This position is located at the James Mountain Inhofe VA Medical Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The person in this position functions as the Safety & Occupational Health Specialist and is responsible for safety and occupational program planning and implementation.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/18/2025. 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; For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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 Requirement (IOR): This occupational series has a minimum qualification entry requirement. You may qualify with education and/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. OR, 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. You may qualify for the GS-9 based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience GS-9: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: A comprehensive knowledge of safety and occupational health principles, methods and standards, regulations, policies, and procedures applicable to a broad range of safety and occupational health duties in one or more specific areas of safety and occupational health; Technical knowledge sufficient to analyze safety design features and specifications and to develop new methods and procedures to identify or control hazardous construction processes and equipment usage; Managing a safety and occupational health program with diverse hazards, achieving compliance with regulatory provisions and effectively communicating multiple safety and occupational health practices and procedures to staff personnel. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a Master's degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a major field of study related to the work of the position which provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of this position. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate level education (in excess of the first year or 18 semester hours) and specialized experience to meet total experience requirements. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. You may qualify for the GS-11 based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience GS-11: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: A comprehensive knowledge of safety and occupational health principles, methods and standards, regulations, policies, and procedures applicable to a broad range of safety and occupational health duties in one or more specific areas of safety and occupational health; Technical knowledge sufficient to analyze safety design features and specifications and to develop new methods and procedures to identify or control hazardous construction processes and equipment usage; Managing a safety and occupational health program with diverse hazards, achieving compliance with regulatory provisions and effectively communicating multiple safety and occupational health practices and procedures to staff personnel. Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a Ph. D degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a major field of study related to the work of the position which provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate level education (in excess of the first two years or 36 semester hours) and specialized experience to meet total experience requirements. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Health Risk Analysis Oral Communication Planning and Evaluating Safety Engineering
Responsible for safety and occupational program planning and implementation. The employee assumes a lead role in the development of safety goals, policy, and procedural documentation for the Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System facilities. Independently schedules surveys of buildings and offices to identify and evaluate risks involving a wide variety of work environments; determines the extent to which mechanical and physical conditions comply and makes decisions regarding adherence to established safety policies and procedures. 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. Trains other employees and lower graded occupational safety and industrial hygiene staff, providing instruction on a variety of subjects, including chemical, biological, or physical safety topics. Adapts various available media to fit special and unique training requirements and participates in the development of novel or innovative safety training and promotion activities. participates in medical facility Safety, Accident Review Board (ARB), and Environment of Care (EOC) committees. Coordinates safety activities with regional representatives and supports the development of integrated planning for all facilities within the region as necessary. Works closely with facility leadership to review how safety considerations are integrated into the planning and operational activities of the facility. Serves as the medical center's primary educator for all issues related to fire prevention and fire safety. 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. Independently conducts area specific rounds and provides in-services to staff where significant deficiencies are noted. Performs ongoing monitoring of performance regarding actual or potential fire risks related to staff knowledge and skills; level of staff participation, monitoring and inspection activities; emergency and incident reporting; and inspection, preventive maintenance, and testing of equipment. Responsible for the inspection and coordination of testing of fire protection systems, and comprehensive safety hazard surveillance to identify and evaluate potential hazards and risks associated with patient care and research areas and a wide variety of work environments and occupations. Generates documentation to show thorough evaluation and recommends measures that often require the adaptation of specific techniques to eliminate or control unsafe conditions or practices. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 am-4:30 pm Telework: This position may be authorized for ad hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Safety & Occupational Health Specialist/PD12126A and PD12127A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Physical Requirements: Work requires some physical exertions, such as, long periods of standing, walking of long distances, recurring bending, crouching, stooping, stretching, climbing of tall ladders, staging or scaffolding, or similar activities. The work also requires recurring lifting of light to moderately heavy items weighing less than 50 lbs., and regular visits to construction sites and facility buildings. Otherwise, work is generally performed in an office environment.