Safety & Occupational Health Specialist

Summary This position is within the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, at the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System (SAVAHCS), Engineering Service, Safety and Occupational Health Department. The primary responsibility of this role is to support the development, coordination, implementation, and management of safety, fire prevention, and occupational health programs for the main hospital. Responsibilities Include but are not limited to: Incumbent independently conducts surveys and inspections at assigned areas to assess work practices and environments conditions for safety and health hazards, and to ensure fire protection devices and safety equipment are working properly. Surveying work areas and inspecting equipment for compliance with EPA, NFPA, OSHA, The Joint Commission, VA, and all other applicable regulations and codebooks, within established timeframes. Inspecting contract nursing homes, halfway houses, homeless shelters, and other work areas in accordance with the latest edition of NFPA 101, Life Safety Code, and other applicable codes. Providing timely and accurate reports of these inspections. Inspecting and testing fire extinguishing equipment, fire safety and fire suppression systems. Coordinating and performing quality surveillance of related work completed by contractors. Inspecting construction sites for compliance with VA, the Joint Commission and OSHA regulations with regard to exits and stairs, floor load capacity, aisle space, adequacy of sprinkling systems, safety features on storage tanks containing flammable and volatile liquids, and the adequacy of scaffolding erected to facilitate painting of buildings, etc. Assists with maintaining hazardous material inventories and documentation. Maintains required records of fire and safety inspections and tests. Recommends and implements appropriate remedies by submitting work orders, purchases requests, or initiating contract services. Assists Safety Manager and Industrial Hygienist in developing, coordinating and implementing programs, prepares polices and procedures; revises safety instructions and guides. Conducts general safety training, industrial equipment safety training; identifies external training opportunities for additional training, using a wide variety of materials, publication, exhibits, protective devies, and visual aids; promotes safety campaigns through oral presentations at local safety committee meetings, posting safety displays. 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: Full-time, Monday thru Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Compressed/Flexible: Compress schedule not authorized. Telework: This position is not authorized for telework. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Safety & Occupational Health Specialist/PD11354O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Nor approved. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized. Physical Requirements: The incumbent frequently inspects and surveys patient-care areas, laboratories, warehouses, vehicles, industrial shops, grounds, community-based clinics, and nursing homes, necessitating prolonged periods of walking, standing, reaching, and bending. Incumbent negotiates narrow passages, rooftops, and crawlspaces. Climbing, running, jumping, crawling in confined spaces, and exposure to fire situations may be required. The work requires a degree of agility and dexterity. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/16/2026. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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. This position has an Individual Occupation Requirement (IOR): Basic Education Requirement: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study - Safety and 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. Or, Certificates Certification as a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), or Certified Health Physicist (CHP), or similar certification that included successful completion of a written examination meets the requirements for GS-5. Applicants may also qualify for higher grade levels based on their education and/or experience. In addition to meeting the IOR above, you must meet one of the following: GS-7 Grade Level Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Apply 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. Inspecting or surveying workplaces, processes, products or other systems for compliance with established safety and occupational health policies and standards and to identify potential new hazards. Work 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 1 full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement (Transcripts required). Please note Basic Education Requirements illustrated above. 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 a bachelor's degree (Transcripts required). GS-9 Grade Level 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Identify hazardous operating conditions and recommend appropriate safety measures; draft revisions of safety instructions and guides; investigate mishaps; prepare reports of findings with recommendations to correct unsafe acts and leads as a member of survey and inspection teams that identify safety hazard and violations. 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, 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.B. or J.D (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 beyond 1 full year of graduate level education (Transcripts required). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Customer Service Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork 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. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at 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: 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: Additional Information Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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.