Summary This position is located at the Wilmington VA Medical Center (MC) in the Safety and Occupational Health section of the Facilities Management Service Line. Incumbent provides oversight, inspections, and surveys for all fire prevention and protection activities throughout the medical center and in support of all contracted community health and social work residential programs. Responsibilities Duties include, but may not be limited to the following: Identifies opportunities for improvement through an ongoing effort of hazard identification, evaluation, solution implementation, and monitoring Maintains accountability for developing, implementing, managing, and monitoring a comprehensive Safety and Occupational Health Program as defined by policy, which meets safety, hazardous material, and life safety requirements of the Department of Veterans Affairs, The Joint Commission (TJC), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and other applicable accrediting entities Oversees Environment of Care and Life Safety Standards to ensure compliance Develops, monitors, and evaluates required management plans Assists in the development and evaluates required management plans: Life Safety (LS) Management, Hazardous Material Management, and Emergency Preparedness Management, as well as Utility Management, Equipment Management, and Security Management. Manages the facility's Statement of Conditions (SOC) and ensures life safety and fire protection features for the facility are maintained as required by NFPA and TJC Responsible for the Safety Management System (SMS) and its Program Effectiveness (Safety Policy, Job Hazard Analysis (JHA), Industrial Hygiene Exposure Assessment (IHEA) Oversight of compressed gases program, confined space program, construction safety program, electrical safety program, emergency eyewash and shower program, fall protection program, fire protection/life safety programs, lock-out/tagout program, machine guarding , motor vehicle safety and personal protective equipment Responsible for EOC Inspections, Construction Safety Inspections, Periodic shop inspections and AWE inspections Managing the Employee Compensation Operation & Management Portal (ECOMP) Investigates and reviews of employee injuries, making recommendations to the committee and the department heads for corrective actions Develops and presents to upper management budgetary information related to safety and occupational health programs Manages computer programs and databases to enhance management of safety and occupational health programs Develops promotional and educational activities to promote stakeholder awareness of the facility safety and occupational health programs Identifies and appraises accidents and/or loss producing conditions Identifies practices and evaluates the severity of accident problems Develops accident prevention and loss control methods, procedures, and programs Communicates accident and loss control information to those directly involved Measures and evaluates the effectiveness of the accident and loss control systems and the modifications required to achieve optimal results Back-up coverage for Environmental Protection Specialist Assists in oversight of a comprehensive and effective GEMS/IH program which recognizes, evaluates, and monitors environmental impacts from aspects of facility operations Secures required air emission, wastewater, and underground fuel storage tank permits and hazardous waste disposal Assists in oversight of comprehensive industrial hygiene program which recognizes, evaluates and monitors chemical, physical, biological and ergonomic stresses in the workplace to provide patients, visitors and staff of the VA the highest possible level of safety attainable Analyzes, and makes recommendations on all levels of medical center construction projects, including Major, Minor, Non-Recurring Maintenance (NRM) and Station Level Projects (SLP) to verify compliance with VA, federal, NFPA, OSHA, EPA, ADA, state, local and any other applicable safety codes Makes recommendations for changes to achieve full compliance when deficiencies are detected Ensures that internal safety codes are practiced uniformly and consistently with every construction project in the health system. Reviews findings with appropriate facility management and employee groups; prepares formal findings and recommendations for alleviation or elimination of hazards; involved in negotiating settlement or implementation of corrective action with facility managers at various organizational levels, as well as labor unions representing federal employee interests Conducts Life Safety assessments of affiliated community nursing homes, residential board and care homes and makes recommendations about referral of Veterans to these facilities Provides expert and consultative technical assistance to various facility committees, work groups, and task forces as well as to senior leadership and as a member of the Incident Command Team during activation of the hospital Incident Command System. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30am - 4:00pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Safety & Occupational Heath Specialist/PD023180Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment 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. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 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 dentification 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) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial 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. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/11/2025. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. 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.You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 1) Managing safety or occupational health program elements. 2) Developing and recommending safety and occupational health policy to higher levels of management. 3) 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. 4) 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. 5) Designing or modifying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems to control or eliminate hazards. 6) Training of workers, supervisors, managers, or other safety and occupational health personnel in safety or occupational health subjects. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR, 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree OR, LL.M., if related 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/. Education 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/. Additional Information Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.
