Picture of American flag.

Federal Jobs Net    

Home | About Us | Site Map | Feedback | Search

 Introduction
Employment
Apply For Jobs
Entrance Exams
Overseas Jobs
Law Enforcement
Veterans Hiring
Student Jobs
Postal Jobs
Fed Employees
SES Jobs
Interviews
Resumes/KSAs
Resources
Job Checklist

 

QUALIFICATION STANDARDS
Federal Occupations
General Schedule -
(Environmental Safety Job Series)

 

Qualification standards are intended to identify applicants who are likely to be able to perform successfully on the job, and to screen out those who are unlikely to do so. Information about work performed in the General Schedule occupational series is contained in the Handbook of Occupational Groups and Series and the Position Classification Standards.

footer.gif (1276 bytes)

GS-698 - Environmental health technician series

Use these individual occupational requirements in conjunction with the "Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Technical and Medical Support Positions."

Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): Experience that involved identifying, preventing, or eliminating health hazards in one or more areas of environmental sanitation. Such experience must have provided a practical knowledge of environmental health hazards, survey techniques, and control and eradication methods, and may have been gained in work such as biological technician, medical technician, pest control technician, quality control positions with dairy or food service industries, or environmental health worker.

Journey level experience in a trade or craft may be credited as specialized experience when the work was closely associated with and provided the required knowledge of environmental health techniques, methods, and skills, e.g., pest control operator, water plant operator.

OR

Education and Training:

For GS-3: Successful completion of l year of study.
For GS-4: Successful completion of 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours in any combination of courses in the health, agricultural, biological, or physical sciences.
For GS-5: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses in subjects such as those shown above for GS-4.

GS-802  Engineering technicians series

Use these individual occupational requirements in conjunction with the "Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Technical and Medical Support Positions."

Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): Examples of occupations that may have provided qualifying specialized experience include: draftsperson, surveying technician, construction estimator, physical science technician, or mathematical technician.

Experience in a trade or craft may be credited as specialized experience when the work provided intensive knowledge of engineering principles, techniques, methods, and precedents. Examples are trade positions with substantial developmental, test, or design responsibilities such as:

  • Planner and estimator who analyzed designs for production purposes.
  • Instrument maker or model maker who performed design or development work on devices fabricated.

OR

Education and Training:

For GS-3: Successful completion of l year of study that included at least 6 semester hours in any combination of courses such as engineering, engineering or industrial technology, construction, physics, drafting, surveying, physical science, or mathematics.
For GS-4: Successful completion of 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours in any combination of courses such as those shown above for GS-3.
For GS-5: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree (a) with major study in an appropriate field of engineering, construction, or industrial technology; or (b) that included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as those shown above for GS-3.

Certification: Engineering technicians may be certified by the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies, an organization sponsored by the National Society of Professional Engineers. Certification by the Institute will be helpful as a measure of the technician's quality of experience.


GS-819  Environmental engineers

The text below is extracted verbatim from Section IV-B of the Operating Manual for Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions (p.IV-B-140), but contains minor edits to conform to web-page requirements.

Use the GS-800 individual occupational requirements for Professional Engineering Positions.


GS-1107  Property disposal technicians

Use the individual occupational requirements for Clerical and Administrative Support General Standard


GS-1316  Hydrologic technician series

The text below is extracted verbatim from Section IV-B of the Operating Manual for Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions (p.IV-B-186), but contains minor edits to conform to web-page requirements.

Use these individual occupational requirements in conjunction with the "Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Technical and Medical Support Positions."

Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:

  • Technician or aid in engineering, earth, physical, or natural science, forestry, soil conservation, or surveying.
  • Trades or crafts work in maintenance or construction of facilities or equipment related to hydrology.
  • Drafting.
  • Construction estimating.

OR

Education and Training:

For GS-3: Successful completion of l year of study that included at least one course in subjects such as engineering, industrial technology, construction drafting, surveying, physical science, biology, or mathematics.
For GS-4: Successful completion of 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours in any combination of courses such as those shown above for GS-3.
For GS-5: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with (a) major study in an appropriate field of science, engineering, construction, or industrial technology, or (b) that included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as those shown above for GS-3.

GS-1862  Consumer safety series

The text below is extracted verbatim from Section IV-B of the Operating Manual for Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions (p.IV-B-245), but contains minor edits to conform to web-page requirements.

Use these individual occupational requirements in conjunction with the "Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Technical and Medical Support Positions."

Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): Experience that provided knowledge of the properties and characteristics of the regulated commodities and substances in the position to be filled, skill in applying proper techniques for collecting samples and performing field tests and examinations, skill in reporting both orally and in writing, and skill in maintaining effective personal contacts. Such experience may have been acquired in work such as consumer safety inspector or inspection aid, food inspector, public health inspector, or quality inspection specialist.

OR

Education and Training:

For GS-4: Successful completion of 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours in any combination of courses such as those in the agricultural, biological, or physical sciences, food technology, epidemiology, home economics, pharmacy, engineering, or nutrition.
For GS-5: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses in subjects such as those shown above for GS-4.

GS-2121  Railroad safety series

GS-2121:    Railroad Safety Series

The text below is extracted verbatim from Section IV-B of the Operating Manual for Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions (p.IV-B-264), but contains minor edits to conform to web-page requirements.

