Summary This position is located in the Architect of the Capitol, Office of Safety and Code Compliance, Safety Division. The incumbent establishes policy and conducts oversight to ensure compliance with safety, fire and environmental laws and regulations. The Safety Division is responsible for policy and program development, implementation support and evaluations with regards to occupational health, safety and industrial hygiene. Responsibilities Work schedule may require some occasionally mandatory overtime on holidays and weekends. Tour of Duty: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm (Hours may Change due to Operational Needs of Management) ***Two Selections May Be Made From This Vacancy Announcement. Responsibilities and Duties: Implements Safety and Occupational Health Program Directs and serves as a senior technical expert on safety and occupational health programs, such as electrical safety, incident investigation, confined space, control of hazardous energy, electrical safety, cranes/aerial lifts/powered industrial trucks, elevators/escalators/railcar systems, storage tanks and pressure vessels, construction safety, and hot work/welding/cutting/brazing, working/walking surfaces and fall protection. Provides guidance and technical assistance to the jurisdictions/offices on existing program policies and requirements. Works as lead developer of Contractor Scopes of Work which provide implementation assistance to the various jurisdictions. Serves as a Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) on assigned projects. Solicits Cooperation and Support to Ensure Program Success Serves as liaison with assigned policy-level officials within the AOC to ensure the agency views and interests are promoted with respect to current and emerging policy issues. Works with AOC jurisdictions to create a central database for standards and documents such as exposure assessments, policies, Job Hazard Analysis (JHA), Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and other template documents. Performs On-Site Inspections, Conducts Plans and Specification Reviews and Completes Other Safety Related Tasks Plans, coordinates and conducts occupational health and safety inspections, audits, surveys, tests and evaluations of AOC facilities and operations including construction and renovation sites. Conducts safety and occupational health tests for hazardous substances such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, natural gas, propane, ozone, volatile organic compounds, asbestos, lead, silica and others while using equipment to monitor these unsafe conditions. Administers other tests to determine, quantify and negate Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH) situations. Evaluates excessive noise, poor ventilation, low-level lighting conditions, excessive heat or cold situations, etc. and offers recommendations to resolve unsafe conditions. Provides Advisory Services for Safety Policies and Projects Develops and applies new program methods, approaches and/or technology or revises and adapts existing methodology to new and unusual situations. Trains and instructs AOC staff on safe work practices and during New Employee Orientation. Reviews training needs, creates or adapts training materials, conducts training programs and evaluates training effectiveness. Examines personal injuries and illnesses and property accidents; to determine causes; and makes recommendations regarding preventative and corrective actions. Performs Safety and Occupational Health Program Planning and Design Develops guidance to be used for implementing criteria and evaluating program effectiveness based on injury records, incidents, inspections and other input. Explores and builds components of the safety and occupational health program for the agency. Studies workforce statistics and occupational data, discovers populations and trends, gets information on agency and contractor capabilities, drafts work plans, prepares managers' briefings, prepares specifications and scope-of-work statements and offers recommendations regarding preventive actions. Conducts Research and Analysis for Safety and Occupational Health Program Policies Creates alternative strategies and assesses trade-offs between safety concerns and economic issues related to implementing safety programs, policies and regulations in major agency organizational components. Creates impact assessments focusing on the costs to facilities. Conducts JHA, hazard assessments and exposure assessments to match worker's tasks to the need for personal protection. Researches, understands and makes recommendations for the use of personal protective equipment. Understands Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) capabilities and limitations. Establishes Program Evaluation Criteria and Conditions Establishes standards by which to judge program effectiveness and plans for evaluation of compliance with those standards for major agency organizational components. Analyzes existing health and safety program evaluation criteria, procedures and guidelines to develop innovative new procedures. Performs other related duties as assigned. Certification from the Board of Certified Safety Professional-Certified Safety Professional (preferred but not required). Requirements Conditions of Employment Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. "To be employed by the Architect of the Capitol in a paid position, an individual must meet one of the categories below: A citizen of the United States; A person who is lawfully admitted for permanent residence and is seeking citizenship as outlined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)(B); A person who is admitted as a refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157 or is granted asylum under 8 U.S.C. 1158 and has filed a declaration of intention to become a lawful permanent resident and then a citizen when eligible; A person who owes allegiance to the United States (nationals of American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Northern Mariana Islands, and nationals who meet other requirements described in 8 U.S.C. 1408); or A person who is currently an officer or employee of the Government of the United States." Qualifications You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on the OPM web site at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Candidates for the GS-13 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as meeting at least three (3) of the four (4) requirements listed below: (1) Planning, developing, organizing, administering, evaluating and coordinating a comprehensive safety and occupational health program. (2) Performing work site analyses, hazard prevention and control. (3) Performing incident and complaint investigations and reporting, process analysis to identify critical failures, and developing of corrective actions and monitoring procedures ensuring compliance; and (4) Reviewing construction contractors' health and safety/accident prevention plans and conducting construction safety inspections. Education There is no substitution of education for the required specialized experience. Additional Information Welcome Veterans. The Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) gives veterans' preference rights in the legislative branch to certain veterans as applied by the Congressional Accountability Act. Veterans' preference is applied on this vacancy announcement. If you are a veteran and have been separated under honorable conditions, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility; SF-15, if applicable; and Department of Veterans Affairs documentation of disability, if applicable. For more information, please visit http://www.opm.gov/veterans/html/vetguide.asp#6. If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System. If you are exempt from registration under Selective Service Law, you must provide appropriate proof of exemption. Please visit the Selective Service System website for more information. DRUG TESTING: The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is a Drug Free Workplace. As part of the AOC's suitability assessment, a candidate tentatively selected for a position who is not currently an AOC employee is required to submit to screening for illegal drug use. Satisfactory completion of a drug test is a condition of employment with the Agency. A candidate must test negative prior to being eligible for appointment into a position. We will schedule, provide and cover the cost for the drug test. The selectee(s) under the vacancy announcement for this position is subject to a criminal record check by the U.S. Capitol Police and satisfactory adjudication to be eligible for employment at the Architect of the Capitol. The Architect of the Capitol is an E-VERIFY Participant. E-VERIFY is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee's Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment authorization in the United States. If you are selected for this position, the documentation that you present for purposes of completing the DHS Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-VERIFY" electronic system. For more information on E-Verify, please visit http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/gc_1185221678150.shtm The Architect of the Capitol is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information and/or disability. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Moving expenses are not authorized. Relocation expenses are not authorized. Probationary Period - A newly appointed selectee is subject to the completion of a one-year trial/probationary period, regardless of whether or not a trial/probationary period has been completed previously with the Architect of the Capitol or another Federal agency. This vacancy announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies in any of the jurisdictions of the Architect of the Capitol. All application materials become the property of the Architect of the Capitol.
