Safety and Occupational Health Specialist

Safety and Occupational Health Specialist

Department: Department of Labor

Location(s): Birmingham, Alabama, Denver, Colorado, Greenwood Village, Colorado, Bridgeport, Connecticut, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, Orlando, Florida, Tampa, Florida, Savannah, Georgia, Smyrna, Georgia, Tucker, Georgia, Honolulu, Hawaii, Boise, Idaho, Naperville, Illinois, Wichita, Kansas, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Linthicum, Maryland, Augusta, Maine, Saint Louis, Missouri, Jackson, Mississippi, Bismarck, North Dakota, Omaha, Nebraska, Avenel, New Jersey, Marlton, New Jersey, Parsippany, New Jersey, Albany, New York, Buffalo, New York, New York, New York, Queens, New York, Syracuse, New York, Tarrytown, New York, Columbus, Ohio, Toledo, Ohio, Portland, Oregon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Corpus Christi, Texas, Houston, Texas, Lubbock, Texas, San Antonio, Texas, Norfolk, Virginia, Virgin Islands, Virgin Islands, Kent, Washington

Salary Range: $50460 - $137128 Per Year

Job Summary: This position will serve as a Safety & Occupational Health Specialist for any region within the Dept. of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration. This position is inside the bargaining unit. The full performance level of this position is at the GS-12 grade level. A writing sample may be included as part of the interview process. This announcement will be used to fill 102 vacancies

Major Duties:

• Major Duties include, but are not limited to, the following: GS-07: Participate as a member of an inspection team led by a higher-graded specialist and assist in the planning of and/or conduct a limited segment of a major investigation or a small investigation where the exposure and type of hazard and unsafe working conditions is predictable in advance. Researches and studies records and files covering mishaps, injuries, and equipment maintenance data. Audits employer occupational safety and health injury records, safety plans, and program documentation. Assists in the documentation of conducted portions of investigations to help support a legally sufficient case. Takes photographs and videos of apparent violations of occupational safety and health standards. Assists in preparing for opening and closing conferences and outreach activities. Responds to requests for information on OSHA policies, regulations, and programs. GS-09: Assists in conducting and/or participates in opening and closing conferences with management officials, employees, and employee representatives reviewing hazards or unsafe working conditions. Conducts specific (targeted) outreach activities and provides information on OSHA legislation, regulations, and compliance activities to a variety of different audiences. Assists in planning and conducting portions or limited inspections or compliance reviews in establishments and worksites. Assists in conducting monitoring and evaluation by analyzing select portions of plan changes, programs, procedures, inspections, citations, and reports to determine compliance with approved occupational safety standards and programs. GS-11: Conducts occupational safety and health inspections within a variety of agricultural, construction, general industry, and maritime business establishments to ensure employer compliance with federal OSHA standards. Conducts investigations involving one or more fatalities, injuries, serious accidents, or other unsafe conditions. Prepares for inspections to become familiar with work processes, operations, and standards applicable to the workplace to be inspected. Conducts opening conferences with management officials and employee representatives concerning the nature and purpose of the inspection, the procedures which will be followed, and employee discrimination rights. Participates in Agency efforts to obtain warrants and to subpoena witnesses and documents, if necessary. Analyses injury and illness data and reviews establishments' occupational safety and health programs. GS-12 Conducts opening conferences with management officials, employees, and employee representatives concerning the nature and purpose of the inspection and the procedures which will be followed. Conducts closing conference with employer, reviewing hazards identified and violations cited. Conducts specific (targeted) outreach activities and provides information on OSHA legislation, regulations, and compliance activities to a variety of different audiences. Conducts investigations of accidents which may involve one or more fatalities, a large number of injuries or serious accidents, or other unsafe conditions. Plans, schedules, and conducts inspections either individually-determined, as assigned or based on complaints received from employees and/or union representatives, in establishments and worksites where there is a strong probability of encountering Hazardous work processes and materials, and unsafe environmental conditions. Inspects worksites, machine and equipment operations, environmental conditions, work practices, protective devices and equipment, and safety procedures. Reviews safety activities for evidence of compliance with prescribed safety requirements. Proposes fiscal penalties. Assists agency attorneys in the preparation of contested cases for hearing before administrative law judges; testifies under examinations conducted by attorneys representing the agency and the employer. Conducts interviews, reviews documents, and researches various sources of information such as equipment manuals, consensus standards, interpretations of standards, court decisions. Identifies violations and hazards, and recommends abatement methods common to the work processes and operations. Documents inspections to support a legally sufficient case. As the employee progresses, the assignments will become more difficult and complex with less supervision.

