Safety & Occupational Health Specialist
What you'd do
The Safety & Occupational Health Specialist position is located within Facilities Management Service at the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System (SAVAHCS) in Tucson, AZ.
Major duties
***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Major duties include but are not limited to: Manages in-house and contracted out construction project safety program; Plans and schedules periodic and unannounced inspections of all construction/renovation projects and provides safety related advice and guidance; Recommends to management specific techniques, methods and procedures to eliminate or control unsafe acts or conditions identified during inspections; Monitors the activities of private contractors to ensure compliance with applicable federal laws; Investigates and analyzes construction related mishaps and hazardous conditions to determine origin, cause and contributing elements and prepares written evaluation reports concerning findings; Independently performs projects and studies to provide methods and techniques for identifying and analyzing hazards; Conducts and participates in regular inspections of all work places, structures, roads and grounds and prepares a complete written report of findings and recommends corrective actions to eliminate unsafe conditions for work practices; Originates, plans, organizes and directs activities involving occupational safety, health and fire protection necessary to ensure essential safety of patients, visitors, employees, facilities and equipment; Devises methods to eliminate and minimize hazards to personnel, equipment and facilities; Manages contract work for all fire suppression systems; Conducts fire and safety conferences and training sessions with operating supervisors and employees, advising them of building safety features, unsafe conditions and practices and to stimulate interest of management and employees in accident prevention; and Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level, you must meet one of the following requirements: Specialized Experience: At least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of this position. Qualifying specialized experience includes: 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. NOTE: Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must clearly indicate the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. ~OR~ Education: Successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. The major study must be in safety or occupational health fields (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene), or a 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. This education must have been obtained at an accredited college or university. NOTE: If you select this option, you must submit a copy of your transcript with your application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~ Combination: Equivalent combinations of specialized experience and graduate-level education (beyond the second year or master's level), as described above. The education portion must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. Education must have been obtained at an accredited college or university. NOTE: If you select this option, you must submit a copy of your transcript with your application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. 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/. Physical Requirements: This position requires the person in this position perform frequent inspections and surveys of patient wards, laboratories, warehouses, vehicles, industrial shops, grounds, community based clinics and nursing homes necessitating prolonged periods of walking, standing, reaching and bending. This may require exposure to the elements as well as to extremes of heat and cold. The person in this position must be capable of negotiating narrow passages, rooftops and crawl spaces. Climbing, running, jumping, crawling in confined spaces and exposure to fire situations may be required. Use of an air purifying respirator or other personal protective equipment while performing these tasks may also be necessary.
Before you apply
Federal applications are different: your resume should be 3–5 pages and mirror the language of this announcement. Read our federal resume guide first — it's the #1 reason qualified people get screened out.
Don't miss the next one.
Get an email the moment a similar federal job opens — postings can close in as little as 5 days.