Safety and Occupational Health Specialist

Summary

What General Information Do I Need To Know About This Position?

Salary: $73,939 (Step 01) to $96,116 (Step 10);

NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01.

This job is open to

• The public
  
  

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
  
  

Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.

Clarification from the agency

Open to the public

DutiesAs a Safety and Occupational Health Specialist within the Saint Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, some of your specific duties will include:

• Conducting and assisting in safety audits/inspections of office space, laboratories, vehicles, shops, storage spaces, and field sites.
• Reviewing and supporting accident investigations and reporting. Provides supports to the Center staff, navigating accident procedures and policies.
• Serving as primary safety training coordinator organizes and distributes safety information, maintaining Center Bureau Safety promotional programs.
• Maintaining employee training records.
• Assisting in maintaining applicable safety regulations, guidelines, manuals, safety plan, and policy documents. Maintains files on all organizational safety correspondence and information.
• Interpret and communicates safety policies to Center staff. Briefs center management on safety recommendations.
  
  

Physical DemandsWork EnvironmentWork is primarily perfo1med in an office that is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. During surveys, investigations, and inspections, the incumbent may be required to use a variety of personal protective clothing and equipment such as hard hats, face masks, and hearing protection.RequirementsConditions of EmploymentKey Requirements:

• Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
• Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
• Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year probationary period.
• More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.
• Selectee subject to successful completion of a pre-employment medical exam.
  
  

Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?.

• Because this position requires travel for official business, the selectee will be required to apply for a charge card within 30 calendar days of appointment. Individuals who have delinquent account balances from a previous Government charge card will be required to satisfy their existing obligation before a new card can be issued.
• This vacancy is limited to the first 50 applications received and will close at midnight Eastern Time on the day this application limit is reached regardless of the closing date specified in this vacancy announcement. Any application received prior to midnight Eastern Time of the day the application limit is reached will be accepted and considered. You are strongly encouraged to submit all required supporting documents at the time of application should the vacancy close earlier than stated in this announcement due to the applicant limit being reached. Supporting documents will not be accepted once the vacancy announcement closes.
• A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
• Pre-Employment Medical - Taking and passing a pre-employment medical examination at Federal expense is required due to the physical demands of this job
• Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.
  
  

Qualifications

Definitions:

UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: A year of undergraduate education is 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours or the equivalent of college study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent was a prerequisite.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: In the absence of specific graduate program information, a year of graduate education is 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours of graduate level college course work, or the number of credit hours the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: 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 to be filled. Examples of qualifying specialized experience may include:

• Managing safety or occupational health program elements.
• Developing or 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.
  
  

For GS-11:

Applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-11 level:

• Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education (54 semester hours, 81 quarter hours or the equivalent) leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in safety, occupational health, or industrial hygiene. Or a Ph.D. degree in other related fields that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours or the equivalent 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. To be creditable, the education must have provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the position to be filled.
• OR one year of appropriate specialized experience as defined above under "Definitions". To be creditable, this specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-9 grade level in the Federal service.
  
  

Examples of GS-09 level experience may include: 1) inspecting conventional construction projects and designs to determine compliance with applicable safety standards; 2) preparing formal training materials and communicating standard safety and occupation health techniques and steps to participants; 3) advising supervisors and safety representatives of appropriate safety and occupational health measures to control or eliminate hazardous operating processes or environmental conditions. For example 1-3, assignments were received with instructions as to objectives, priorities, possible problems and deadlines. Recurring assignments wee carried out independently. Conferred with designated person on difficult or unusual situations. Selection and application of appropriate technical criteria was necessary which frequently required adaptation to meet assignments needs.

• OR a combination of successfully completed graduate level education, as described above, that is beyond the second year of progressive graduate study and specialized experience, as described above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE GRADUATE EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE) You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement.
  
  

Education

• 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.
• Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit:https://www.usgs.gov/human-capital/how-foreign-education-evaluated-federal-jobs
  
  

Additional information

Other Information

• This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies in the advertised office or other U.S. Geological Survey offices in the local commuting area.
• Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
• Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for and performance of higher-level duties.
• Under Executive Order 11935, only United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island) may compete for civil service jobs. Agencies are permitted to hire non-citizens only in very limited circumstances where there are no qualified citizens available for the position.
• USGS employees are subject to Title 43, USC Section 31(a) and may not: (a) have any personal, private, direct or indirect interest in lands or mineral wealth of lands under survey; (b) have any substantial personal, private, direct or indirect interests in any private mining or mineral enterprise doing business with the United States; or (c) execute surveys or examinations for private parties or corporations.
• The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.
• DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.
  
  

Agency Benefits:

• USGS has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework in accordance with the DOI Telework policy and with supervisor approval. The official worksite for the selectee is the duty station identified in this vacancy announcement. The selectee will typically report to this duty location on a regular and recurring weekly basis.
• For additional information on our internal telework policy, please reference the Department of the Interior Telework Handbook at: https://www.doi.gov/telework/policies.
• Working for the U.S. Geological Survey offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; health, life, dental, vision, and long term care insurance, flexible spending accounts, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.
  
  

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.