Safety and Occupational Health Specialist

This position is located in the Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, with duty locations in Cincinnati, Ohio; Morgantown, West Virginia; or Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Responsibilities

• 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 workers, supervisors, managers, or other safety and occupational health personnel in safety or occupational health subjects.
• Conducting or assisting with investigations into firefighter workplace injuries or fatalities.
• Using national standards and risk assessment principles to evaluate hazards and improve worker safety.
• Preparing technical reports, products, or presentations to disseminate safety recommendations to diverse audiences.
• Collaborating with federal, state, local, or industry partners to advance workplace safety.

Requirements

Basic Qualifications

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.

-OR-

Experience:

• Specialized 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.

-OR-

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.

Minimum Qualifications

• One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service performing all of the following:
  • Conducting or assisting with investigations into firefighter workplace injuries or fatalities.
  • Using national standards and risk assessment principles to evaluate hazards and improve worker safety.
  • Preparing technical reports, products, or presentations to disseminate safety recommendations to diverse audiences.
  • Collaborating with federal, state, local, or industry partners to advance workplace safety.

Documentation of experience must include exact dates of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part-time. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work.