Qualifications: You must meet the Basic Requirements listed in the Education Requirements section and the Specialized Experience to qualify for Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, as described below. Education For information about the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR), please see Education section of this announcement. Minimum Qualifications: For the GS-07 level: Specialized Experience: In addition to meeting the individual occupational requirement, applicants must demonstrate 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level, in the Federal or Private Sector. Specialized Experience is described as experience that has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. Examples of specialized experience are as follows: Applying a general knowledge of OSHA or related safety and occupational health standards or codes to advise on or resolve technical matters dealing with occupational safety and health requirements. Analyzing or evaluating new and existing safety inspection jobs, processes, products, or other systems to determine the existence, severity, probability, and outcome of 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. or Education: One full year of progressively higher-level graduate education. or Superior academic achievement in a bachelor's degree program. S.A.A. is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership. Class standing -- Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, based on completed courses. Grade-point average (G.P.A.)-- Applicants must have a grade-point average of: a. 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or b. 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum. 3. Election to membership in a National Honor Society - membership in a freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision. or A qualifying combination of education and competencies as described above. For the GS-09: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position. Examples of specialized experience include: 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. Analyzing or evaluating new and existing jobs, processes, products, or other systems to determine the existence, severity, probability, and outcome of 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. OR Substitution of Experience: Two years of graduate education or a Master's degree 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. For the GS-11: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position. Examples of specialized experience include: 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. Designing or modifying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems to control or eliminate hazards. Training of workers, supervisors, managers, or other safety and occupational health personnel in safety or occupational health laws, regulations, principles, theories, practices, and procedures to advise on or resolve technical matters dealing with occupational safety and health requirements. OR Substitution of experience: Three years of progressively higher level related graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in safety or occupational health or related fields. For the GS-12: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11. Examples of specialized experience include: Applying safety and occupational health laws, regulations, principles, theories, practices, and procedures to advise on or resolve unusual and often complicated technical matters dealing with occupational safety and health requirements. Analyzing or evaluating new and existing safety inspection jobs, processes, products, or other systems to determine the existence, severity, probability, and outcome of 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. Designing or modifying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems to control or eliminate hazards, or Training of workers, supervisors, managers, or other safety and occupational health personnel in safety or occupational health subjects. No substitution of education for experience at the GS-12 level.

How to Apply: Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have speech disabilities, please dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, including submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. Your application and ALL required supplemental documents MUST be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the vacancy closing date to receive consideration. Important - Save your information before the 30-minute system timeout! For help, go to the USAJOBS Help Center. STEP 1 - Create USAJOBS Account on www.usajobs.gov, including Resume and Saved Documents. For each employment period, include start/end month & year and note full-time or part-time (if part-time, include # of hours worked per week) otherwise, your application may be considered incomplete. NOTE: In alignment with the Presidential Memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, applicants may only submit a resume limited to two (2) pages. Only the résumé uploaded under the 'Resume" document type in USAJOBS will be reviewed. If the resume submitted exceeds two (2) pages, the application will be deemed ineligible for further consideration. STEP 2 - Complete the 1st part of the application process (USAJOBS). Once you have identified a job on USAJOBS that you wish to apply for, click on the job title and then click the Apply button. For questions about the vacancy, contact the Agency Contact at the bottom of the announcement. Proceed through the steps noted at the top of the USAJOBS page. You will be able to select a resume and documents from your USAJOBS Account that you can submit as a package as part of your DOL application. In the final step, once you have certified your application, click the Continue to agency site button. STEP 3 - Complete the 2nd part of the application process (DOL). On the Department of Labor (DOL) page, create a DOL Account if you have not already and click Apply to this vacancy. Continue through the progress steps at the top of the DOL page. The 2nd progress step is where you answer the vacancy-specific questions. The 3rd progress step Documents is where you submit the required documents (only if applicable to you) specified in the Required Documents section of this vacancy. STEP 4 - On the Review and Submit step, verify each section of your application is complete and correct. In order to submit your application, you must have a check mark next to each section listed. If there is an X, return to the appropriate section and follow the prompts. When it is ready for submission, certify your application and click the Submit Application button. STEP 5 - Complete your application prior to submitting it. Once your application is submitted for this standing register/open and continuous vacancy announcement it can not be altered or resubmitted. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 2 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the cut-off date. For more detailed information on applying for positions with DOL click here to view the U.S. Department of Labor, How to Apply website.

Application Deadline: 2026-10-09