Supervisory Safety and Occupational Health Specialist

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Hines (IL); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, is seeking a Supervisory Safety and Occupational Health Specialist to lead the Safety and Occupational Health Service.

The role focuses on eliminating hazards across the medical center, advising on program status, and implementing preventive safety measures. You will coordinate surveys, investigate accidents, and train staff on chemical, biological, and physical safety topics while collaborating with internal and external

Qualifications

• Experience coordinating safety and health programs across a medical center.
• Ability to train employees on chemical, biological, or physical safety topics.
• Strong understanding of safety policies and procedures in a healthcare setting.

Responsibilities

• Advises the Safety & Occupational Health Manager on program status and recommends changes.
• Confers with external safety specialists to identify hazards with new equipment or procedures.
• Schedules surveys of buildings to identify risks and ensures compliance with safety policies.
• Directs investigations of accidents to determine causes and preventive actions.
• Trains staff and lower-grade personnel on safety topics and novel training methods.
• Participates in safety committees and promotes safety training initiatives.

Skills

Safety program management

Hazard identification

Training delivery

Accident investigations

Regulatory compliance

Job description

Supervisory Safety and Occupational Health Specialist

• Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

This position is organizationally aligned under the Office of the Medical Center Director. This position is located at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, Hines IL. (578) - a Level 1a Complexity VHA Facility and is organizationally aligned under the Director, Safety and Occupational Health Service.

Key Responsibilities

The Safety and Occupational Health Specialists work with supervisors, union officials, and safety and occupational health committees to eliminate or control hazardous operations or conditions for all facilities within the medical center.

Duties include, but are not limited to: Advises the Safety & Occupational Health Manager within the assigned area on the status of the safety and occupational health programs and recommends changes in the design of work programs to meet new safety and occupational health standards.

Confers with safety and occupational health specialists external to the facility to identify hazards related to new laboratory equipment or other areas and to become familiar with evolving techniques and protective devices for controlling or eliminating potential safety hazards.

Independently schedules surveys of VA buildings and offices to identify and evaluate risks involving a wide variety of work environments; determines the extent to which mechanical and physical conditions comply and makes decisions regarding adherence to established safety policies and procedures. Directs investigations of accidents, analyzing precipitating factors and accident cause data to develop specific methods for prevention.

He/she also consults with specialists from related occupations concerning work process modifications and recommends corrective or remedial safety measures. Trains other employees and lower grade occupational safety and industrial hygiene staff, providing instruction on a variety of subjects, including chemical, biological, or physical safety topics.

He/she adapts various available media to fit special and unique training requirements and participates in the development of novel or innovative safety training and promotion activities. Participates in the Hines Safety, Accident Incident Review Board (AIRB), Hines Construction Safety Committee and Environment of Care (EOC) committees. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: 7:00am-3:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Safety and Occupational Health Specialist/PD250360 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Requirements & Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.

If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Which agency is hiring for this position?

This position is with Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs.

What is the salary for this position?

The posted pay range is $100059 – $130080/yr.

What is the application deadline?

Applications close on 2026-11-04.

Who is eligible to apply?

This position is open under the 'Fed Internal Search' hiring path.