Safety and Occupational Health Specialist

Summary

This position is part of the WAPA-SNR-Sierra Nevada Region. As a Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, you will be planning, developing, and directing activities of the Region's Safety and Occupational Health programs and providing guidance to managers, supervisors, and employees in accomplishing objectives of the Safety program.

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Duties

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As a Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, you will:

• Plans, manages, and administers an inspection and evaluation program for assigned project, program, area, activity, or site.
• Performs occupational safety inspections and surveys. Identifies hazards and undesirable operational conditions.
• Prepares formal written reports of findings and recommendations to management and operating officials documenting hazards identified and violations cited, and methods of control or elimination of hazardous processes/conditions.
• Serves as a technical resource on SOH matters, providing advice to management, staffs, operating officials, and supervisors on principles and techniques of occupational safety management in the prevention and control of accidents in such areas as work methods, protection devices and motivational techniques.
• Assists in conducting comprehensive investigations in cases of fatal or multiple injury accidents to determine causes and procedures for eliminating a recurrence. Collects, reviews and ensures timely submission of accident reports to appropriate or responsible office or facility.
• Develops and conducts occupational safety awareness and educational programs with emphasis on new or modified work procedures and techniques due to the unique conditions and practices of a variety of activities.
• Provides technical safety training and instruction on specific safety procedures to supervisors, employees, and/or unit safety representatives on such areas as traffic safety techniques, proper storage of hazardous materials, common laboratory hazards, and building evacuation procedures.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation.
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary/trial period. Employees serving on a probationary or trial period may be terminated at any time during the probationary or trial period for performance, conduct, or business-related reasons in the interest of Federal service.
• In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to the four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answers to these questions are not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration.
• Limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications.
• You must pass pre-employment medical examination.
• Security clearance and associated requirements- Moderate Risk.
• Shift work and emergency overtime may be required.
• Employee may be required to work other than normal duty hours, to include evenings, weekends and/or holidays.
• Total salary varies depending on location of position.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at:

This position has Individual Occupational Requirements for the 0018 Series that must be met:

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 : 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.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must possess one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. The experience need not have been in the federal government.

To qualify for the GS-11: Applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the GS-09 grade level or equivalent pay band. This experience includes all the following:

1. Assisting in the management of safety program and applying knowledge of safety and health standards, laws, codes, policies for employees engaged in a broad range of high hazard functions directly related to the construction, operation and maintenance of facilities.
2. Assisting in workplace safety training and/or hazard prevention education.
3. Collecting and/or analyzing safety data for conformance to OSHA standards and other applicable policy or regulations.

OR

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION : A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or a LL.M., if related.

OR

COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Combination of education and experience to successfully perform the duties of the position.

To qualify for the GS-12: Applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the GS-11 grade level or equivalent pay band. This experience includes all the following:

1. The ability to manage key elements of a safety program with minimal guidance from the Safety Manager.
2. Serves as a technical expert for safety and health standards, laws, codes, policies for employees engaged in a broad range of high hazard functions directly related to the construction, operation and maintenance of facilities.
3. Developing workplace safety and occupational health standards, regulations, practices, and procedures to eliminate or control potential hazards and to reduce the frequency, severity, and cost of accidents and occupational illnesses.

"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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.

Limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications.

Education

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website. DO NOT email or mail in any of your application documents. Documents will not be accepted outside of the online application system.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Additional information

• This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across DOE.
• For general information on government-wide Telework polices visit:
• Applicants may request Reasonable Accommodation (RA) when applying or competing for a job due to a medical condition or to exercise religious beliefs. If you need reasonable accommodation in the application or selection process, please contact the Agency Contact listed on this vacancy announcement.
• If selection is made at a lower grade, promotion up to the full performance level may be made without further competition. However, promotion(s) will depend on the performance of the incumbent and are not guaranteed.
• Promotion Potential: Full Performance Level GS-12.
• The selectee for this position may be eligible to receive a recruitment or relocation incentive. You will need to sign an employment agreement to be eligible for this incentive.
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs are not authorized.
• This position may be eligible for creditable service towards annual 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. DOE 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.
• Salary negotiation may be available for those candidates who are new to Federal service.
• Salary: The salary range indicated in this announcement will be adjusted to include locality payment for selected duty location.
• General Schedule locality pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages.

Folsom, CA - $82,780 to $128,987

Tracy, CA - $93,358 to $145,468

Phoenix, AZ - $78,117 to $$121,720

Boulder City, NV - $76,280 to $118,857

Loveland, CO - $83,265 to $129.742

Montrose, CO - $74,678 to $$116,362

Bismarck, ND - $74,678 to $$116,362

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.