients Clinics in Plymouth, Quincy, Boston, and Lowell. Plans, develops and conducts or assigns fire/safety training for the facility to include orientation and refresher training for all employees and specialized programs to meet the needs of the facility as required by law and VA policy. Plans, develops and conducts or assigns specific training required by federal law such as Hands-On Fire Extinguisher Training, Lock Out/Tag Out and other required safety training, as per VA guidelines. Performs investigations, evaluations and conducts or assigns analysis of fire hazard incidents, personal injury incidents and unsafe practices/conditions to determine cause, origin and other contributing factors. Prepares written reports of findings and determinations with recommendations of remedial corrective actions necessary to effect modification of behavior/practices, changes in Medical Center policy and/or the use of personal protective equipment. Recommends corrective action to the Safety & Occupational Health Manager and to affected Service Chiefs to abate/control identified unsafe working conditions or practices. Participates in the Environment of Care (EOC) Committee and the Accident Review Board (ARB). Participates in developing and maintaining a master reference library on all safety and fire protection/prevention subjects. This includes VA, federal, state, local and private professional/regulatory agency regulations, practices and procedures. Participates in Environment of Care (EOC) standards compliance and the Statement of Conditions (SOC) program. Investigates and reviews estimates for repair of government property damages as a result of fire, injury or motor vehicle accident. Prepares the required documentation to the VA, GSA and District Counsel. As a safety and occupational health specialist in a healthcare system engaged in patient care delivery, research and development the incumbent performs a variety of surveys, inspections and investigations. Surveys are conducted to evaluate facility occupational health programs and construction safety programs for their effectiveness in eliminating or controlling hazards to employees, patients, visitors, and property. Evaluates routine and unusual, complicated facility, medical and research operations; assesses compliance with safety and occupational health criteria in accordance with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Life Safety Codes, Joint Commission, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), National Electrical Code (NEC), American National Standards Institute (ANSI), VA and other pertinent safety standards or guidelines. Determines and/or puts in place interim life safety measures as appropriate or required. Assists, performs and follows emergency responses as directed, required, or in accordance with the emergency response plan. This position is designated emergency essential personnel. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm EST Ad Hoc Telework: Telework that occurs on an occasional, non-routine basis. Telework that occurs to complete short-term special assignments or to accommodate special circumstances even though the telework arrangement may occur continuously for a limited and specific period of time. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Safety & Occupational Health Specialist/PD523-00907-A and PD523-00906-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/01/2024. Safety and Occupational Health Management Series 0018 Individual Occupational Requirements 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. -OR- Experience Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): 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 meeting either of the individual occupational series requirements listed above, you may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-0018-11 (Full Performance Level) Specialized Experience: 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. The incumbent of this position serves as a Safety and Occupational Health Specialist in the Safety Office and is responsible for a number of program elements such as inspection, evaluation, training and providing administrative and technical services to management representatives and employees. The incumbent utilizes the expertise derived from the education and knowledge of the various sciences and professional experience to create or develop procedures, processes, standards, specifications and systems to achieve an optimal elimination or control of the hazards and exposures that are detrimental to people and/or property, research, planning, design and consultation. 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 three (3) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. The following is an example of how education and experience may be combined. This is an example only, and is not all-inclusive. The position to be filled is a Safety & Occupational Health Specialist, GS-0018-11. An applicant has 9 months of specialized experience equivalent to GS-9 and 2 1/2 years of creditable graduate level education in a safety or occupational health field (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene). The applicant meets 75 percent of the required experience and 50 percent of the required education, i.e., the applicant has 1 /2 year of graduate study beyond that required for GS-9. Therefore, the applicant exceeds the total requirement and is qualified for the position. (The applicant's first 2 years of graduate study are not qualifying for GS-11.) GS-0018-9 (Developmental Level) Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. This position is a GS-9 developmental position that is linked to the following full performance level position description: GS-0018-11 Safety & Occupational Health Specialist. The incumbent of this position performs duties under closer supervision. In addition, the position is subject to closer supervisory review. Over the course of time, as the employee gains experience, the incumbent is expected to perform duties with a progressively higher degree of independence. The incumbent may be non-competitively promoted to the next grade level when all requirements are satisfied, including satisfactory performance, qualifications, requirements, and the continued availability of duties at the higher grade. Any advancement in grade will be based on the professed development of the incumbent, as supported and justified by the circumstance and performance appraisal by the appropriate operating field. The incumbent will receive on-the-job training and/or formal training to develop proficiency to progress through intermediate trainee positions to the full performance level position. The trainee performs the duties described in the full performance level position, but with closer supervision and thorough guidance provided. As the incumbent progresses in the developmental position, less supervision and guidance is received, work assignments are carried out more independently and with less review. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree or two (2) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LLB. or J.D., if related. OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. The following is an example of how education and experience may be combined. This is an example only, and is not all-inclusive. The position to be filled is a Safety & Occupational Health Specialist, GS-0018-9. An applicant has 6 months of specialized experience equivalent to GS-7 and 1 year of graduate level education in a safety or occupational health field (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene). The applicant meets 50 percent of the required experience but none of the required education, since he or she does not have any graduate study beyond that which is required for GS-7. Therefore, the applicant meets only 50 percent of the total requirement and is not qualified for the position. (The applicant's first year of graduate study is not qualifying for GS-9.) 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/.