This is an individual qualification standard.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
The following table shows the amounts of education and/or experience required to qualify for positions covered by this standard.

           
GRADE EXPERIENCE OR EDUCATION
General Specialized  
GS-5 3 years, 1 year of which was equivalent to at least GS-4 None 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree
GS-7 None 1 year equivalent to at least GS-5 None
GS-9 None 1 year equivalent to at least GS-7 None
GS-11 None 1 year equivalent to at least GS-9 None
GS-12
and above
None 1 year equivalent to at least next lower grade level None
Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for positions at the GS-5 level only.

General Experience (for GS-5 positions): Experience that provided:

  • Knowledge of the construction, operation, overhaul, maintenance, repair, or installation of mechanical, electrical, or electronic equipment used in an industrial setting;
  • Ability to read and understand written material; and
  • Ability to read and interpret blueprints, specifications, or related technical material.

Qualifying general experience may have been gained in work such as:

  • Machinist, electrician, switchtender, brakeman, fireman, or gang foreman with a railroad.
  • Electrician in an industrial setting that involved evaluating blueprints for accuracy and tracing defects in circuitry.
  • Repairing or installing industrial type diesel engines or electric motors.
  • Engineering technician work that involved preparation of blueprints and testing or design of mechanical, electrical, or electronic equipment.
  • Maintaining, inspecting, or testing bulk containers used to transport hazardous materials such as explosives, compressed gases, poisons, or radioactive material on any mode of transportation.
  • Installing or repairing mechanical, electronic, or electrical equipment, such as track or signal systems, on rapid transit systems.
  • Firefighting or fire inspection involving industrial-type equipment in oil refineries or chemical plants.

Education (for GS-5 positions only): Major study--engineering, electronics, physics, occupational or industrial safety, or other fields related to the position.
Education is not creditable for positions above the GS-5 level. The superior academic achievement provision is not applicable to positions in this series.

Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5):

For GS-7: Experience that demonstrated:

  • Knowledge of basic safety practices and techniques related to the railroad industry; and
  • Basic inspection techniques.

For GS-9 and above: Experience that demonstrated:

  • Knowledge of the railroad industry, including economic and operating considerations and equipment;
  • Knowledge of the general safety and health principles and practices applicable to the railroad industry;
  • Knowledge of railroad accident investigation techniques; and
  • Skill in written and oral communication.

In addition, applicants for inspector and specialist positions must demonstrate possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities for the specialization for which application is made to the degree required by the position. Only those elements required by the position to be filled, as identified below, will be used in evaluating candidates' specialized experience.

Hazardous Materials:

  • Practical knowledge of the typical reactions of different hazardous commodities to various environmental conditions and of safe procedures for containing or controlling fires, leaks, or explosions of these materials;
  • Knowledge of the construction, testing, and retesting of containers used to ship hazardous materials by rail; and
  • Knowledge of Federal regulations and standards governing the shipment of hazardous materials by rail, including containerization, loading, handling, documentation, and placarding.

Track:

  • Knowledge of railroad track system construction, maintenance, testing, or inspection techniques;
  • Knowledge of the capabilities and limitations of various track system configurations; and
  • Knowledge of Federal railroad track safety standards.

Signals and Train Control:

  • Knowledge of the design, installation, maintenance, testing, or inspection of signal and train control systems and their capabilities and limitations;
  • Knowledge of applicable Federal laws and regulations pertaining to railroad signaling and train control systems; and
  • Knowledge of locomotive braking systems and their relationship to and interface with train control or automatic train stop systems and braking distances.

Operating Practices:

  • Knowledge of railroad operating practices, rules, and procedures, especially as they relate to safety issues; and
  • Knowledge of Federal regulations and standards relating to railroad operations and requirements in such areas as hours of service, accident reporting, blue signal protection of workers, rear end markers, radio communication, railroad employee qualifications, and railroad employee testing.

Motive Power and Equipment:

  • Knowledge of the design, maintenance, or inspection of various types of locomotive and freight cars currently in use and their capabilities and limitations;
  • Knowledge of the installation, maintenance, or testing of railroad safety appliances and power brakes, their capabilities and limitations; and
  • Knowledge of the applicable Federal laws and regulations pertaining to inspection and testing of locomotives, freight cars, safety appliances, and power brakes.

Qualifying specialized experience may have been demonstrated in work such as:

  • Government railroad safety work.
  • Signal maintainer, gang foreman, locomotive engineer, conductor, maintenance-of-way inspector, or yard master for a railroad.
  • Inspector of work methods, final work products, or safety practices for a railroad equipment manufacturer.
  • Hazardous materials work for other modes of transportation that involved interface with the railroad industry.

INTERVIEW
Applicants may be required to demonstrate in a pre-employment interview that they possess the personal characteristics necessary for Railroad Safety work.

OR

REQUIREMENTS FOR MOTOR VEHICLE OPERATION
Incumbents of positions in this series must possess and maintain a valid State motor vehicle operator's permit while they are employed in order to perform the duties of the positions.

 

Home | About Us | Site Map | Feedback | Search

 Environmental
 and Safety Occupations
 


These job series are from various occupational groups  and cover the remaining safety and environmental jobs in the federal government that are not covered on the master index.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2005 - 2007 Bookhaven Press LLC