Summary
This position is located in the Department of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), Dallas Region, Austin Area Office.
- This position is inside the Bargaining Unit
- Full performance level of this position is the GS-12 grade level
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
This vacancy is open to U.S. Citizens; Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) eligibles in the local commuting area.
Duties
Major duties of this position are:
GS-9 Level duties
- Assists in assessing the quality and uniformity of inspection programs and interviews officials in order to identify real of potential problems.
- Assists in conducting, evaluating and analyzing select portions of OSHA programs, procedures, inspections, citations, and reports to determine compliance with approved occupational safety standards and programs.
- Evaluates inspection records, assists in conducting investigations, and prepares select reports. Participates in re-inspections of workplaces previously inspected by state compliance personnel.
- Assists in planning and conducting portions of or limited inspections or compliance reviews of private businesses and worksites whose operations are generally characterized by the presence of moderately stable, low-risk processes and some higher hazards and unsafe working conditions.
- Writes complete and legally sufficient case files documenting all inspection procedures, interviews, sampling, identified hazards, and corrective actions.
- Assists in conducting or may conduct opening and closing conferences with management officials, employees, and labor representatives regarding enforcement findings and applicable occupational safety and health policies and regulations.
GS-11 Level duties
- Conducts inspections of private businesses and industrial firms to determine compliance with published standards and regulations, record hazards and overexposure, issue citations for violations, and propose fiscal penalties.
- Plans and directs re-inspections of workplaces previously inspected by various compliance personnel. Oversees follow-up activities to ensure that relevant issues have been addressed, and that factual information substantiates investigative findings. Prepares proposals for special monitoring of selected aspects of OSHA programs, including study methodology, data collection, and analysis techniques.
- Conducts, monitors and evaluates by analyzing plan changes, programs, procedures, inspections, citations, and reports to determine compliance with approved occupational safety standards and programs.
- Writes complete and legally sufficient case files documenting all inspection procedures, interviews, sampling, identified hazards, and corrective actions.
- Assists attorneys in preparation of contested cases for hearings. May be called to serve as an expert witness.
- Enforces Federal occupational safety and health standards.
GS-12 Level duties
- Reviews scientific literature related to health hazards in the workplace, compiles data, performs quantitative analysis of health and exposure data, analyzes comments from affected groups and assists in preparing all necessary documents, including decision papers, work plans, analyses, standards package and related documents. Prepares draft sections of the preamble for proposed and final standards, draft and final guidance products, and other documents.
- Analyzes inspection records, conducts investigations and prepares reports, evaluates on-site inspections, and as requested, accompanies state investigators on compliance visits.
- Assesses the quality and uniformity an inspection program, identifies areas of state program operations which significantly deviate from federal requirements, and recommends corrective action. Interviews state officials with findings of potential problems.
- Assists in the preparation and review of directives and memoranda to provide field personnel information on health standards development and in providing technical information for the drafting of interpretations. Prepares seminars and speeches on OSHA rulemaking/guidance activities at meetings of groups and organizations affected by or interested in such activities. Skill in technical writing of governmental regulations and guidance.
- Collects, compiles, studies, and analyzes developments in industry, standards developed by other organizations, safety and health reports, scientific and technical periodicals, and other sources of background information to determine pertinent factors which make up work processes and health hazards created by such factors. With other occupational health specialists or industrial hygienists, visits industrial facilities to analyze work processes and health hazards evidenced.
As the employee progresses, the assignments will become more difficult and complex with less supervision.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- Must be a U.S. Citizen.
- Must be at least 16 years old.
- Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
- Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
- Subject to drug test prior to appointment at GS-11 and GS-12 grade levels.
- Requires medical exam and must maintain physical requirements.
- Requires a valid driver's license.
- This position requires the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
- You will be required to lift items weighing up to 25 pounds.
Qualifications
THIS POSITION HAS A BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT. ALL APPLICANTS MUST MEET THIS REQUIREMENT IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED.
Applicants must meet one of the following requirements:
- A bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree in industrial hygiene, occupational health sciences, occupational and environmental health, toxicology, safety sciences, or related science; or
- A bachelor's degree in a branch of engineering, physical science, or life science that included 12 semester hours in chemistry, including organic chemistry, and 18 additional semester hours of courses in any combination of chemistry, physics, engineering, health physics, environmental health, biostatistics, biology, physiology, toxicology, epidemiology, or industrial hygiene; or
- Certification from the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (external link) (ABIH).
Evaluation of Education: All science or engineering courses offered in fulfillment of the above requirements must be acceptable for credit toward the completion of a standard 4-year professional curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in science or engineering at an accredited college or university.
For GS-09: In addition to meeting the basic education requirement, Applicants must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience at the next lower level in the normal career progression of the position being filled. When comparing Private Sector to Federal Service experience, this specialized experience must be equivalent to at least the next lower grade level of GS-07. Resumes should reflect but is not limited to the following specialized experience listed below:
- Assisting in the planning of and/or conducting occupational safety and/or occupational health inspections.
- Conducting research and studies records or files regarding Occupational safety or occupational health mishaps/accidents.
- Identifying occupational health and safety hazards.
- Assisting in or knowledge of calculating penalties to be assessed based on the gravity of occupational safety and/or occupational health violations.
OR: Two years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree
For GS-11: In addition to meeting the basic education requirement, Applicants must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience at the next lower level in the normal career progression of the position being filled. When comparing Private Sector to Federal Service experience, this specialized experience must be equivalent to at least the next lower grade level of GS-09. Resumes should reflect but is not limited to the following specialized experience listed below:
- Assisting in the planning and conducting of evaluations of workplace operations involving potentially hazardous environmental conditions.
- Conducting formal interviews to identify unhealthful working conditions or causes of injuries/illnesses/fatalities.
- Developing occupational safety or occupational health investigation or inspection reports.
- Calculating penalties to be assessed based on the (a) gravity of occupational safety or occupational health violations and (b) the severity of possible injury or illness and the probability that such could occur.
OR: Threeyears of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.
For GS-12: In addition to meeting the basic education requirement, Applicants must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience at the next lower level in the normal career progression of the position being filled. When comparing Private Sector to Federal Service experience, this specialized experience must be equivalent to at least the next lower grade level of GS-11. Resumes should reflect but is not limited to the following specialized experience listed below:
- Writing occupational safety or occupational health reports.
- Conducting file or record reviews, to include case files of previous occupational health investigations, inspections or complaints.
- Planning and conducting evaluations of workplace operations involving potentially hazardous environmental conditions.
- Testifying during or working with counsel in the development of litigation pursuant to occupational safety and/or occupational health cases.
Education is not a substitution for experience at the GS-12 level.
Education
Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.
If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be evaluated against the evaluation factors below and will be placed into a category based on your vacancy question responses.
Category A - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and has successful experience in the same or similar job that has demonstrated superior proficiency in applying critical competencies required by this position to work of increased levels of difficulty and complexity.
Category B - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and demonstrates satisfactory proficiency in the critical competencies required by this position.
Category C - Meets the specialized experience described in the minimum qualification requirements section of this announcement and demonstrates proficiency in the basic competencies.
Evaluation Factors (Competencies) - All qualified applicants will be evaluated on the following key competencies:
- Customer Service
- Interpersonal Skills
- Oral Communication
- Problem Solving
- Self Management
- Technical Competence
- Written Communication
Click here for Evaluation details.
You may preview questions for this vacancy here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12562532
The information you provide may be verified by a review of your paid, unpaid, volunteer, and other lived experience, as it demonstrates the competencies or skills required for the position to be filled. Your evaluation may include an interview, reference checks, or other assessment conducted by HR specialists, subject matter experts, or panel members and may include other assessment tools (ex. interview, structured interview, written test, work sample, etc.). The examining Office of Human Resources (OHR) makes the final determination concerning applicant ratings. Your resume MUST provide sufficient information to substantiate your vacancy question responses. If not, the OHR may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the level of competency indicated by the content of your resume.
INFORMATION FOR ICTAP/CTAP ELIGIBLE(S) ONLY: If you are eligible for special priority selection under ICTAP/CTAP, you must be well-qualified for the position to receive consideration. ICTAP/CTAP eligible(s) who are placed into Category A or higher will be considered well-qualified. Be sure to review the eligibility questions to reflect that you are applying as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible and submit supporting documentation.
Click Application of Veterans Preference for Category Rating Jobs for more information.
Required Documents
The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date.
- Resumes: Required and applicants must provide a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one from your profile. To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please list the month, year, and number of work hours worked for the experience listed on your resume. We also suggest that you preview the vacancy questions and confirm that your resume supports your question responses.
- Veterans Documents (if applicable): To be considered as a 5-point (TP) preference eligible, you must submit a copy of your DD214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. Your DD 214 must show the type of discharge and dates of active duty. To claim 10-point (CP/CPS, XP) preference, you must submit a copy of your DD214; an Application for 10-point Veteran's Preference, SF15; and the proof of entitlement of this preference, which is normally an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. (For active-duty service members expecting honorable or general discharge or release within 120 days, click Active Duty). Without this documentation, you will not receive the veteran's preference. For more information, go to Feds Hire Vets - Veterans Preference
- Displaced Employee Placement Documents: Only required if requesting priority consideration under CTAP or ICTAP eligibility.
- Unofficial Transcript(s) (in English) - If you are using education as a basis for qualifying for this position, you must submit all applicable academic transcripts demonstrating that you meet the qualifying educational requirements (ex. BA/BS, MA, JD, PhD, etc.). If specific coursework is required to qualify, you must supply an unofficial transcript from each academic institution in which the required courses were taken in order to receive credit. You may upload your unofficial transcript(s) as one document with a maximum size limit of 5 MB.
NOTE: The OFFICIAL Transcript(s) MUST BE RECEIVED if you are selected, and prior to receiving the firm offer with a start date.
Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience but may be submitted.
Do not upload password-protected documents.
Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship, and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
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.
Paper applications and supplemental documents submitted in any other manner without prior approval from the vacancy contact will not be considered.
Click here for information on Reasonable Accommodations.
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. Your resume must provide sufficient information to substantiate your responses to the self-assessment vacancy questions. If not, HR may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the competency indicated by resume content. 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.
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 - Edit Application as needed by 11:59 pm Eastern Time of Closing Date by returning to USAJOBS, clicking the vacancy, thenUpdate Application.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing 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.
Next steps
Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and refer candidates for selection consideration. Candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interviews. You will be notified of the outcome. A selection is expected to be made within 30 calendar days of the issuance date of the certificate.
For instructions on how to check the status of your application, go to USAJOBS Help Guide.
USAJOBS will no longer send status alert email notifications. You can check your application status in the TAS by logging into USAJOBS and in the Applicant Dashboard, click the hiring agency Talent Acquisition System (TAS). If the TAS does not provide application tracking information, contact the agency's point of contact on the job announcement.
To verify that your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select the Application Status link, and then select the more information link for this position. The Application page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
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