Supervisory Safety and Occupational Health Specialist (Area Director).

About the role

The Supervisory Safety and Occupational Health Specialist (Area Director) ensures safe and healthful working conditions for workers within an assigned geographical area. Safety and occupational health programs cover a range of industrial activities including general and heavy construction, wood products, chemical production, textile mills, paper milling, rubber and plastic products, foundry and primary metal operations, metal fabrication, alcohol production, and maritime industries such as ship building and repairing and longshoring. These industries involve high-hazard and high-risk operations (e.g., heavy construction, maritime operations, foundries, textile operations) and exposure to chemicals and physical agents for which standards, regulations, and precedents may be absent, controversial, or contested (e.g., asbestos, cotton dust, lead, silica, noise, fiberglass).

Responsibilities

• Oversee safety and occupational health programs for industries with high-hazard and high-risk operations and exposure to chemicals and physical agents lacking clear standards or regulations.
• Provide leadership, guidance, and advice to safety and occupational health representatives on interpreting legislation, regulations, and standards to meet Federal requirements and improve service to workers within the area office jurisdiction.
• Assign work to subordinates based on priorities, selective consideration, work difficulty, and employee capability.
• Evaluate work performance of subordinates.
• Advise and instruct employees on work and administrative matters.
• Hear and resolve employee complaints; refer group grievances and unresolved complaints to higher-level supervisors.
• Identify developmental and training needs of employees and arrange or provide needed training.
• Find ways to improve production and increase the quality of work directed.
• Review and approve serious disciplinary actions involving nonsupervisory subordinates.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must be at least 16 years old.
• Candidate must obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
• Subject to a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Subject to financial disclosure requirements.
• Requires a supervisory 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: Major study in safety or occupational health fields (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene), or a degree in a related field that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours in safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene, occupational medicine, toxicology, public health, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological sciences, engineering, or industrial psychology.

OR

Experience (for positions above GS-5): Experience in or related to safety and occupational health that provided specific knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position. Examples 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.
• 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 systems to determine the existence, severity, probability, and outcome of hazards.
• Designing or modifying workplaces, processes, products, or systems to control or eliminate hazards.
• Inspecting or surveying workplaces, processes, products, or systems for compliance and identifying potential new hazards.
• Training workers, supervisors, managers, or other safety and occupational health personnel.
• Work in occupational fields such as industrial hygienist, safety engineer, fire prevention engineer, health physicist, or occupational health nurse.

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.

Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-13, in the Federal Service.

Skills

Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position successfully. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Specialized Experience includes:

• Overseeing the operations and operating efficiency of a team by providing technical and/or administrative guidance.
• Managing safety or occupational health enforcement/compliance program elements.
• Making recommendations on current OSHA standards or developing new standards and operational procedures.