Industrial Hygiene-laboratory safety or chemical safety

Job Description

Job Description

Position: Industrial Hygienist with background in laboratory safety or chemical safety experience

Location: Beltsville, MD (Onsite)
Schedule: Full Time, 40 hours/week (Monday–Friday; rotating shifts may include nights and weekends)
Duration:1 Year Contract

Position Summary
We are seeking a qualified Industrial Hygienist (IH) to provide full time onsite industrial hygiene support services at the USDA Agricultural Research Service – Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC). This role supports the Safety, Occupational Health, and Environmental Management (SHEM) Unit and is critical to maintaining a safe, compliant, and health protective work environment across laboratories, research facilities, greenhouses, animal facilities, and administrative spaces. Must have laboratory safety or chemical safety experience.
This is a one year contract with a standard 40 hour workweek and 24/7 on call responsibilities to support emergency response needs at a large, continuously operating federal research campus.
Key Responsibilities

• Conduct routine industrial hygiene, occupational health, and environmental exposure assessments across laboratories, industrial spaces, greenhouses, animal facilities, and offices in response to staff concerns or complaints.
• Perform noise monitoring and hearing conservation assessments, including evaluation results and personal protective equipment (PPE) recommendations.
• Conduct annual qualitative and quantitative respirator fit testing in accordance with OSHA 29 CFR and support the Respiratory Protection Program.
• Serve as Radiation Safety Officer, including:

o Development and maintenance of a comprehensive radiation safety program
o Preparation of quarterly radiation waste assessment reports
o Development of radiation dosimetry programs, standard operating procedures, and dose tracking processes

• Provide rapid response (24/7 on call) to chemical, biological, radiological, industrial, and environmental incidents requiring industrial hygiene support.
• Prepare clear, comprehensive incident and assessment reports documenting findings, sampling results, corrective actions, and recommendations within required timeframes.
• Conduct annual reviews of SHEM programs, policies, and standard operating procedures, including gap analyses and corrective action recommendations.
• Support the Occupational Medical Surveillance Program (OMSP) by serving as the primary industrial hygiene point of contact for enrollment coordination.
• Perform annual industrial hygiene inspections of all facilities and submit inspection reports and checklists.
• Serve as Chemical Hygiene Officer (CHO), including management of chemical inventories, development and maintenance of the Chemical Hygiene Plan, laboratory inspections, hazard mitigation, and training coordination.
• Ensure all work complies with federal regulations, USDA policies, ARS safety directives, and recognized industrial hygiene standards.

Required Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, biology, physics, environmental engineering, or another STEM related field.
• Minimum 4 years of professional, full time industrial hygiene experience.
• Demonstrated experience in the recognition, evaluation, and control of workplace hazards in laboratory, industrial, and administrative environments.
• Experience performing industrial hygiene decision making beyond technician level tasks.
• Hands on proficiency with industrial hygiene monitoring equipment, including:

o Multi gas detectors
o Personal and area air sampling pumps
o Noise dosimeters and sound level meters
o Radiation detection and monitoring instruments
o Ability to inspect, calibrate, test, and maintain monitoring equipment

• Must have laboratory safety or chemical safety experience

Preferred Skills

• Prior experience supporting federal facilities, research campuses, or laboratory environments.
• Familiarity with OSHA and federal occupational health and safety requirements.

Work Environment & Schedule

• Onsite, full time position at a large federal research campus.
• Standard schedule of 40 hours per week, with rotating shifts as needed.
• 24/7 on call availability required for emergency response support.