About this role
Job SummaryThe Safety Technician position is located in the Safety Office of the Facility's Management Department at the Richmond VA Medical Center under the management of the Safety and Occupational Health Manager. The incumbent will provide support work in the safety field that involves obtaining and providing factual information about safety, participating in routine safety inspections and surveys, and identifying a variety of straight forward safety violations.
QualificationsTo qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/25/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-04. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: (l) identifying, preventing, or eliminating safety hazards in work methods or environmental conditions; or (2) safety training or promotion. Such experience must have provided a practical knowledge of occupational and environmental safety hazards, survey techniques, and control and preventive methods. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: biological technician, medical technician, engineering technician, fire prevention inspector, and environmental health worker. OR, Education and Training: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in any combination of subjects such as safety, fire prevention, industrial hygiene, or other directly related subjects. Preferred Experience: Experience identifying unsafe mechanical or physical conditions, poor housekeeping, improper equipment use, or noncompliant work practices. Experience supporting or assisting a Safety Specialist, Industrial Hygienist, or Facilities/Engineering staff with environmental rounds, shop inspections, or hazard assessments. Experience applying basic OSHA standards (e.g., PPE use, lockout/tagout, hazard communication, machine guarding, slips/trips/falls). Experience preparing, reviewing, or assisting with incident, accident, or near miss investigations in any workplace setting. Experience using incident reporting systems, safety databases, or structured forms where causes, type of injury, severity, and corrective actions must be documented. Experience assisting supervisors or safety professionals by gathering facts, documenting contributing factors, or recommending corrections. Selective Placement Factor (SPF): Ability to apply basic occupational safety and health principles to identify obvious hazards in a medical facility environment: Essential to successful performance of the job. Applicants who do not have this specific experience are ineligible for further consideration. Physical Requirements: Survey or inspection work requires regular and recurrent physical exertion such as walking, standing, bending, climbing, crouching, reaching, and lifting of a variety of moderately weighted products fabricated by employees. 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/.
Major DutiesDuties include but not limited to: Participates in routine safety inspections and surveys in medical facilities in support of the enforcement of occupational safety and health laws. Looks for, and reports on unsafe mechanical and physical conditions and work practices bordering on carelessness or negligence that may involve injury to persons or damage to property, or both; observes safety practices and procedures, including equipment utilization; monitors safety checklists for compliance with safety requirements; and shares findings with the supervisor or specialist who is leading the inspection or survey. Findings result typically from observing obvious violations of established requirements and safe practices. Reviews accident reports for such Items as specific causes and the nature of injuries or damage to property to ensure proper coding. Reviews contractor and government employee mishap reports covering disabling injuries, fatalities, motor vehicle accidents, and property damage; identifies causes and possible safety violations. Identifies needed corrections and discusses them with the supervisor. Maintains files of accident reports and Government compensation cases. Codes each accident, using special codes to record the type, location, severity, cause and corrective action about the accident; and transfers the information to computer records. Searches through files and records to obtain requested safety information and; provides supervisors, employees and safety representatives with clearly applicable information concerning accident hazards in the work setting. Work Schedule: 12:00 am to 08:30 am Tuesday - Saturday. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Safety Technician/PD02416A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not AuthorizedRequirementsYou 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 identification 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.