Laundry Worker

Summary This position is the Laundry Worker, assigned to the Laundry/Textile Plant Section of Environmental Management Service, VA Medical Center, West Palm Beach, Florida. The Medical Center is a large, complex and modern affiliated 269 bed facility consisting of over 2,410 employees, involving a wide spectrum of professional, technical and administrative occupants. The facility is comprised of 149 bed General Medicine, Surgical and Psychiatric Medical center, and 120 bed Nursing Home Care Unit. Responsibilities Laundry worker position rotates through a variety of work sites in the textile care processing facility throughout tour of duty to meet workload demands, The Laundry/Textile Facility is a large consolidated plant in VISN 8 which does approximately two and half million pounds of soiled linen per year. Areas of responsibilities include, West Palm Beach VA, Miami VA and all outlying six (6) Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC's) for each facility. Linens are delivered to its customers by VA employees using Tractor Trailers and Box Truck. This may involve, on a rotating basis, assisting in unloading soiled linen bags from the truck, dumping linen bags onto a conveyor system for transporting to the sorting and classification area. Additional Duties Include But Not Limited To: Process personal clothing and government owned uniforms by sorting linen by type and grouping items according to classification procedures, i.e.. Folding rough dry laundry according to established procedures. Folding ironed flatwork. Feeding towels through a towel folding machine, hand folding pajamas, robes and other roughdry items according to established procedures. May be responsible for cleaning and waxing the flatwork ironer and for replacing ribbons. Shakes out articles of wet linen items checking for knots, holes, rips, stains and any damage linen. Notifies recipient of these items of any soiled or damage pieces coming through. Load linen carts according to approved linen quotas. Proper stacking, counting and weighing of linen and scrub suits are required. May be required to delivery linen/uniforms to various locations throughout the Medical Center. Incumbent will mark and patch linens/uniforms when required. Responsible performing the duties in a safe and efficient manner and to adhering to infection control, safety procedures and/or universal precautions as the job indicates. Responsible for keeping their work area neat and clean. Will be assigned end of day cleaning duties that will include the cleaning of locker rooms, work area and certain equipment. May perform other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 3:30 pm. Position Description Title/PD#: Laundry Worker/PD01173A Physical Requirements: Continuously stands and/or walks on bard surface floors. Incumbent must possess the limited ability to bend, stoop, reach and have good hand-eye coordination. Continuously handles linen items weighing up to 20 pounds and bags of soiled linen weighing between 50 pounds. Working Conditions: Is exposed to extremely noisy and usually hot and humid conditions. Will be exposed to rapidly varying climate conditions when moving from one area of the laundry to another. Exposed to disagreeable odors and possible infectious organisms from soiled linens. May be subjected to minor cuts and bruises from carts and machinery and minor bums from the presence of steam pipes and the flatwork- ironer .. The employee is required to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) of gloves masks, gloves and gowns and any other protective clothing as is indicated. Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation 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 Services Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 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 dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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, 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. EXPERIENCE: A specific length of training and experience is not required, but you must show evidence of training or experience of sufficient scope and quality of your ability to do the work of this position. Evidence which demonstrates you possess the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform the duties of this position must be supported by detailed descriptions of such on your resume. Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualification Standards. SCREEN-OUT ELEMENT: Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element, which usually appears as question 1 in the on-line questionnaire. Those applicants who appear to possess at least the minimal acceptable qualification requirement are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated. The potential eligibles are then rated against the remainder of the Job Elements: Ability to Interpret Instructions, Specifications, etc. (Other Than Blueprint Reading) Ability to Provide Production Support Services Dexterity and Safety Work Practices (Including Keeping Things Neat, Clean, and in Order) 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. Education Additional Information 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. Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at 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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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.