Safety and Occupational Health Specialist

Summary This position is located with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Division of Safety and Risk Management in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This position is also open as Merit Promotion under vacancy ST-26-12926597-CAWV-DM. You must apply to each announcement separately if you wish to be considered under both recruitment methods. Learn more about this agency Duties Conducts technical reviews of preliminary, completed, and final building construction design development documents, including specifications and shop design submittal for new construction and rehabilitation of facilities for compliance. Conducts safety program evaluations, inspections, surveys, and reviews of facilities and identify findings to provide recommendations. Provides technical guidance in matters pertaining to materials, workmanship, and construction methods to ensure compliance with building safety codes and standards in plans and specifications. Investigates serious accidents, providing written reports and analyses to determine causal factors. Develops safety procedures, practices, occupational health concepts, principles, and bulletins to plan, organize, lead, enhance, and promote safety programs. Requirements Conditions of employment U.S. Citizenship Required As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period OR 2-year trial period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated A background security investigation will be required for all new hires. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. If you are a male applicant born after 12/31/1959 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency. You will be required to successfully complete an International Fires Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) or Pro-Board Fire Inspector Level I and Level II certification within two years of employment. You will be required to drive a motor vehicle to conduct business at various locations. A valid state driver's license is required, and the incumbent must the Indian Affairs (IA) Motor Vehicle Operator Policy. You will be required to to maintain eligibility for a government credit card and a government issued phone for official purposes, including required travel. Qualifications GS-09: Experience: To qualify at the GS-09 grade level, you must have one year of specialized experience at the GS-07 grade level or equivalent performing the following: 1) Assisting in the inspection of building plans and construction sites and identifying potential hazards; 2) Preparing formal inspection reports, including identifying deficiencies in building design or construction methods; and 3) Providing Information regarding workplace safety. OR Education: A Master's degree or equivalent graduate degree or two full years of progressively higher level graduated education leading to a Master's degree in Safety or Occupational Health fields (Safety, Occupational Health) or degree in other related fields that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours of study from among the (or closely related) disciplines: Safety, Occupational Health, and Engineering). OR Combination: A combination of specialized experience and required education as describe above. GS-11: Experience: To qualify at the GS-11 grade level, you must have one year of specialized experience at the GS-09 grade level or equivalent performing the following: 1) Evaluating building plans and construction sites and identifying potential hazards; 2) Recommending corrective actions to determine compliance with requirements and other regulatory compliance and conducting follow-up inspections; 3) Preparing a summary report of findings in construction methods, including recommendations regarding prevention of re-occurrence, abatement of hazard and employee retraining; 4) Conducting formal training and developing training materials, such as outlines, handouts, articles, films, exhibits and visual aids to reinforce information related to safe work practices, accident prevention and mishap reporting requirements. OR Education: A PhD or equivalent degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education the major study in Safety or Occupational Health fields; (Safety, Occupational Health) or degree in other related fields that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hour of study form among the following (or closely related) disciplines Safety, Occupational Health, and Engineering. OR Combination: A combination of specialized experience and required education as described above. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur in the same location within 90 days from the closing date. Education If you are qualifying based on your education, you MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement. If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society. One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education which shows the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: FOREIGN EDUCATION Additional information The full performance level of this position is GS-11. Promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. A career ladder promotion is at the discretion of management, and in no way guaranteed. The probationary or trial period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will 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. Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your [probationary period -OR- trial period] your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. 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. (https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/sections/45063131363475-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information) Expand Hide  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 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. 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.