Qualifications

To qualify at the GS-9 grade level, you must meet one of the following: Experience: At least one (1) full year of specialized experience in or related to safety and occupational health that has equipped you with the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. This experience must be equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-7) in Federal service. 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. NOTE: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.) ~OR~ Education: Successful completion of a master's or equivalent graduate degree or two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. The major study must be in safety or occupational health fields (safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene), or a 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. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~ Combination: Equivalent combinations of specialized experience and graduate level education (beyond the first year), as described above. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Physical Demands: The work involves the frequent performance of surveys and on-site visits throughout the Healthcare system and maintenance shops necessitating prolonged periods of walking and standing. Working Conditions: The specialist is occasionally exposed to mechanical hazards ranging from power tools to operating machinery and chemical and biological hazards while performing Healthcare System, Community Based Outpatient Clinic, and maintenance shop surveys. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.