Safety and Occupational Health Specialist

Federal Emergency Management Agency•Emmitsburg, MD

20h•Onsite

About The Position

This position is located within the United States Fire Administration in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The specialist oversees safety and occupational health requirements, criteria, and compliance strategies for FEMA office operations, coordinating as needed with building owners, the General Services Administration, and FEMA divisions and offices. The role provides technical input on office safety, occupational health, life safety, fire protection, and industrial hygiene, and reviews engineering and construction-related plans, schedules, and contracts to help ensure projects do not affect occupant safety or health. The specialist inspects facilities and workplace operations, maintains required documentation, recommends interim protective actions, and tracks hazard-abatement actions. The role also maintains relationships with government and private-sector safety and health professionals to stay current on practices and technologies. The specialist manages the Office Life Safety Program, develops and implements Occupant Emergency Guides, trains employees on emergency procedures, and organizes the Occupant Emergency Team and evacuation and fire drills. FEMA employees have recurring emergency-management responsibilities. The position is subject to around-the-clock recall and may involve irregular hours, duties outside the official position description, extensive travel with little notice, and extended deployments or relocation to emergency sites. If selected, the employee must attend a three-week in-person training course in Emmitsburg, Maryland, 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; the listed qualification requires 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent grade band in Federal service.
Ability to obtain and maintain a Government credit card.
Ability to deploy with little or no advance notice anywhere in the United States and its territories for an extended period.
For GS-12, one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-11 involving application of OSHA health policies, directives, procedures, laws, and regulations; applying safety and occupational health techniques to audits, evaluations, and advisory work; and using occupant emergency plans and organizing and overseeing occupant emergency teams.
Meet the positive education requirement through qualifying undergraduate or graduate study in safety or occupational health fields, or a related degree supplemented by at least 24 semester hours in specified or closely related disciplines; qualifying specialized experience; or an applicable certification as described in the announcement.
Submit transcripts with the application if relying on education to meet the requirements.
If qualifying based on work experience, provide a resume with job titles, employers, employment dates, detailed duties and accomplishments, and hours worked per week; federal experience must also include grade, occupational series, and dates at each grade.
For relevant intermittent FEMA Reservist or DAE experience, list deployment dates, job titles, and duties.
Attend the required three-week in-person training course in Emmitsburg within six months of onboarding; failure to participate may result in disciplinary action up to termination.

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.
Review engineering and pre-construction plans, renovation plans, building and maintenance schedules, and contracts to ensure projects do not affect occupant safety and 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 recommended practices.
Implement and manage the Office Life Safety Program, including developing and implementing Occupant Emergency Guides.
Train employees on current Occupant Emergency Plan procedures, including building evacuation and shelter-in-place procedures.
Create and oversee an Occupant Emergency Team and evacuation and fire drills.
Fulfill recurring emergency-management responsibilities, including possible deployment and work at locations other than the official duty station.
Attend a three-week in-person training course in Emmitsburg, Maryland, within six months of onboarding if selected.