Summary This position is at the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain, Michigan. Serves as the Medical Center Safety Officer, reporting directly to the Chief of Engineering. The position plans, directs, coordinates, and evaluates agency programs. Requires the application of unusual or complex criteria to eliminate or control serious hazards encountered in the construction, operation, and maintenance of a wide variety of facilities including inpatient wards, clinics, and laboratories. Responsibilities Major Duties: Supervise the safety program, lead and support the local Environment of Care Committee (EOC), and the Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) program. Establish program goals, benchmarks, and implements actions to improve program performance. Review and improve safety program by ensuring Compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Joint Commission, Life Safety Code, and National Fire Codes throughout the campus including Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC), contract Nursing Homes, and contract Residential Board and Care Facilities. Reviews accident and incident reports. Directing and evaluating the effectiveness of corrective actions. Work with service chiefs to assure a reduction in Lost Time cases and Office of Worker Compensation Program (OWCP) claims. Conduct surveys, investigations, and root cause analysis. Support VISN and the local Environment of Care Committee (EOC). Plan, organize, oversee and provide technical assistant for environmental problems. Such as wastewater treatment and disposal, safe drinking water treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste, release of hazardous material/spill response, air pollution control, environmental media permitting, and toxic substances. Provide technical expertise for the design, modification, operation, and maintenance of VA Medical Center facilities and infrastructure to ensure compliance with environmental regulations. Train hospital staff regarding the safety programs. Present and train new employees at New Employee Orientation (NEO) about the safety programs. Provide administrative guidance and establish broad program goals for the Industrial Hygienist. Implement a system to monitor and evaluate program effectiveness. Review, plan, develop, implement, and assess occupational safety procedures and policies to address occupational hygiene issues; including proper use of materials and equipment, carcinogens, antineoplastic agents, hazardous chemicals, biohazards, asbestos, noise abatement, respiratory protection, and personal protective equipment. Develop and implement hazardous and toxic waste programs; including storage, removal, disposal, and coordination with Michigan health authorities for necessary licenses and permits. Develop and implement procedures to protect and improve environment for employees, patients, and visitors. Maintain the Hazard Communication Program, SDS Chemical Inventory System, and chemical labeling program to ensure proper use of toxic and hazardous substances. Perform onsite employee monitoring, such as personal air sampling and sound monitoring. Respond to emergencies. Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:00 am - 3:30 pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Safety and Occupational Health Manager/PD252940 Relocation/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. 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) 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, 06/16/2026. 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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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. Individual Occupational Requirements: 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: 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. In addition to the Individual Occupational Requirements you must demonstrate the experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Qualifying specialized experience includes what is stated above, as well as: recognizing potential hazards associated with a variety of operations and processes; conducting surveys/inspections of working conditions to determine nature of hazardous exposures; analyzing findings to recommend or develop corrective/control measures; auditing for compliance with established guidelines; developing policies to improve safety conditions; and preparing training concerning occupational, life, and/or fire safety. 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. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
