Safety & Occupational Health Specialist

Summary Serves as a Safety and Occupational Health Specialist at the Washington DC VA Medical Center (DC VA) in Washington - DC. Position reports to the Safety and Occupational Health Manager - in the Safety department und the Associate Director. Qualifications To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 05/29/2026. 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-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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below. The Safety and Occupational Health Management Series 0018 occupational series requires specific experience to be met in order to be appointed into a position of this series. This IOR is set by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and includes: 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 - Experience- Specialized Experience: Grade Requirements: GS-11: Do you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level that demonstrates your ability to perform successfully the duties of the Supervisory Safety & Occupational Health Specialist? 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. 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. 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. Best Qualified Criteria Prefer a bachelor's degree in Occupational Health and Safety - Environmental Science - or related field. Certified Safety Professional (CSP) or similar certification. 5+ years of experience in a safety-related role. Strong knowledge of OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) regulations. Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills. Experience with safety management systems. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite. Ability to work independently and as part of a team. Strong attention to detail. Proficient in conducting safety training sessions. Knowledge of safety inspection and auditing techniques. Basic understanding of first aid and emergency response procedures. Good organizational and time management skills. Duties Duties to include but not limited to: Responsible for Fire Prevention and Life Safety Plans - conducts and assesses fire drills according to the most current NFPA and VHA requirements Ensures that documentation for all required inspection - testing and maintenance of the fire alarm and suppression system is maintained for review by external auditors Responds and investigates the cause when fire alarms are activated in the facility Evaluates the Environment of Care (EOC) program annually Develops and prepares the program evaluations of the medical center's hazard vulnerability analysis and fire prevention plans - including objectives - scope - functionality and effectiveness based on data collection and analysis of the key components of each program - selecting goals for the following year based upon analysis of current compliance effectiveness Serves as technical support to the EOC Committee preparing and presenting quarterly reports related to Safety and Occupational Health Specialist responsibilities Advises the Committee regarding the Life Safety Management Plan ensuring the plan sufficiently addresses the inspection process testing and maintaining fire protection and life safety systems reporting and investigating fire protection deficiencies - failures and user errors proposing solutions and reviewing proposed acquisitions for compliance with fire safety regulations Participates in EOC rounds throughout the facility in accordance with VHA and T JC requirements and identifies and documents deficiencies Reviews applicable guidelines and regulations including VHA Directives - OSHA regulations - National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) Codes - Joint Commission Standards - and recognized industry standards to develop hospital policies and procedures ensuring ongoing compliance and adherence to safety and is responsible for the development and ongoing revision of medical center policies Ensures reports are directed to appropriate parties to effect correction - and that problems of an urgent nature are immediately brought directly to the attention of responsible staff to ensure prompt resolution Acts as the primary medical center educator for issues related to life safety - fire prevention and hazard surveillance Develops training and education based on national guidance - regulations - standards and code Conducts and evaluates the effectiveness of preexisting employee education for fire and life safety programs Acts as the Construction Safety representative for the Safety Department Participates in required construction safety rounds and the Construction Safety Committee reviews and approves Interim Life Safety Measures (ILSM) for all construction projects and/or required maintenance Performs regular hazard surveillance of construction worksites on VA premises and works with the Facility Projects Section - Contracting Officers and other responsible VA representatives to ensure that contractors conduct their operations in compliance with safety regulations Tracks and trends the results of weekly surveillance of construction sites and collaborates with the Project Manager and construction supervisor to ensure compliance Performs inspections Conducts periodic hazard surveillance to identify potential fire/life safety issues that could affect the organization's ability to provide services observes employee performance - environmental conditions - facilities and equipment Identifies hazards and unsafe conditions and practices documents surveillance identifies corrective action and ensures corrective action is performed Identifies deficiencies in the fire protection or alarm system reports and tracks until resolved Work Schedule: Monday Friday 7:00am - 3:30pm EST Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position Position Description/PD#: Safety & Occupational Health Specialist/PD264760 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized #J-18808-Ljbffr U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs