Safety and Occupational Health Specialist

Safety and Occupational Health Specialist

Department: Department of the Interior

Location(s): Lewistown, Montana

Salary Range: $49960 - $96116 Per Year

Job Summary: Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our most precious resource. This position is located in Lewistown, Montana. Information about Lewistown and the surrounding area can be found at https://www.lewistownchamber.com/ We expect to fill 1 vacancy at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available.

Major Duties:

• GS-7 Salary Range: $49,960- $64,952 GS-9 Salary Range: $61,111- $79,443 GS-11 Salary Range: $73,939- $96,116 Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level. Develop/implement safety and occupational health policies and work practices to assure safe, healthful, and efficient operations for permanent and seasonal employees, volunteers and the public. Review engineering and hazardous waste cleanup project proposals for compliance with applicable safety and health standards. Investigate on the job accidents and analyze data to determine root cause and provide information to management on ways to mitigate. Conduct formal and informal training sessions on basic safety concepts, design features and specifications. Write and publish safety articles on a variety of subjects covering several different occupational trades, activities, or processes. Physical Demands: The work requires the incumbent to visit field locations and inspect working conditions such as construction work sites, outlying buildings, recreation areas, and other facilities and equipment in various remote locations. The performance of inspections and investigations of mishaps requires frequent standing, walking, climbing, bending, and traveling off road. Office work is mostly sedentary. Working Conditions: Work involves a mixture of time in the office spent traveling and performing field-related activities such as inspecting facilities or investigating accidents. The incumbent may be exposed to a variety of climatic and travel conditions while working in the field. Travel may include flying in small aircraft or helicopters, riding or driving in cars, trucks or off highway vehicles over rugged terrain in remote areas in quickly changing and sometimes hazardous conditions or in extreme hot or cold outdoor temperatures. Additionally, there may be exposure to unusual or potentially dangerous conditions, such as contaminated materials, unexploded to unusual or potentially dangerous conditions, such as contaminated materials, unexploded ordinance, wildfires, industrial plants with high-frequency noise, scenes of hazardous or toxic material spills and various hazardous chemicals or substances. Because of these environments, the position may require the incumbent to utilize personal protective equipment i.e., metatarsal shoes, hard hat, eye and hearing protection, respirator, and gloves for conducting inspections.

Qualifications: Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement. In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience. If qualifying based on education, a copy of your unofficial transcripts must be provided with your application. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level in which you are applying: GS-07: Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following duties: (1) assisting in safety and health inspections of facilities or operations to determine compliance with applicable safety and occupational health standards; (2) preparing reports of findings or analysis of mishap trends; (3) assisting an investigation team in securing accident details, causal factors, witnesses, or reports. OR Education: Successful completion of at least one (1) full year of graduate level education. The Undergraduate and Graduate Education must include 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. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts. OR Combination: Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above that, when converted to percentages, equal at least 100% of the total requirement. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts. OR Superior Academic Achievement: Successful completion of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited or pre-accredited institution that includes major study in a related field such as 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, which provided me with the knowledge and skills necessary for successful job performance to do the work of this position, and I meet one of the following requirements for Superior Academic Achievement at the undergraduate level: 1) Class standing -- Graduated in the upper third of the class based on completed courses in the college, university, or major subdivision; 2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.)2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0 scale as recorded on 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 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 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; or 3) Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society. NOTE: A copy of your transcript is required as documented proof of your GPA, class standing, or election to honor society membership. GS-09: Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following duties: (1) applying safety and occupational health methods and practices to conduct standard safety inspections; (2) leading and/or participating in after action incident reviews or facilitated learning analyses; (3) conducting surveys to identify and evaluate hazardous work operations and conditions; conducting and/or organizing safety training in the field or classroom. 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 from an accredited college or university or LL. B or JD. My graduate level education included 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. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts. OR Combination: Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above that, when converted to percentages, equal at least 100% of the total requirement. To calculate your combined amount, first determine the amount of your specialized experience as a percentage of the requirement listed above, then determine the amount of education graduate level education. The total must equal 100%. (Note: Only graduate education in excess of one year (18 semester hours) is creditable toward meeting the experience requirement when combining experience and education. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts. GS-11: Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following duties: (1) advising and supporting management, supervisors and employees in implementing safety program, participating in or developing an organization's safety and risk management program; (2) developing safety and occupational health standards, regulations, practices, and procedures to eliminate or control potential hazards; (3) organizing, leading and/or participating in accident investigations, after action reviews or facilitating learning analyses; (4) developing a positive safety culture through employee education and engagement. OR Education: Successful completion of 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or equivalent doctoral degree, or LL.M. My higher-level graduate education included 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. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts. OR Combination: Successful completion of a combination of graduate level education and specialized experience that, when combined, equals 100% of the total requirement. To calculate your combined amount, first determine the amount of your specialized experience as a percentage of the requirement listed above, then determine the amount of your graduate education in excess of the first two years (36 semester hours) as a percentage of the requirement listed in B above; then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts.

How to Apply: THIS IS AN ONLINE APPLICATION PROCESS THROUGH USAJOBS. Your application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time by 12/03/2025. If you need assistance in applying on-line, please contact the HR Office at fbradfute@blm.gov. If applying on-line poses a hardship for you (i.e. you do not have access to the Internet) you must contact us prior to the closing date of the announcement for an alternative method of applying. PLEASE NOTE: If you have access to a public library, State Job Service Office, etc., you should use these resources to apply online. You must follow the steps described below to complete the application process: YOU MUST HAVE OR CREATE A PROFILE IN USAJOBS. Your profile must contain a current resume for submission. See Required Documents section for what to include in your resume. INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION COULD RESULT IN AN INELIGIBLE RATING. The USAJOBS Resume Builder was designed to ensure that your resume includes the standard information needed. The Resume Builder is an available tool when you login to your USAJOBS account. Review the Appointment Eligibility Criteria: The eligibility section of the application process is designed to allow you to choose how you wish to be considered for this vacancy announcement. You will ONLY be considered for the appointment eligibilities that you selected. You must provide proof of your eligibility to be considered. You must submit a resume and also complete the online application and assessment questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. The eligibility portion of the application process is designed to allow you to choose how you wish to be considered for this announcement. You may choose more than one eligibility. You must provide proof of your eligibility and will only be considered for the questions that you answer "yes". Please note, your eligibility will be based solely on the selections you have indicated in this section. You must provide the supporting documentation to support your claim to be considered. You may choose more than one eligibility in this section. To view the assessment questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12804232 To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (Welcome | Login.gov), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to. FOLLOW UP. Check your application status before the announcement closes. It is your responsibility to ensure that a complete application (including a resume, on-line questionnaire, and applicable supplemental documentation) is received by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on 12/03/2025. NOTE: Technical problems may take at least 1 business day to resolve; therefore, you are highly encouraged to complete the application process prior to the closing date.

Application Deadline: 2025-12-03