Industrial Hygienist

Summary

Industrial Hygienist performs various duties to assess work practices and environmental conditions for hazards to the to the health and safety with employees and patients of the Lt. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr. VA Medical Center. Regularly inspects the medical center to identify potential occupational health hazards and the need for further investigative studies and surveys.

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Duties

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Incumbent must be resourceful in devising alternative methods to accomplish program objectives when technical guidelines are not always clear-cut, economic conflicts arise, etc. Work situations cover a wide variety of hazards, work activities and environments and involve numerous types and quantities of exposure to chemical, biological, physical and radiological hazards. Incumbent must exercise good judgement in selecting ways and means of adapting established methods of monitoring, analyzing and controlling to meet unique hazardous situations including interpretation of multiplicative hazardous factors in work operations. Duties include:

• Conducting studies of work operations and processes, examining work environments, analyzing findings, promulgating recommendations, and preparing various reports.
• Performs analysis to determine nature and degree of toxic materials present.
• Interprets results of studies for the work environment in terms of possible impairment to health, nature of health impairment, potential for medical center damages, etc.
• Determines the need for, and effectiveness of, control measures and changes in work procedures. Recommends procedures that will be suitable and effective for the environment.
• Receives and disposes of hazardous wastes and maintains appropriate records in accordance with existing EPA standards, state law and VA regulations.
• Prepares comprehensive and legally sufficient written reports of all monitoring activities performed which are subsequently incorporated into comprehensive reports prepared to assess the overall effectiveness of the industrial hygiene program.
• Ensures proper documentation of employee exposures in medical records.
• Conducts program for the education of workers in the prevention of occupational exposures and diseases at the medical center (hazard communication program).
• Presents expert testimony before courts of law, hearing boards, workmen's compensation commissions, and other investigative bodies covering all matters pertaining to industrial hygiene.
• Performs on-site inspection of new construction to ensure compliance with all applicable codes and standards.
• Actively participates in and advises multidisciplinary committees on matters related to industrial hygiene.

Work Schedule: Shifts Monday- Friday, 7:00am to 3:30pm , or 7:30am to 4:00pm, or 8:00am to 4:30pm

Telework: This position is not authorized for telework.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Industrial Hygienist/ PD502080

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Physical Requirements: The performance of duties requires long period of walking, standing, crawling, kneeling and bending. Moderate lifting and carrying of equipment, use of personal protective devices, and work in hazardous and confined spaces is required. Use of all appendages, good vision and hearing are necessary. Emotional and mental stability are required.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/30/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement : Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): You must meet one of the following basic requirements below to be eligible for the GS-0690, Industrial Hygiene job series. The education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Applicants must meet one of the following Basic Requirements:

• A bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree in industrial hygiene, occupational health sciences, occupational and environmental health, toxicology, safety sciences, or related science;

~OR~

• A bachelor's degree in a branch of engineering, physical science, or life science that included 12 semester hours in chemistry, including organic chemistry, and 18 additional semester hours of courses in any combination of chemistry, physics, engineering, health physics, environmental health, biostatistics, biology, physiology, toxicology, epidemiology, or industrial hygiene;

~OR~

• Certification from the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH). Note: You must submit a copy of your certification with your application. Certification cannot be credited without documentation.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of an Industrial Hygienist, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Examples of Specialized experience includes but is not limited to: Specifies goals and obstacles to achieving those goals, generates alternatives, considers risks, and evaluates and chooses the best alternative in order to make a determination, draw conclusions or solve a problem. Use knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on the job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues. Effectively expresses information to multiple audiences through clear dissemination of information and ideas; actively listens to others and demonstrates understanding of their comments and/or questions. Knowledge of procedures for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring programs or projects for compliance with Federal laws, regulations, and guidance. Demonstrates knowledge of the principles of health risk analysis; establish an exposure assessment strategy; collect basic characterization information (workplace, work force, and agents); assess exposure to the work force; prioritize health risks; implement monitoring and control strategies for unacceptable exposures; schedule and perform periodic reassessments; and document and communicate health risk exposure.

~OR~

• Possess 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or equivalent doctoral degree in a course of study directly related to this position. Note: Transcripts required.

~OR~

• Combination of specialized experience and successfully completed graduate level education beyond a Master's degree (36 semester hours) in a course of study directly related to this position.

Please note: Courses in the history or teaching of chemistry are not acceptable. For engineering degrees to be acceptable, the curriculum must be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) as a professional engineering curriculum. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at

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: 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:

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave : Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.