Safety and Occupational Health Specialist at DOS, Overseas Buildings Operations

The men and women of the US Department of State with their skills, character and commitment to public service, are the backbone of America's diplomacy. Personal Services Contractor employees support the foreign policy mission from offices in Washington, DC and worldwide. Join us in helping to shape a freer, more secure and prosperous world as we formulate, represent and implement US foreign policy. Choose from hundreds of career possibilities - there's something for everyone!

This Personal Services Contractor (PSC) position is in the Department of State, (DOS), Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO), Construction, Facility, and Security Management Directorate (CFSM) Office of Construction Management. 

As a Safety and Occupational Health Specialist (Safety Officer) assigned to CFSM/CM, you will perform tasks and assignments that typically include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:

• Inspects, audits, assesses, and reports on construction contractor safety programs at project sites to ensure contractor compliance with OBO safety and health requirements.


• Coordinates activities closely with the CM Safety and Occupational Health Manager to ensure safety inspection and assessment activities are consistent with OBO program goals and objectives; and advises the CM Safety and Occupational Health Manager of significant safety and health issues that should be immediately addressed.


• Supports the OBO Project Director providing safety program advice and direction. Inspects, assesses, and reports on construction contractor safety programs at specific project sites to ensure OBO construction safety and health requirements are being properly implemented; and provides advice and direction to the OBO on-site Project Director (PD); provides on-site safety management advice and guidance as they implement construction accident prevention programs.


• Assists the CM Safety and Occupational Health Manager in the review and evaluation of all accident reports related to OBO construction activity; in organizing information gathered and making recommendations for changes to be made to current standards and regulations to provide more effective safety and health procedures; in developing course curricula and training materials for seminars in construction safety management for OBO project site personnel; and in maintaining safety and health records and compiling statistical data for evaluation and future reference as needed to improve OBO's construction safety and health program.

Undergraduate and Graduate 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.

Applicants must meet all the required qualification requirements, including education, and any selective placement factors described below by the closing date of this announcement. Education may only be substituted in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order to be credited towards qualifications. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Click on the link for a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials.

Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal service in or related to safety and occupational health which provided the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform 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.

In addition, qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

• Experience in construction safety and occupational health concepts, principles, laws, regulations, and precedent decisions.


• Experience in on-site practical construction activities, methods, techniques, and hazards associated with the construction environment of the international construction projects.


• Experience in principles of construction safety management principles, practices, and procedures applicable to high-risk construction activities.

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-14 position.