Safety & Occupational Health Specialist

To qualify for this position at the GS-9 grade level, applicants must meet at least one of the following: GS-9 EXPERIENCE: At least one year of specialized experience that is equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-7) in the Federal service. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: managing safety or occupational health program elements; developing emergency readiness and response training programs; develops and projects budget requirements; applying safety and occupational health laws, regulations, principles, theories, practices, and procedures to advise on or resolve technical matters dealing with occupational safety, health requirements, and emergency management; 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; working in occupational fields such as industrial hygienist, safety engineer, fire prevention engineer, health physicist, and occupational health nurse. -OR- GS-9 EDUCATION: A master’s or equivalent graduate degree OR at least two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master’s degree. The major study of such education must be in a safety or occupational health field (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene) or in another related field 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- GS-9 COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: An equivalent combination of graduate education and specialized experience as described above. Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level (GS-7) may be combined with experience to qualify for the GS-9 level. For example, 6 months of appropriate experience equivalent to the GS-7 level (50 percent of the experience requirement for GS-9) and 27 semester hours of appropriate graduate education (50 percent of the education requirement for GS-9, in excess of that required for the GS-7 level) would be qualifying for the GS-9 level (assuming that there is no evidence that the attended college or university requires more than 18 semester hours as equivalent to a year of graduate study). To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level, applicants must meet at least one of the following: GS-11 EXPERIENCE: At least one year of specialized experience that is equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal service. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: managing safety or occupational health program elements; developing emergency readiness and response training programs; develops and projects budget requirements; applying safety and occupational health laws, regulations, principles, theories, practices, and procedures to advise on or resolve technical matters dealing with occupational safety, health requirements, and emergency management; 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; working in occupational fields such as industrial hygienist, safety engineer, fire prevention engineer, health physicist, and occupational health nurse. -OR- GS-11 EDUCATION: 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 of such education must be in a safety or occupational health field (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene) or in another related field 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- GS-11 COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: An equivalent combination of graduate education and specialized experience as described above. Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level (GS-9) may be combined with experience to qualify for the GS-11 level. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Accident Investigation Critical Thinking Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Public Safety and Security Safety Engineering IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. 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/.
This position serves as a Safety & Occupational Health Specialists within the Safety Offices located at the VA Medical Center in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts.