Safety & Occupational Health Specialist

The Safety and 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. NOTE: This position requires on-site presence and is not a remote or telework role. "Ad hoc" Telework is usually limited to a few days or up to 12 days per calendar year. The duties include, but are not limited to: Conduct safety surveillance audits and inspections on a frequent basis according to required standards and regulations and depending on the degree of hazard. Perform skillfully in safety work that involves a combined approach to unusual or complex safety and occupational health management issues. Review safety policies, procedures, and regulations published by serviced organizations. Conduct comprehensive analytical surveys and/or studies of serviced safety programs. Investigate hazardous conditions, equipment, and practices to identify and analyze the nature and severity of hazards and possible remedial actions. Investigate accidents/mishaps, obtain witness statements, photographs the accident scene, record circumstances and extent of injuries, and estimate cost of property damages. Resolve difficult and complex technical, project management, and organizational problems using innovative and original approaches. Research various sources of information for promotional items and campaigns to initiate and maintain interest in accident prevention and occupational health for at-work and off-the job employee activities. Develop or adapt materials for safety campaigns and training courses. Maintain historical safety records and notes trends or changing conditions that warrant revision of safety procedures. Prepare reports on investigation findings, which includes recommendations to correct unsafe acts or conditions which caused an accident. Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: 8am-4:30pm, M-F Telework: Ad hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Safety & Occupational Specialist/PD# 145240 To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/28/2026. 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. 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. 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. Safety and Occupational Health Management Series, 0018 Individual Occupational Requirements: Education: Undergraduate and Graduate 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- Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): 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. Grade Level Requirement (GS-09). In addition to meeting the Individual Occupational Requirements above, you must possess the required specialized experience, or education, or combination of experience and education as identified below: Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-7) in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Safety & Occupational Health Specialist, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Qualifying specialized experience includes: investigating hazardous conditions, equipment, and practices to identify and analyze the nature and severity of hazards and possible remedial actions; conducing safety surveillance audits and inspections on a frequent basis according to required standards and regulations and depending on the degree of hazard; maintaining historical safety records and notes trends or changing conditions that warrant; revision of safety procedures; planning, scheduling, and conducting difficult inspections in establishments and worksites where there is a strong probability of encountering hazardous work processes and materials, and unsafe environmental conditions, involving a substantial number of employees; preparing reports on investigation findings, which includes recommendations to correct unsafe acts or conditions which caused an accident.. (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: Successful completion of a master's degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B., or J.D., if related. The major study must be 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. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the Safety & Occupational Health Specialist position. • OR- Combination: Equivalent combination of successfully completed 1 year of graduate level education and 6 months of specialized experience equivalent to GS-7, as described above, which may be used to meet total experience requirements for this grade level. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the Safety & Occupational Health Specialist position such as safety or occupational health fields (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene). Physical Requirements: The work involves frequent standing, walking, climbing, crouching and stretching in the performance of inspections and survey duties and occasional lifting of moderately heavy objects. The work environment involves frequent exposure during inspections and surveys to a variety of machine and equipment operations, hazardous materials, high noise levels and temperature extremes. Protective clothing and equipment may be necessary in some situations. 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/. You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Must have a valid state driver's license. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. 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/.