Summary
This Safety and Occupational Health Specialist position is located within Facilities Management Service at VA Boston Healthcare System in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. This position is full-time at 40 hours per week. ***This is an open and continuous job opportunity announcement and may close at any time once the position is filled.***
Duties
This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until September 30, 2026. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be May 13, 2026. After this date, qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available. Eligible applications received after the initial cut-off date will be referred as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled. The incumbent serves as a Safety and Occupational Health Specialist reporting to the Safety and Occupational Health Manager. Duties for this position include but are not limited to: Conduct safety surveillance audits and inspections on a frequent basis according to required standards and regulations and depending on the degree of hazard. Perform skillfully in safety work that involves a combined approach to unusual or complex safety and occupational health management issues. Review safety policies, procedures, and regulations published by serviced organizations. Conduct comprehensive analytical surveys and/or studies of serviced safety programs. Investigate hazardous conditions, equipment, and practices to identify and analyze the nature and severity of hazards and possible remedial actions. Investigate accidents/mishaps, obtain witness statements, photographs the accident scene, record circumstances and extent of injuries, and estimate cost of property damages. Advise and consult on the overall planning and programming requirements for and problems encountered in the day-to-day operations of a facility. Resolve difficult and complex technical, project management, and organizational problems using innovative and original approaches. Research various sources of information for promotional items and campaigns to initiate and maintain interest in accident prevention and occupational health for at-work and off-the job employee activities. Develop or adapt materials for safety campaigns and training courses. Maintain historical safety records and notes trends or changing conditions that warrant revision of safety procedures. Provide technical assistance to managers and supervisors necessary to achieve safe and healthy working conditions. Plan, schedule, and conduct difficult inspections in establishments and worksites where there is a strong probability of encountering hazardous work processes and materials, and unsafe environmental conditions, involving a substantial number of employees. Ensure safety programs meet regulatory compliance by oversight agencies. Ensure corrective actions are initiated and consult with personnel/managers on changes in work processes and proposed methods to eliminate unnecessary risks and control hazardous conditions. Regulate and enforce safety policies, programs, or activities. Update education and promotional information bulletin boards and disseminate information via contemporary communication means to all assigned areas. Prepare reports on investigation findings, which includes recommendations to correct unsafe acts or conditions which caused an accident. Ensure information and guidance developed by accident prevention committees is distributed to all pertinent parties. Manage computer programs and databases to enhance management of safety programs. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Telework: This position may be authorized for Ad-hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Position Description/PD#: Safety & Occupational Health Specialist/523-00907-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Notifications: This position is in the Competitive Service. Selectee required to serve one year probationary period. Current and former Federal employees may submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held. This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay. Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees. The incumbent may be required to travel to other VA Boston Healthcare System campuses and CBOC's. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Requirements
You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
Education
A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.
How you will be evaluated
Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Customer Service Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. 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. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator.