Summary This position is required to assist the Safety Manager in the development and implementation of a comprehensive safety, fire protection and industrial hygiene program. He/she shall implement the routine scheduled preventive maintenance and inspection program on building fire service equipment and assist in conducting occupational safety and industrial hygiene workplace evaluations throughout the Medical Center complex. Responsibilities This position is required to assist the Chief of Maintenance and Repair in the development and implementation of a comprehensive safety, fire protection and industrial hygiene program. He/she shall implement the routine scheduled preventive maintenance and inspection program on building fire service equipment, conduct NFPA required fire drills, and as needed assist the Industrial Hygienist in collecting, transporting, and storing of hazardous waste (chemicals) throughout the Medical Center complex. In this capacity, he/she shall assist the Safety Officer in providing limited general administrative supervision of specific program elements such as preventative maintenance, construction safety, training employees, etc. He/she is responsible for assuring a safe and healthful work and care environment is maintained by conducting work site assessments and physical plant inspections. Major duties include, but are not limited to: Perform routine scheduled preventive maintenance and inspection on building fire service equipment. Ensures that fire response by staff is adequate in all departments of the Medical Center Complex. Take actions to correct deficient areas. Maintains files, both on paper and in the computer as directed by the Chief of Maintenance and Repair. Materials typically included are: forms used and records of surveys, inventories, quarterly fire suppression and fire drill response reports. Assist the Emergency Manager in performing/conducting disaster drills that related to chemical decontamination. Accompany OSHA, EPA, or other occupational health and safety inspectors on inspections of the VA facility. Perform workplace health assessments as directed by the Industrial Hygienist. Assist in responding to employee reports of unsafe or unhealthful working conditions. Maintain organized records of these reports, and takes appropriate action when necessary. Is a member of the Hospital wide decontamination team, response to internal and external threats that may result in patient decontamination. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30AM - 4:00PM Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Safety & Occupational Health Specialist/PD20800 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet time-in-grade and specialized experience requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 10/28/2024. 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 within 30 days by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. 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 education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have 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. Individual Occupational Requirements (for positions above GS-5): Specialized 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. OR 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Perform & implement the routine scheduled preventive maintenance and inspection program on building fire service equipment; Maintain organized records and reports, and take appropriate action when necessary; Administer the medical center's hazardous waste program to inventory, label, and collect regulate hazardous wastes from various satellite storage locations; 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 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., with a degree in 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. TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and graduate level education beyond the second year (18 semester hours) with a degree in 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: Copies of transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Compliance Inspection Computer Skills Hazardous Materials 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: Works in tiring positions such as prolonged walking, standing, stooping and kneeling. Work is also accomplished from hard to get at locations and ladders and requires working in attic spaces and under buildings in confined spaces. Walks throughout the Medical Center including research laboratories and occasionally lifts heavy containers of hazardous waste that is collected for disposal. The work requires walking, bending, standing, lifting. Considerable walking is often necessary, such as in performing routine surveys, or when activities of the Safety Office must be coordinated with other organizations within the Medical Center. 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/. Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.