Mine Safety and Health Specialist

The Mine Safety and Health Inspection Series, GS-1822, has basic requirements for positions covered by this standard. Applicants must meet both the basic requirements (IOR) and specialized experience for the specific grade level to qualify.

To qualify for this position, your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements as defined below. If qualifying based on experience, be sure these types of examples are evident in your resume.

Basic Requirement:
One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower level: Performing mine safety and health inspection, analysis and evaluation of safety aspects of mining industry operations and processes; or evaluation, analysis or development of agency programs.

Examples of creditable experience include: Direct on-site inspection; special accident investigation; development of mine safety and health standards; data analysis and evaluation of operational mine safety and health programs; special assessments; and development of industry-wide training or safety and health awareness programs.

Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled.

To qualify for the GS-11 grade level: Applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-09, in the Federal Service.

Specialized experience must include at least two of the following:

• Participates/assists in conducting a wide variety of on-site safety and health inspections and investigations of mines, preparation plants and related facilities;
• Participates/assists in investigations involving health contaminants, or other severe violations of health or noise standards that present some of the most serious, unusual, and hard to define problems to resolve;
• Assists health experts on teams investigating accidents involving health hazards or issues.

To qualify for the GS-12 grade level: Applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-11, in the Federal Service.

Specialized experience must include at least three of the following:

• Independently conducts a wide variety of on-site safety and health inspections and investigations of mines, preparation plants and related facilities;
• Independently investigates health contaminants, or other severe violations of health or noise standards that present some of the most serious, unusual, and hard to define problems to resolve;
• Serves as a mine health expert on teams investigating accidents involving health hazards or issues;
• Experience with mining methods, such as design, installation, operations or maintenance of mining systems or equipment related to health.

Medical Requirements

Applicants and employees must be physically able to perform arduous duties efficiently and without hazard to themselves or others. Medical examination is required for all applicants for positions that involve regular or intermittent performance of inspection, investigation, rescue duties, or duties involving on-site visits. Medical conditions that constitute a hazard to safe and efficient job performance are disqualifying. The presence of medical disorders that would be aggravated by the environmental conditions of these positions and thereby hinder safe and efficient job performance are also disqualifying.

Remediable defects and/or curable diseases will not permanently disqualify an applicant for appointment, but may result in the applicant's suspension from the appropriate list of eligibles pending submission of medical evidence or correction of the condition.

Uncorrected distant vision must test at least 20/50 Snellen in one eye and 20/70 in the other, correctable with eyeglasses (contact lenses are not acceptable) to at least 20/30 Snellen in one eye and 20/50 in the other. Near vision must be sufficient to read without strain printed material the size of typewritten characters Normal depth perception and field of vision are required, as is the ability to distinguish basic colors.

Applicants, with or without the use of a hearing aid, must have no hearing loss in either ear of more than 40 decibels in the 500, 1000, or 2000 Hz ranges.