Safety and Occupational Health Specialist

Smithsonian Institution•Suitland, MD

About The Position

The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is a major bureau of the Smithsonian Institution that is responsible for the acquisition, curation, and preservation of collections of objects and specimens of natural history, which tells the history of the planet and a record of human interaction with the environment and one another. The Safety and Occupational Health Specialist will manage the safety program for staff, visitors, volunteers, and manages the occupational health program for staff.

Requirements

Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
May need to complete a Probationary Period
Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.
Must be able to obtain and maintain Hazardous Material Manager Certification.
Qualification requirements, including one year time-in-grade at the next lower grade level for promotion candidates, must be met within 30 days of the job announcement closing date.
Education: Major study -- 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.
Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): Experience in or related to safety and occupational health that provided the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: Managing safety or occupational health program elements. Developing and recommending safety and occupational health policy to higher levels of management. Applying safety and occupational health laws, regulations, principles, theories, practices, and procedures to advise on or resolve technical matters dealing with occupational safety and health requirements. Developing safety and occupational health standards, regulations, practices, and procedures to eliminate or control potential hazards. Developing or implementing programs to reduce the frequency, severity, and cost of accidents and occupational illnesses. Analyzing or evaluating new and existing jobs, processes, products, or other systems to determine the existence, severity, probability, and outcome of hazards. Designing or modifying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems to control or eliminate hazards. Inspecting or surveying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems for compliance with established safety and occupational health policies or standards and to identify potential new hazards. Training of workers, supervisors, managers, or other safety and occupational health personnel in safety or occupational health subjects. Work in occupational fields such as industrial hygienist, safety engineer, fire prevention engineer, health physicist, and occupational health nurse.
One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is defined as implementing a safety and emergency preparedness program for an organization with widely varying work environments and hazards; inspecting work sites to identify and eliminate hazards, investigating accidents; presenting staff training and resources; and researching, interpreting and applying safety and environmental health codes, regulations and standards.
Two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master’s or equivalent degree related to the position may be substituted to meet the experience requirements.
Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications.

Nice To Haves

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Responsibilities

Participate in the in-house safety committee and recommend accident prevention measures that promote safety of museum employees and hundreds of visitors and students.
Investigate incidents involving waste mishaps and prepares written reports detailing the incident(s) and educate staff on proper procedures.
Train staff on obtaining and keeping a current inventory of chemicals for all museum divisions, obtains and keeps current the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) library for all divisions and ensures that chemicals are properly identified, labeled, and stored.