Safety and Occupational Health Specialist

Job Duties

Major duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

GS-09:

• Assists in conducting and/or participates in opening and closing conferences with management officials, employees, and employee representatives reviewing hazards or unsafe working conditions.
• Conducts specific (targeted) outreach activities and provides information on OSHA legislation, regulations, and compliance activities to a variety of different audiences.
• Assists in planning and conducting portions or limited inspections or compliance reviews in establishments and worksites.
• Assists in conducting monitoring and evaluation by analyzing select portions of plan changes, programs, procedures, inspections, citations, and reports to determine compliance with approved occupational safety standards and programs.

GS-11:

• Conducts occupational safety and health inspections within a variety of agricultural, construction, general industry, and maritime business establishments to ensure employer compliance with federal OSHA standards.
• Conducts investigations involving one or more fatalities, injuries, serious accidents, or other unsafe conditions.
• Prepares for inspections to become familiar with work processes, operations, and standards applicable to the workplace to be inspected.
• Conducts opening conferences with management officials and employee representatives concerning the nature and purpose of the inspection, the procedures which will be followed, and employee discrimination rights.
• Participates in Agency efforts to obtain warrants and to subpoena witnesses and documents, if necessary.
• Analyses injury and illness data and reviews establishments' occupational safety and health programs.

GS-12:

• Conducts opening conferences with management officials, employees, and employee representatives concerning the nature and purpose of the inspection and the procedures which will be followed.
• Conducts closing conference with employer, reviewing hazards identified and violations cited.
• Conducts specific (targeted) outreach activities and provides information on OSHA legislation, regulations, and compliance activities to a variety of different audiences.
• Conducts investigations of accidents which may involve one or more fatalities, a large number of injuries or serious accidents, or other unsafe conditions.
• Plans, schedules, and conducts inspections either individually-determined, as assigned or based on complaints received from employees and/or union representatives, in establishments and worksites where there is a strong probability of encountering Hazardous work processes and materials, and unsafe environmental conditions.
• Inspects worksites, machine and equipment operations, environmental conditions, work practices, protective devices and equipment, and safety procedures.
• Reviews safety activities for evidence of compliance with prescribed safety requirements.
• Proposes fiscal penalties.
• Assists agency attorneys in the preparation of contested cases for hearing before administrative law judges; testifies under examinations conducted by attorneys representing the agency and the employer.
• Conducts interviews, reviews documents, and researches various sources of information such as equipment manuals, consensus standards, interpretations of standards, court decisions.
• Identifies violations and hazards, and recommends abatement methods common to the work processes and operations.
• Documents inspections to support a legally sufficient case.

As the employee progresses, the assignments will become more difficult and complex with less supervision.