The Safety and Occupational Health Specialist is an integral member of a Safety and Health program ranging from fire safety to radiation safety and industrial hygiene. The candidate serves in this role supporting safety and health staff in regulatory compliance, research, training, program development, accident prevention, safety surveys, and focuses primarily on construction safety in a healthcare environment.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/18/2025. 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-9. 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. Safety and Occupational Health Specialist GS-11 requires the Individual Occupational Requirement be met. Individual Occupational Requirement: I possess undergraduate and graduate education with a major study 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 I possess 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; 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 working in occupational fields such as industrial hygienist, safety engineer, fire prevention engineer, health physicist, and occupational health nurse. In addition to the IOR, 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-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: 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 working in occupational fields such as industrial hygienist, safety engineer, fire prevention engineer, health physicist, and occupational health nurse. 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 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M, if related. (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 education as described above. Physical Requirements: The incumbent is sedentary for long periods but is frequently required to make site surveys requiring prolonged standing, walking, climbing, bending, stooping, stretching, reaching, and other physical movement. Because the incumbent is often exposed to fire situations, construction sites, and hazardous materials, physical coordination, balance, and good health are required. Work Environment: Approximately 50 percent of the work takes place in an office setting; however, frequent exposure to construction hazards, high noise levels, toxic substances, equipment and machinery, temperature extremes, dust, fumes, and adverse weather conditions is sometimes required. Personal protective equipment may be required when conducting surveys and investigating hazardous operations. 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/.
Duties include, but are not limited to: Performing inspections of the entire medical center and daily construction work being performed by contractors or in-house staff Inspecting and surveying to assure that the area inspected conforms to applicable standards, as dictated in VA manuals, National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®) Standards, the Life Safety Code, National Fire Codes, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, and other applicable safety regulations. Serving as the Chair of the Construction Safety Committee, and Environment of Care Committee, and reviewing all reported safety hazards and corrective actions, then reporting those to the committee. Advising management and the general employee population of safety policies and actions taken or needed such as to control hazards of asbestos, excessive noise, unsafe work practices that must be modified, and all safety and occupational health matters at the medical center. Developing and teaching Directive or Regulation required classes on Construction Safety, Powered industrial Vehicles, Electrical Safety, Lock-out/Tagout, and other subjects as directed. Managing and tracking employee training using the TMS software provided by VHA. Obtaining and maintaining necessary Contracting Officer Representative (COR) training and credentials. Analyzing and providing recommendations. Assisting engineer and/or project manager with preparing modification documents which involve design changes, differing siteconditions, variations in quantity estimates, changes in specifications end drawings, etc., resulting from safety deficiencies encountered during the construction phase. Using established procedures, reviewing and analyzing plans and specifications, drawings, designs, site conditions, to determine and recommend action necessary to correct safety deficiencies revealed during daily site inspections, discussions with contractor personnel, review of records, "on-the-spot" investigations, or evaluating the scope of the work. Performing other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Fulltime, Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Telework: Ad hoc available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Safety and Occupational Health Specialist/PD000630 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized