Summary

The Supervisory Safety & Occupational Health Manager position is located at the Birmingham VA Medical Center in Birmingham, AL.

Duties

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***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Serves as a Safety, Occupational Health, Industrial Hygiene, and Fire Protection Manager assigned to a general medical, surgical and research hospital.
• Evaluates and corrects risk potential arising from patient care, biomedical research, and related activities with the assistance of staff assigned to the Safety Office.
• Maintains all documentation required for the safety, fire prevention, emergency management, occupational health, hazardous materials and wastes, environment of care, and industrial hygiene programs.
• Plans, organizes, coordinates, directs and manages a comprehensive safety, occupational health, fire protection, industrial hygiene and emergency preparedness program.
• Develops and prepares local safety, occupational health and fire protection policies, procedures, and regulations through adaptation of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Department of Transportation (DOT), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), College of American Pathologists (CAP), state and local guidelines and policies.
• Prepares written procedures for implementation of safety prevention activities.
• Maintains all required federal, state, and local permits and licenses for this medical center and all affiliated clinics.
• Reviews and makes recommendations on suggestions submitted with respect to safety, occupational health, and industrial hygiene.
• Conducts hazardous surveillance rounds in warehouses, industrial shops, administrative, laboratories, medical wards, all associated clinics, nursing and state homes, unoccupied areas, and other locations upon request.
• Ensures that protective clothing, personal protective equipment, and fire suppression equipment is maintained and available.
• Coordinates safety, occupational health and fire protection activities with all elements of the medical center and affiliated clinics.
• Compiles statistical data to determine accident trends and recommends preventative measures.
• Manages the medical center's accident prevention program.
• Serves as the facility designated Safety Officer responsible for all technical and administrative oversight of the total safety program.
• Reviews architectural and engineering drawings and specifications for new construction and building alterations to determine the degree of compliance with standards and regulatory criteria.
• Conducts pre-construction safety meetings with all incoming contractors.
• Proficient computer skills as many of the reporting requirements for the program are automated. Computer skills will include proficiency in the use of software programs such as MS Word and Excel.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Full time, Monday-Friday, 7:00am - 3:30pm or 7:30am - 4:00pm

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates, will be discussed during the interview process.

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved

Telework: This position may be authorized for Ad hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Requirements

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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 involves the frequent performance of surveys and onsite visits necessitating prolonged periods of walking, standing, bending, kneeling, and working in awkward positions. Duties also require work outdoors during inclement weather. Duties of the position require considerable walking, climbing, prolonged standing, and crouching, while carrying sampling equipment and measuring devices. Personal protective equipment must often times be worn. The incumbent is required to drive motor vehicles. Occasional travel is 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) - See "Required Documents" below for details.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: One (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-12) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Supervisory Safety & Occupational Health Manager. 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.

NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week.

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

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Additional information

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.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

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.