Safety and Occupational Health Specialist

Federal Emergency Management Agency•Emmitsburg, MD

8h•Onsite

About The Position

This position is with the United States Fire Administration, located in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The Safety and Occupational Health Specialist oversees safety and health requirements, compliance strategies, and safety programs for FEMA office operations. The role includes coordinating with building owners, the General Services Administration, and FEMA offices; providing technical guidance on safety and occupational health matters; and reviewing construction and maintenance plans to protect occupants. The specialist conducts workplace inspections, documents findings, recommends interim protective actions, and tracks hazard abatement. The position also manages the Office Life Safety Program, develops Occupant Emergency Guides, trains employees on emergency procedures, and organizes occupant emergency teams and evacuation/fire drills. The role is subject to emergency-management recall and may involve irregular hours, travel with little advance notice, extended deployments, and work in austere or operationally challenging conditions. A three-week in-person training course in Emmitsburg, Maryland, is required within six months of onboarding.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship.
Successfully pass and maintain a Public Trust—Moderate background investigation.
Register for Selective Service, if applicable.
Current federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements.
Obtain and maintain a Government credit card.
Be able to deploy with little or no advance notice anywhere in the United States and its territories for an extended period.
For GS-12 qualification, one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-11 in the Federal government, or equivalent experience from State or local government or the private sector.
Specialized experience must include applying occupational safety and health policies, directives, procedures, laws, and regulations, including OSHA requirements.
Specialized experience must include applying safety and occupational-health techniques and procedures to conduct facility and program audits and evaluations, review activities, and provide advice.
Specialized experience must include using an occupant emergency plan and practical knowledge of organizing and overseeing occupant emergency teams.
Meet the positive education requirement: qualifying study in safety or occupational-health fields, or another related field supplemented by at least 24 semester hours in specified related disciplines; qualifying specialized experience; or qualifying certification as described in the announcement.
Submit transcripts with the application when relying on education; official college transcripts are required before appointment if selected.
Provide a resume with position titles, employers, employment dates, duties and accomplishments, related skills, and hours worked per week; include Federal grade, occupational series, and dates at each grade for Federal positions.
If claiming relevant experience from intermittent FEMA Reservist or Disaster Assistance Employee deployments, provide deployment dates, job title, and duties for each relevant deployment.

Responsibilities

Oversee safety and health requirements, criteria, and compliance strategies for FEMA office operations, coordinating with building owners, GSA, and FEMA divisions and offices as needed.
Provide technical input on office safety, occupational health, life safety, fire protection, and industrial hygiene matters.
Review engineering and pre-construction plans, renovation plans, building and maintenance schedules, and contracts to ensure projects do not affect occupant safety or occupational health.
Conduct safety and health inspections of facility workplaces and operations, and maintain required documentation.
Recommend interim protective actions, maintain an abatement log, and track hazard-abatement actions.
Maintain relationships with Federal, State, local, and private-sector safety, health, and life-safety professionals and organizations to stay informed about current techniques, devices, and practices.
Implement and manage the Office Life Safety Program, including developing and implementing Occupant Emergency Guides.
Ensure employees are trained on current Occupant Emergency Plan procedures, including building evacuation and shelter-in-place procedures.
Create and oversee an Occupant Emergency Team and evacuation/fire drills.
Attend a three-week in-person training course in Emmitsburg, Maryland, within six months of onboarding.
Perform recurring emergency-management responsibilities and be available for recall and deployment, which may involve irregular hours, extensive travel, extended periods away, or duties and locations outside the official position description.