Individual Occupational Requirements for
GS-1822: Mine Safety and Health 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-236), 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.
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GRADE |
EXPERIENCE |
OR |
EDUCATION |
General |
Specialized |
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GS-5 |
3 years as defined below |
None |
4-year course of study above high school in any field |
GS-7 |
None |
1 year equivalent to at least GS-5, as defined below for Inspector or Specialist positions |
1 full academic year of graduate level education as defined below |
GS-9 (Other than Electrical Inspector Positions) |
None |
1 year equivalent to at least GS-7, as defined below for Inspector or Specialist positions |
2 full academic years of graduate level education or master's or equivalent graduate degree in a field of study defined below |
GS-9 and above Electrical Inspector Positions and GS-11 and above Specialist Positions |
None |
1 year equivalent to at least next lower level, as defined below for Inspector or Specialist positions |
None |
Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for positions and grade levels for which
both education and experience are acceptable. |
EXPERIENCE
Experience that provided a knowledge of:
- Mining operations, e.g., as a miner; or
- Comparable working environments, such as construction, excavation, or heavy equipment
operation, or of health or safety inspection or investigation in industrial settings;
or
- Maintaining engine-driven machinery or equipment; or
- Electrical equipment or electrical systems.
Completion of an apprenticeship training program in a recognized trade or craft related to the position
is acceptable as general experience.
GS-6, technical support work directly related to mine safety and
health, found in the GS-1311, Physical Science Technician Series and some other one-grade interval
series, is creditable for inservice placement into all GS-7 positions in this series.
Inspector Positions:
On-site safety/health inspection, analysis, monitoring, or evaluation work in occupational
health, or mining or closely related industries, such as building construction, excavation, and heavy
industrial plant settings. Examples of creditable experience in related non-mining work include work
that provided the applicant with knowledge of ground control at building sites, safe worksite practices,
and/or environmental conditions that affect the health of workers at foundries, mills, and other
inherently dangerous industrial settings. For example, performance of safety and health inspection work at a steel mill would qualify
at this grade level, but agricultural inspection work would not.
Mining, mine engineering, or on-site mine safety and health inspection experience
performing a full range of tasks and operating a variety of equipment in underground or surface mines,
or mineral processing plants. This includes practical mining experience in planning, installing,
operating, monitoring, or maintaining a system or equipment for extracting the ore from the earth.
Specialized experience should include extensive hands-on mining experience that provided the applicant
with a comprehensive knowledge of mining methods, equipment, and occupational health and safety
hazards. Specifically, applicants should have knowledge of the transportation of materials and workers,
ventilation in closed spaces, ground control, roof control (for underground positions), handling and
storage of hazardous materials, worksite safety practices, worksite environmental conditions that affect
the health of workers, and/or accident prevention.
All applicants for Inspector (Electrical) positions
at GS-9 and above must meet the specialized experience requirements for inspector positions and, in
addition have experience in designing, installing, and/or maintaining a mine electrical system or
electrical mining equipment. Experience as a certified mine electrician is qualifying. Education alone is
not qualifying for these positions.
Specialist Positions:
Applicants must have mine safety or health experience that demonstrated the ability to
analyze problems and identify significant factors, gather pertinent data, and recognize solutions; plan
and organize work; and communicate effectively orally and in writing.
Examples of creditable experience include: acting on requests to vary Federal standards; analyzing and
evaluating inspection data; developing policies, guidelines, and enforcement programs; evaluating the
adequacy of Federal mine safety and health programs; assessing penalties for violations of regulations;
and advising mine operators and manufacturers on issues and standards.
For All Positions at GS-11 and Above:
Experience performing mine safety and health inspection, analysis and evaluation of health/safety
aspects of mining industry operations and processes; or evaluation, analysis or development of agency
programs.
Examples of creditable experience include: direct on-site inspection; special accident investigation;
development of mine safety and health standards; data analysis and evaluation of operational mine
safety and health programs; special assessments; and development of industry-wide training or safety
and health awareness programs.
OR
EDUCATION
Four years of undergraduate study or bachelor's degree in any field.
Graduate education in fields such as mining engineering, civil engineering, mechanical
engineering, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, environmental engineering, industrial
hygiene, occupational health and safety, geology, chemistry, or other fields of study related to mine
safety and health work.
USE OF SELECTIVE FACTORS
Some positions in this series require knowledge, skills, and abilities in addition to or more specific
than those described in this qualification standard. For successful performance in such positions,
selective factors may be required to ensure that applicants have the necessary background. For example, consideration
may need to be limited for some positions to applicants with experience in certain categories of mines (e.g.,
coal vs. metal and nonmetal, or surface vs. underground), or those with particular expertise in special
aspects of mining (e.g., electrical, roof control, ventilation, etc.).
Applicants for positions that require operation of a motor vehicle must have a valid State driver's
license and appropriate authorization under the Federal Motor Vehicle Operator's Program.
MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS
Applicants and employees must be physically able to perform arduous duties efficiently and without
hazard to themselves or others. Medical examination is required for all applicants for positions that
involve regular or intermittent performance of inspection, investigation, rescue duties, or duties
involving on-site visits. Medical conditions that constitute a hazard to safe and efficient job
performance are disqualifying. The presence of medical disorders that would be aggravated by the
environmental conditions of these positions and thereby hinder safe and efficient job performance are
also disqualifying.
Remediable defects and/or curable diseases will not permanently disqualify an applicant for
appointment, but may result in the applicant's suspension from the appropriate list of eligibles pending
submission of medical evidence or correction of the condition.
Uncorrected distant vision must test at least 20/50 Snellen in one eye and 20/70 in the other,
correctable with eyeglasses (contact lenses are not acceptable) to at least 20/30 Snellen in one eye and
20/50 in the other. Near vision must be sufficient to read without strain printed material the size of
typewritten characters Normal depth perception and field of vision are required, as is the ability to
distinguish basic colors.
Applicants, with or without the use of a hearing aid, must have no hearing loss in either ear of more
than 40 decibels in the 500, 1000, or 2000 Hz ranges.
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