Safety and Occupational Health Specialist - Technical Career Field (TCF) Trainee

This position is located in the Occupational Safety and Health Service at the VA Central Iowa Healthcare System - Des Moines VA Medical Center, Des Moines, IA. The incumbent serves as a participant in the Technical Career Fields Program under the direction of a qualified preceptor. The Technical Career Field (TCF) is a national workforce development program within VHA that was designed to replenish technical staff in critically identified positions.

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: 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/ . RESPONSIBILITIES: 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.

As part of the VA's succession planning, the Technical Career Field (TCF) training program was created to ensure individuals are trained in critical areas that have current or predicted shortages. The program is nationally funded to include salary, benefits and training/travel dollars. At the time of acceptance into the TCF program, trainees will be asked to sign mobility, training, and service agreements. Relocation expenses for acceptance into the training program or for placement are not funded by the TCF program. Please keep in consideration, the training program is meant for those individuals who plan on staying with the VA a minimum of 3 years after completion of their training program.

Selectees will be required to complete and sign the following paperwork; Mobility, Training, and Continued Service Agreements.

Although not guaranteed, with more than 150 freestanding facilities and hundreds of clinic locations, we will strive to place trainees in positions that will work for their needs and the needs of the VA.

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. You will ultimately acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-11. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher level work, and availability of funds.

The Safety and Occupational Health Specialist - TCF Trainee performs nonsupervisory work in one or more of the following areas: Inspecting, investigating, recording, analyzing, and reporting. Major duties and responsibilities include but not limited to:

Managing and overseeing hazardous chemical spill cleanups within the medical center

Preparing and implementing procedures for safety, fire protection, and occupational health policies

Developing operating practices for construction, workplace safety, and occupational health compliance

Creating and delivering training programs for employees and supervisors on safety, fire prevention, and accident reporting

Conducting safety orientations, fire protection classes, and workplace safety promotion programs

Ensuring fire drills are carried out in compliance with VA and local policies

Investigating safety incidents involving hazardous materials or equipment and reporting findings with analysis and recommendations

Reviewing and verifying corrective actions to ensure proper hazard abatement

Consulting with Industrial Hygienists to maintain compliance with OSHA standards

Managing industrial hygiene contracts and coordinating contractor activities

Recommending and participating in exposure surveys and ensuring proper documentation

Reviewing construction plans for compliance with fire and safety codes

Coordinating safety and occupational health activities with medical staff and external stakeholders

Preparing required safety and occupational health reports (monthly, quarterly, annual)

Serving on safety and medical center committees

Conducting inspections of workplaces, patient care areas, and community facilities to identify hazards and code violations

Recommending corrective measures and performing follow-up inspections

Developing and managing budgets for safety, fire protection, and occupational health programs

Performing additional related duties as assigned

Work Schedule: Monday to Friday; 07:30 a.m. to 04:00 p.m.

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized

QUALIFICATIONS: TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION AT THE GS-7 LEVEL YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must have one year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (i.e., GS-5) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is 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,

EDUCATION: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one full year of graduate level education in 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 successfully completed post-high school education and experience as described above which meets the total experience requirements for this grade level. OR,

SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) at the baccalaureate level in the qualifying curriculum detailed above is fully qualifying. Applicants who wish to apply under this provision must submit proof from their educational institution that they meet one of the criteria listed below. To qualify for SAA, applicants must have completed all the requirements for a bachelor's degree in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled and meet one of the following:

Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university or major subdivision;

A grade-point average of "B" (a GPA of 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study;

A grade point average of "B " (a GPA of 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study;

Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. For a list of recognized honor societies please visit http://www.achsnatl.org/quick_link.asp .

TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION AT THE GS-9 LEVEL YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must have one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (i.e., GS-7) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is 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.In addition , at this grade (GS-09), preferred experience performing above duties for a medical facility and experience with Life Safety and Fire Safety, and NFPA code interpretation experience. OR,

EDUCATION: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related, in 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 as described above. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level (i.e. 18 semester hours of graduate education) may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9. SALARY: QuantitativeValue EMPLOYMENT TYPE: Other