Compliance Assistance Specialist.

About the role

The official title of this position is Safety and Occupational Health Specialist.

Responsibilities

• Describes and explains OSHA national programs and policies to the general public, associations, etc.
• Promotes voluntary compliance and keeps the public aware of changes in the safety and occupational health field; makes speeches and serves on panels at seminars, conferences, and safety and health council meetings.
• Plans, develops, and implements the Regional Office external training and education program, providing for or personally conducting outreach sessions on new standards, directives, and other topics of current interest, both independently and in conjunction with a variety of stakeholders (such as employer and employee organizations, committee organizations, partnership and alliance groups, federal agencies, State Consultation groups, etc.).
• Designs the program to enhance contact with under-served targeted populations.
• Develops and builds relationships with agency stakeholders.
• Represents the OSHA Regional Office at meetings of labor organizations, trade and industry associations and other groups interested in occupational safety and health.
• Serves as a resource for stakeholders within the region's jurisdiction on various agency programs or local initiatives.
• Responds to public queries, including e-correspondence, regarding technical questions and interpretations of agency standards and policies.
• Prepares responses to Congressional inquiries regarding local compliance assistance efforts and issues.
• Aids in identifying areas of intervention based on analysis of data and needs assessments, recommends intervention strategies, program evaluation and impact measures.
• Collaborates with the OSHA Training Institute (OTI), Technical Support (including SLTC), the National Office, and other Compliance Assistance Specialists to identify existing training and compliance assistance materials and develop original materials as needed.

Requirements

• 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.
• Requires a valid driver's license.

Qualifications

This series has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR):

Education

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study in 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.

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.

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.

Skills

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. Specialized Experience is defined as:

• Conducting 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.
• 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.