Summary The safety technician coordinates and performs comprehensive safety and occupational health inspections and safety maintenance for the Veterans Administration Ann Arbor Healthcare System (V AAAHS) which includes a main hospital and clinical addition, seven outpatient clinics (Toledo, Flint, Jackson, Adrian, Howell, Canton, and Findlay) and construction sites in those facilities. Responsibilities The functions of position include but are not limited to: - Conducts fire equipment inspections, circuit testing, sprinkler system testing, and fire hydrant testing; maintains safety bulletin boards and displays, coordinates, and schedules fire drills; maintains Material Safety Data Sheet notebooks. Schedules, coordinates, and manages the quarterly Simplex fire alarm testing in conjunction with Facilities Management Service. This includes testing and documentation in accordance with National Fire Protection Association Life Safety Code 101. All repairs and maintenance would be coordinated with Facilities Management Section Supervisors. - Inspects areas and buildings such as Facility Engineering shops {carpentry, electrical, plumbing, air conditioning, painting, mechanical, grounds equipment maintenance, work order operations, boiler and A/C plant), oxygen storage tank, patient care areas such as general medical and surgical, ICU, isolation rooms/areas, geriatrics and intermediate care services, psychiatric and nursing home care, and ambulatory care, research areas, parking garages and work areas, including construction sites. - Stays alert for new or unusual @types of combustibles or other hazardous materials. - Discusses safety-related situations with personnel and researches technical measures to reduce or eliminate the potential for fire or safety code violations and to ascertain proper means of correcting the situation. Determines measures to reduce or eliminate the potential for fire or safety hazards. Writes inspection reports and follows up on any discrepancies to ensure that deficiencies are corrected. Maintains accurate files on inspections, safety hazards, and related documentation. - Updates and recategorizes Personal Protection Equipment. - Maintains constant surveillance over any changing safety-related conditions. - Maintains records and files in Safety, Industrial Hygiene, and Radiation Safety areas. Assists in performing accident investigations on injured employees. In addition, may act as back up for Safety Specialist in conducting New Employee Safety Training on a biweekly basis. - Provides support to all other safety office senior staff for example Safety Specialist, Industrial Hygienist, and Radiation Safety staff. - Ensures that all fire extinguishers, eyewash stations and emergency showers are maintained, inspected, and documented in accordance with applicable regulatory codes. Maintains new database ,TISCOR FM for fire, used to document all fire equipment inventories, inspections, and serviceability. - Makes recommendations for corrective action of safety hazards, many of which could be complex and/or designed for specific operations and hazardous conditions. - Reviews new and existing blueprints for life safety code compliance. - Participates in investigations of causes of safety incidents by inspecting areas and interviewing individuals. May appear as a witness before courts or boards of inquiry. - Conducts thorough inspections and evaluations of conditions prior to issuing permits for hot work and confined spaces and ensures that proper hot work permits are in effect during operations. - Inspects construction job sites to ensure code compliance for fire and safety issues and to ensure that construction crews have and are using the proper PPE. - Performs battery back-up lighting tests on a monthly basis throughout the VAAAHS, outpatient clinics and leased spaces, which includes a ninety-minute test for each light completed on an annual basis. This position is at full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am-4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Safety Technician/PD04991-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job 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 or trial 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, 02/03/2026. 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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6. 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. Interchange Agreement: Applicants must be eligible under the VA Interchange Agreement, having served continuously for at least one year in the other merit system under this interchange agreement. For more information regarding the VA Interchange Agreement please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-authorities/competitive-hiring/. 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-6 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: (l) identifying, preventing, or eliminating safety hazards in work methods or environmental conditions; or (2) safety training or promotion. Such experience must have provided a practical knowledge of occupational and environmental safety hazards, survey techniques, and control and preventive methods. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: biological technician, medical technician, engineering technician, fire prevention inspector, and environmental health worker. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed one full year of graduate level education that is directly related to the work of the position which may include safety, fire prevention, industrial hygiene or other directly related subjects. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education that equates to one year of experience at the GS 6 grade level. Education must be directly related to the work of the position. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Accident Investigation Compliance Inspection Public Safety and Security 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; religions; 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: Work involves sitting at a desk, walking through areas to conduct inspections, lifting fire extinguishers and/or other equipment weighing 40 pounds or more, demonstrating use of equipment as well as frequent walking, bending, climbing and crawling. Occasional periods of physical exertion are required during fire alarms, patient evacuations or any other emergency that may occur or is reported. 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 This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. 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.
