Safety Engineer Recent Graduate

Open & closing dates

03/27/2026 to 04/09/2026

Duties

GS-07:

• Assists in planning and conducting portions or limited inspections or compliance reviews (or independently conducts inspections of business establishments and worksites whose operations are generally characterized by the presence of moderately stable, low-risk processes or some higher hazards or unsafe working conditions or technically difficult operations which are covered by specific written guidelines) in establishments and worksites.
• Prepares final report or assigned portion of report, showing apparent violations, and recommends penalties and abatement dates. Recommends strategies and techniques for resolving unsafe or hazardous conditions.
• Conducts research assignments using internet technology to prepare for onsite inspections or in response to requests for information.
• Assists in conducting interviews with supervisors and employees.

GS-09:

• Inspects worksites, machine and equipment operations, environmental conditions, work practices, protective devices and equipment, and safety procedures. Records and photographs apparent violations of standards for use as evidence of existing hazards and unsafe working conditions.
• Assists agency attorneys in the preparation of evidence supporting the agency's findings of safety and occupational health violations where the employer contests the inspection results.
• Studies records and files covering mishaps, injuries, and equipment maintenance data. Reviews safety activities for evidence of compliance with prescribed safety requirements.
• Interviews supervisors and employees for information on specific working conditions to evaluate the total worksite environment. Documents ongoing case files with relevant documentation to support a legally sufficient case.
• Communicates with various parties at inspected worksites. Assists in investigating mishaps resulting in fatalities or injuries and serious incidents.

As the employee progresses, the assignments will become more difficult and complex with less supervision.

Basic Requirements:

A. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics

OR

B. Combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:

1. Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1 , or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.
2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
3. Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.
4. Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all inclusive.)

You must meet the "Individual Occupational Requirements" listed above and the "Specialized Experience" to qualify for Recent Graduate - Safety Engineer, as described below.

At the GS-07 level: In addition to meeting the individual occupational requirement, applicants must have at least 52 weeks specialized experience at the next lower level in the normal career progression of the position being filled. When compared to Federal experience, this experience must be equivalent to at least the next lower grade level of GS-05. This experience may have been gained either in the Federal or private sectors. Resumes should reflect the majority but is not limited to the following specialized experience listed below:

• Review prior inspection records to gain a practical understanding of hazardous or unsafe conditions.
• Assist in analyzing work processes to verify conditions meet OSHA rules and regulations.
• Assist in identifying occupational health hazards in various work settings to eliminate safety risks.

OR

Education: One full year of progressively higher-level graduate education or Superior Academic Achievement in a bachelor's degree program. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: A qualifying combination of education and competencies as described below.

At the GS-09 level: In addition to meeting the individual occupational requirement, applicants must have at least 52 weeks specialized experience at the next lower level in the normal career progression of the position being filled. When compared to Federal experience, this experience must be equivalent to at least the next lower grade level of GS-07. This experience may have been gained either in the Federal or Private sectors. Resumes should reflect the majority but is not limited to the following specialized experience listed below:

• Assist in conducting a portion of an investigation to identify unsafe working conditions.
• Audit accident and injury records or safety plans to verify documentation meets OSHA rules and regulations.
• Prepare reports, or portions of reports, to show OSHA violations discovered during inspections.

OR

Education: completed a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the work of the position, such as experience with assisting in identifying and evaluating health hazards; surveys, assessing, understanding, and investigating health problems, determining the probable cause, and recommending solutions. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience as described below.