Clarification from the agency

ALL US CITIZENS. DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (COVID-19 - VA 002) in-accordance with 5 U.S.C. 3304(a)(3) and 5 CFR 337.205(b)(1)-(4).

Major duties include but are not limited to;

• Develops and maintains IH, OS&H, and Fire Protection programs to include IH, Environmental Compliance, Safety, Fire Protection, Construction Safety and Occupational Health programs.
• Provides leadership and direction to professional and technical personnel and management regarding the development, implementation and monitoring of the facility safety management programs required by OSHA, TJC/Environment of Care standards, VA and other regulatory agencies.
• Plans, organizes, implements, oversees and provides technical assistance for projects to resolve safety issues and reduce the risk of injury and occupational illness.
• Measures the effectiveness of existing programs and recommends additional measures as needed to meet changing requirements.
• Prepares technical reports citing environmental, safety and health hazards and sets forth recommended actions for their control or elimination.
• Develops and presents budgetary information related to the Industrial Health & Life Safety section and other related programs.
• Co-Chairs the medical center's Environment of Care Committee, and chairs or serves on other committees as assigned.
• Maintains total and single point accountability for developing, implementing, managing and monitoring a comprehensive Safety Inspection and Testing Program as defined by agency policy which meets the safety and Life Safety Requirements of both the Department of Veterans Affairs and TJC.
• Works directly with management in a regulatory and enforcement capacity to ensure all industrial hygiene/occupational health related criteria are adopted by the medical center to eliminate or control potential or identified occupational health hazards.
• Ensures all inspection and testing is performed on all Safety Systems and Utility Systems. Develops standardized policies and procedures for performing inspection and testing. Ensures Interim Life Safety Measures (ILSM) are put into place when required and fully documented.
• Plans and coordinates the investigation of accidents involving employees, visitors, patients, volunteers, and contractors; participates in Root Cause Analysis and implements measures to reduce future occurrence of accidents.
• Identifies, evaluates and recommends control measures for any type of health hazard to which workers are exposed.
• Identifies opportunities for improvement through an ongoing effort of problem identification, evaluation, solution, implementation and resolution.
• Provides expert advice and direction on workplace health surveys; use of toxic and hazardous substances; control measures for dealing with hazardous exposures; application of Federal occupational health standards to employee hazards; evaluation of unusual hazards resulting from combinations of hazardous materials, etc.
• Responsible for facility compliance with Office of Safety, Health & Environment (OSHA) standards.
• Acts as the focal point for both internal and external inspections related to OSHA programs, the Joint Commission (TJC) surveys, Environment of Care Rounds, etc.; tracks findings and ensures corrective actions are taken.
• Provides technical advice on the selection of appropriate personal protective devices, user training and evaluation of new devices.
• Interprets new or revised technical or management guidance material provided by VA organizations, regulatory and advisory agencies. Reviews and comments on technical reports or studies that relate to or impact on the operation and maintenance of the medical center.
• Provides technical expertise for the design, modification, operation and maintenance of facilities to comply with environmental and safety requirements. Develops and implements safety management policies, procedures and systems.
• Keeps abreast of latest developments in the field of OSHA management systems by reviewing of technical publications, attending technical conferences or professional society meetings, and discussion with industry representatives.
• Maintain active FAC-COR certification and designation as Government Purchase Card Approving Official.
• Provides expertise and advice to service chiefs, managers, research personnel and staff. Advice concerns occupational health hazards associated with hazardous operations; use of toxic and hazardous substances, control measures for dealing with hazardous exposures, application of Federal occupational health standards to employee hazards.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Compressed/Flexible: Not Available
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Industrial Hygienist/PD20F88-O
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this 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
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Personnel

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/15/2022.

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 grade. 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 education 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: (1) expert knowledge of federal OSHA, NFPA, and other regulations; (2) evaluate conditions, equipment, and processes to identify situations that may be hazardous to the health of patients, visitors, or employees, and to detect violations of published health and environmental standards; (3) conduct complex analysis of a wide variety of Industrial Hygiene, Environmental Compliance, Safety, Fire Protection, Construction Safety and Occupational Health issues, develop cost effective programs to abate hazardous conditions noted, and follow up on abatement actions taken to ensure that identified problems are promptly and effectively abated.

And,

• Education: Applicants must possess a bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree in industrial hygiene, occupational health sciences, occupational and environmental health, toxicology, safety sciences, or related science; or a bachelor's degree in a branch of engineering, physical science, or life science that included 12 semester hours in chemistry, including organic chemistry, and 18 additional semester hours of courses in any combination of chemistry, physics, engineering, health physics, environmental health, biostatistics, biology, physiology, toxicology, epidemiology, or industrial hygiene; or a certification from the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH). (The education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.) (Transcript Required)

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Communication
• Manages and Organizes Information
• Performance Management
• Safety Engineering
• Technical Competence

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: Inspection duties will require considerable walking, climbing, prolonged standing, and crouching while conducting surveys, and often will include carrying various sampling and measuring devices and wearing appropriate personal protective equipment including respirators, protective clothing and suits, and similar equipment.

While a substantial amount of the work is performed in an office environment, the employee is periodically exposed to a wide variety of hazards and unpleasant conditions, including exposure to operating machinery, toxic/infectious materials, high noise levels and temperature extremes. Use of appropriate protective equipment and clothing is required.

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/.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.