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Summary This position is located at NAVAHCS, Occupational Safety & Health Service Line. The work involves the development, management, administration, and operation of a construction safety program compliant with regulations set forth by the OSHA and VA. The employee is responsible for the implementation of a proactive and comprehensive construction and fire safety program to reduce the potential for injury and illness to staff, patients, guests, and reduce the potential of damage to property. Responsibilities The primary purpose of the incumbent is the Safety Specialist for the Environment, Health and Safety Service (EH&S) and acts under the direction of the Safety and Occupational Health Supervisor on matters relating to the comprehensive review of safety programs and the allocations of funds and contracts to ensure uninterrupted regulatory compliance in a healthcare setting. Duties may include: Plans, organizes, coordinates, directs, evaluates, and manages a comprehensive construction safety and occupational health program. Maintains sole responsibility for the development and preparation of construction safety directives and regulations through adaptation of higher-level instructions and policies formulated by other Federal Government agencies. Monitors construction and renovation project designs performed by in-house and contracted personnel to assess and ensure inclusion in the design package any special occupational safety and health analyses to be made in conjunction with the specific work area or installation of equipment. Reviews and evaluates project submittals including Contractor training records, safety plans and work plans for all construction and renovation projects. Identifies, evaluates, analyzes and recommends means for controlling a wide variety of construction safety issues. Conducts hazard surveillance inspections and surveys throughout the facility including outpatient and administrative facilities located off-campus to determine compliance with construction safety requirements. Enforces OSHA, The Joint Commission (TJC), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and VA/VHA regulations and standards for occupational safety, work practices, integrity of building fire resistive construction, machine guarding, equipment safety, and a variety of environments and occupations. Provides advice and assistance to supervisors and managers, workers, and unions on safety requirements and procedures. Advises managers, workers, and safety representatives of appropriate construction safety measures, requirements, and procedures to control or eliminate hazardous operating processes or environmental conditions. Makes recommendations and coordinates activities in the development of local program functions, policies, procedures, standards, and directives for the control of safety and health hazards. Prepares and presents material on construction safety related accident prevention, fire prevention, and other aspects of construction and renovation to meet training, regulation development, and promotional program requirements. Provides training to members of safety committees. Prepares policies, reports, manuals, and literature on construction safety and occupational health practices and procedures pertinent to the function of the hospital. Prepare and presets the semi-annual construction safety report to the Environment of Care Committee and to the Facility Safety Committee. Consults with Patient Safety and Infection Control and Prevention to ensure patient safety in areas adjacent to construction sites. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 07:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Safety & Occupational Health Specialist (Construction Safety Officer)/PD145330 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/09/2024. This position has INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT which is a basic requirement that must be met to qualify for entry into this job series, and it is something that cannot be waived. To meet the basic requirement for the Safety and Occupational Health Specialist Occupational series, applicants must demonstrate one of the following: Undergraduate and/or Graduate Education with Major study as follows -- 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 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. 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-09. 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience would include: Managing safety or occupational health program elements; developing and recommending safety and/or occupational health policy to higher levels of management; applying safety and/or occupational health laws, regulations, principles, theories, practices, and procedures to advise on or resolve technical matters dealing with occupational safety and/or health requirements; developing or implementing programs to reduce the frequency, severity, and cost of accidents and occupational illnesses; 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. OR, 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, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond master's or equivalent graduate degree. Preferred Experience: 1 year in construction safety OSHA 30 construction training completed Preferred EM 385 training or knowledge You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Accident Investigation Communication Problem Solving Public Safety and Security 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. Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion related to frequent inspections and surveys requiring considerable standing, walking, climbing, bending, crouching, stretching, reaching or similar movements. Occasionally, there may be a need to lift and carry moderately heavy objects. The work may require some degree of agility and dexterity when, for example, it involves inspecting ships or construction sites. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education 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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or 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. 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. 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.