Safety & Occupational Health Specialist

Summary This position is located at the VA Medical Center in Tampa, Florida. The Safety & Occupational Health Specialist performs occupational hazard and safety surveys of Tampa VAMC and surrounding CBOC facilities; studies and reviews safety inspection records; plans and conducts surveys or inspections that identify safety hazards and violations; and analyzes accident and injury reports. Responsibilities THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION Major duties include but are not limited to: Conducts safety and occupational health surveys at a medical facility, recommends measures to eliminate or control hazardous practices and conditions which may cause mishaps; and proposes supplemental written safety procedures; Performs onsite surveys for assigned medical facility organizations; Inspects construction projects and designs to determine compliance with applicable occupational safety standards (e.g., question of 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); Schedules surveys of medical facility laboratories, shops and offices to identify and evaluate risk potential involving a wide variety of work environments and occupations; determines the extent to which mechanical and physical conditions comply with required or accepted standards, their adherence to established safety policies and procedures and the effectiveness of the assigned program; Certifies laboratories or other work environments where local guidelines or standards require assurance that specific and predetermined safeguards or practices are present prior to work beginning; Conducts inspections of medical facility operations where exposure and type of hazard is predictable in advance; Analyzes accident and injury reports, studies data to discover trends and mishap causes and develops recommendations for eliminating or controlling the hazards detected; Directs investigation of accidents; analyzes precipitating factors and accident cause data to develop specific methods for prevention; Consults with specialists from related occupations concerning work process modifications and recommends corrective or remedial safety measures; Coordinates long-term studies of unsafe work conditions with appropriate supervisors; Investigates mishaps, obtains statements from witnesses and photographs mishap scenes; records circumstances of mishap and extent of injuries, estimates cost of property damage and prepares reports of findings with recommendations to correct unsafe acts or conditions that caused personnel injuries or property damage; Participates as a member of a survey or inspection team led by a higher graded specialist and is exposed to the practical application of techniques and measures used to identify hazards; Advises senior level management officials within the assigned area on the status of the safety and occupational health programs and recommends changes in the design of work programs to meet new safety and occupational health standards; Advises supervisors and safety representatives of appropriate safety and occupational health measures to control or eliminate hazardous operating processes or environmental conditions; Participates in informal instruction sessions to provide work leaders and employees guidance on a variety of general safety and occupational health subjects including mishap prevention and safe working practices; and Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. 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) - See "Required Documents" below for details. 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, 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 at the GS-11 grade level, you must meet one of the following requirements: Specialized Experience: At least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of this position. Qualifying specialized experience includes: 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. NOTE: Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must clearly indicate the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. ~OR~ Education: Successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. The major study must be in safety or occupational health fields (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene), or a 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. This education must have been obtained at an accredited college or university. NOTE: If you select this option, you must submit a copy of your transcript with your application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~ Combination: Equivalent combinations of specialized experience and graduate-level education (beyond the second year or master's level), as described above. The education portion must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. Education must have been obtained at an accredited college or university. NOTE: If you select this option, you must submit a copy of your transcript with your application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at Physical Requirements: The work involves frequent standing, walking, climbing, crouching and stretching in the performance of inspections and survey duties and occasional lifting of moderately heavy objects. The work environment involves frequent exposure during inspections and surveys to a variety of machine and equipment operations, hazardous materials, high noise levels and temperature extremes. Protective clothing and equipment may be necessary in some situations. Education IMPORTANT: 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 Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. 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. 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. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 80 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at