Summary

This position is located in the Safety Section of the Facilities Maintenance Service at the VA Medical Center in Hampton, VA.

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***

• Plans, coordinates, analyzes, supervises, organizes, administers, monitors, and evaluates comprehensive programs in accordance with applicable regulations and guidelines concerning the safety of patients, employees, and visitors;
• Evaluates the effectiveness of safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene, Green Environmental Management System (GEMS), and fire protection programs;
• Provides program consultation and training for the medical center;
• Serves as an advisor responsible for providing guidance, technical assistance, and advice to all levels of the medical center management for the effective application of all related program;
• Serves as the facilitator for a variety of committees;
• Plans, organizes, coordinates, analyzes, and administers a series of comprehensive inspections of medical center facilities;
  
  • Provides management with reports on compliance and violations of safety, industrial hygiene, environmental, and fire protection mandates;
• Issues notices of unsafe working conditions as needed and recommends methods for hazard abatement and the correction of unsafe conditions or practices;
• Manages the Automated Safety Incident Surveillance Tracking System (ASISTS);
• Identifies, evaluates, analyzes, and recommends means for controlling a wide variety of safety issues, including chemical, physical, radiological, environmental, biological or ergonomic hazards associated with occupational or patient care activities;
• Ensures compliance with federal, state, and local regulations concerning the management of hazardous materials and waste, and universal waste from the point of entry into the facility to its final disposal;
• Conducts and monitors all safety and occupational health related training for medical center staff;
• Performs supervisory duties to support the effective and efficient operation of the Safety Section:
  
  • Assigns, directs, and reviews the work of subordinate staff;
  • Recommends selections, promotions, status changes, awards, disciplinary actions, and separations;
  • Plans, schedules, and coordinates work operations;
  • Determines material, equipment, and facilities needed;
• Performing related duties as required.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm.

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized.

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not authorized.

Telework: Ad-hoc telework may be approved in accordance with agency policy.

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 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) - 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

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: One year of specialized experience in or related to safety and occupational health that provided the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in Federal service. Examples of qualifying experience include: working in occupational fields such as industrial hygienist, safety engineer, fire prevention engineer, health physicist, or occupational health nurse that required managing safety or occupational health program elements; developing safety and occupational health policies, standards, regulations, practices, and procedures to eliminate or control potential hazards and recommending procedures/solutions to higher levels of management; 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. This experience must be detailed in your resume to receive credit.

This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: Working knowledge of the codes and standards established by Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Fire Protection Association. This experience must be detailed in your resume to receive credit.

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.

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

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.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 80 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

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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.

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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.