Note: Degree must be relevant to the position to be filled. Completion of graduate level education is qualifying if it provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.

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 number cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered an academic year of graduate study. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended.

Note: Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements, and may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9 and GS-11. (When crediting education that requires specific course work, prorate the number of hours of related courses required as a proportion of the total education to be used.)

Knowledge Required by the Position:

• Comprehensive knowledge of safety and occupational health principles, practices, procedures, regulations, methods, techniques, and standards which enables the specialist to conduct surveys in a healthcare setting and industrial operations, flammable liquids, acids, and gases and to recommend measures eliminating or controlling hazardous operational processes, dangerous human-machine relationships and unsafe working conditions.
• Knowledge of building design, construction standards, procedures, methods and techniques sufficient to evaluate proposed and actual facility expansions or modifications including utility systems and building materials. The specialist uses this knowledge to devise new techniques to resolve hazardous construction equipment operations and construction practices.
• Knowledge and expertise of OSHA, NFPA, Life Safety Code, NEC, Joint Commission and other safety and occupational health regulations pertaining to medical center or hospital setting.
• Knowledge of industrial hygiene, fire prevention, and emergency response principles, practices, procedures, regulations, methods, techniques and standards in order to assist other safety staff and hospital personnel.
• Knowledge of a wide variety of hazardous and complex work operations and conditions found in healthcare systems, engineering services and facility management, boiler maintenance shops, warehousing, transportation, etc. which enables the specialist to analyze mishap data, discover causal factors and to develop techniques to prevent or reduce the possibility of plant mishaps.
• Practical knowledge of psychological and physiological factors related to human performance sufficient to evaluate the interaction between employees and equipment operations and to educate and motivate employees to apply good safety practices when completing their work assignments.
• Expert skills and ability to prepare, generate, write, and type reports, graphs, database, memorandums, and other types of written correspondence using technical terminologies to convey results, findings, recommendations, and corrective actions.
• Working knowledge to operate computers, office machines (e.g., audio visual equipment, copy machines, fax machines, scanners), and analytical testing equipment (e.g., sound level meters, electrical receptacle tester) necessary to perform duties. Working knowledge of and experience in word processing, Excel, database, and PowerPoint software.
• Skills and ability to develop/create training materials tailored to the target audience and able to conduct or deliver training and presentations to live audiences, small or large group. Able to use audio visual equipment to present training and education.

Contacts

• Address VA Boston Healthcare System 940 Belmont Street Brockton, MA 02301 US
• Name: Jonathan Montgomery
• Phone: 734-905-2529
• Email: [email protected]