Safety & Occupational Health Specialist (TCF Trainee)

Summary

The Technical Career Field (TCF) is a national workforce development program within VHA that was designed to replenish technical staff in critically identified positions. The Safety and Occupational Health Specialist position is located in the Safety and Emergency Management service line at the Augusta - ME VA Medical Center located at Augusta - ME VA. This is a full-time position at 40 hours a week.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 05/29/2026. 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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5 level. 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. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on education and/or experience as described below: Individual Occupational Requirements: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study in 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 Specialized 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. OR Certificates: Certification as a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) - Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) - or Certified Health Physicist (CHP) - or similar certification that included successful completion of a written examination meets the requirements for GS-5. AND Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: Administers' safety and occupational health activities. Performs survey work to identify and evaluate hazardous and non-hazardous industrial work operations and conditions and to recommend corrective procedures where the potential for injury or property damage exists. Participates as a member of a team led by a higher graded specialist - conducts a limited segment of a major inspection - surveys non-ionizing radiation sources - the use of machine guards - and chemical storage areas - and drafts a report of findings proposing corrective measures for unsafe conditions and hazardous work practices. Conducts independent inspections of small - privately-owned firms where exposures and hazard types are predictable in advance. Analyzes accident and injury reports - studying data to discover trends and causes and to develop recommendations for eliminating or controlling the hazards detected. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 1 full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement: 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 and Education Combination: Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the grade level. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Reading Comprehension Reasoning Stress Tolerance 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. 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/. Physical Requirements: Survey or inspection work requires regular and recurrent physical exertion such as walking - standing - bending - climbing - crouching - reaching - and lifting of moderately heavy items. Working Environment: The work environment involves frequent exposure to a variety of machines and equipment operations - hazardous materials - high noise levels - and temperature extremes. Protective clothing and equipment may be necessary in some situations.

Duties

• The TCF career fields represent those technical fields where VA-specific knowledge and experience is desirable for success in the field
• Individuals selected follow a formal training plan for two years during which they are trained - coached - and supervised by a preceptor
• Preceptors are selected annually - through an extensive application process - for their technical expertise - their commitment to training and the suitability of their facility as a training location
• *Selectees will be required to sign Mobility - Training - and Continued Service Agreements
• This is a developmental position leading to a GS-11 - performing assignments intended to broaden skills and provide practical experience leading to progressively more complex assignments performed under progressively less supervision
• The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory - qualification - and performance requirements are met
• Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level
• The Technical Career Field (TCF) Trainee is an integral member of a Safety and Health program covering a wide range of responsibilities - including topics such as fire safety to radiation safety and industrial hygiene
• The trainee serves in this role supporting safety and health staff in regulatory compliance - research - training - program development - accident prevention and safety surveys in a healthcare environment
• Duties include - but are not limited to: Performs survey work to identify and evaluate hazardous and non-hazardous industrial work
• Conducts a limited segment of a major inspection - surveys non-ionizing radiation sources
• Drafts a report of findings proposing corrective measures for unsafe conditions and hazardous work practices
• Conducts independent inspections of small - privately-owned firms where exposures and hazard types are predictable in advance
• Analyzes accident and injury reports - studying data to discover trends and causes
• Provides informal instruction to work leaders and employees covering a variety of standards - general safety - and occupational health subjects including incident prevention and safe working practices
• Knowledge of principal inspection and survey techniques sufficient to identify occupational hazards and to determine elements giving rise to injuries
• Performs a variety of different assignments - including conducting conventional surveys to identify unsafe practices and working conditions
• Survey or inspect a variety of work operations and practices - fire suppression equipment - injury records - and equipment maintenance data to identify and analyze hazards to individuals and property
• Contacts with safety engineers - management representatives - and industrial hygienists within the agency and from other federal agencies - and contractor representatives - safety engineers - and labor representatives from the private sector
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday - 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Position Description/PD#: Safety & Occupational Health Specialist (TCF Trainee)/PD99387-S Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
• Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
• Notifications: This position is in the Excepted Service
• This position is an AFGE Bargaining Unit position
• Current and former Federal employees may submit copies of their most recent SF-50 - (Notice of Personnel Action)
• The SF-50 must identify the position title - series - grade - step - tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted)
• In some cases - more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held
• No award SF50's will be accepted
• May be expected to travel to other VA campus (CBOC's).