Job Summary

The Safety & Occupational Health Specialist position is physically located at the VA Hudson Valley Health Care System in Montrose, NY, with responsibilities extending to community care homes, nursing homes and satellite clinics within the network. The primary purpose of this position is to ensure a safe environment for patients, staff and visitors by implementing and monitoring comprehensive safety programs.

Job Description

To qualify for this position at the GS-9 grade level, you must meet at least one of the following: Specialized Experience: One (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-7) in Federal Service that has equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of a Safety & Occupational Health Specialist, GS-9. 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. These assignments would have been performed of a more limited scope and with less independence than the full performance level, and be performed under supervision, consulting with the supervisor when problems are encountered. 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: A master's or equivalent degree OR successful completion of two (2) full years of graduate level education leading to a masters or equivalent graduate degree. The major study must be in safety or occupational health field (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene), or a degree 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. This education must have been obtained at an accredited college or university. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~ Combination of Education and Experience: An equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the first year) and specialized experience, as described above, which meets the total experience requirements for this grade level. NOTE: Your experience must be documented in your resume and transcripts are required. 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/.