Summary

These positions are with the U. S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Philadelphia Region Office.

• These positions are outside the bargaining unit.
• Selectees will be expected to report to the office location for which they are selected; this is not a remote position.

Duties

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The major duties for this position include but are not limited to the following:

• Serves as Supervisor to a multi-disciplinary group of Industrial Hygienists, Safety and Occupational Health Specialists, and Safety Engineers. Identifies, distributes and balances workload and tasks.
• Provides and signs written performance appraisals based on daily observation of work. Approves the use of annual, sick, and/or credit leave of short duration.
• Conducts on-the-job assessments of workload progress, productivity, and quality to ensure compliance with policies and procedures.
• Reviews case files to ensure proper application of standards and proposed penalties as well as reasonable abatement dates and documentation that is legally sufficient and consistent with OSHA policies and directives.
• Serves as a witness before judicial hearing and trials, including criminal investigations, providing technical expertise in occupational safety.
• Ensures that OSHA's Strategic Plan, mission, and vision are communicated and integrated into the goals, objectives, work plan, and customer service.
• Reviews, comments and makes recommendations on current OSHA standards, development of new standards and operational procedures which affect the compliance program.
• Leads inspections/investigations involving difficult and complex cases involving high risk operations, imminent danger, non-existent or inadequate standards where use of the general duty clause would be required.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must be at least 16 years old.
• Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Subject to pre-employment and random drug tests.
• Requires medical exam and must maintain physical requirements.
• Requires a supervisory probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Subject to financial disclosure requirements.
• Requires a valid driver's license.

Qualifications

The Safety and Occupational Health Series has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR):

Education

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

Experience

Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): 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.

OR

Certificates

Certification as a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), or Certified Health Physicist (CHP), or similar certification that included successful completion of a written examination meets the requirements for GS-5. Applicants may also qualify for higher grade levels based on their education and/or experience. You must meet the "Individual Occupational Requirements" listed above and the "Specialized Experience" to qualify for Supervisory Safety and Occupational Health Specialist (Assistant Area Director), as described below.

For the GS-13: Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-12 in the Federal Service.

Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform the duties of the position successfully, 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.

Qualifying specialized experience for the GS-13 includes:

• Conducting complex occupational safety and health inspections to ensure employer compliance with federal OSHA standards.
• Developing written and/or electronic inspection case files to substantiate identified hazards and/or citations.
• Leading teams of occupational safety and health professionals in the investigation and/or documentation of unsafe and/or unhealthful working conditions.
• Providing technical advice, guidance or training to employers. employees, labor representatives or other interested parties regarding safe/healthful working conditions, the improvement of operations and/or facilities or voluntary compliance with OSHA's enforcement regulations

Education

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.