Industrial Hygienist

Summary

This position is with the U. S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). These positions are in the Directorate of Standards and Guidance (DSG) located in Washington D.C.

• This performance level of this position is GS-12.
• This position is inside the bargaining unit.
• This position is NOT remote. Selectee will be expected to report to the office listed above.

Duties

Duties for the Industrial Hygienist position include but are limited to the following:

GS-11:

• Using technical and scientific writing and the presentation of data to support complex analyses.
• Assisting in the preparation and review of directives and memoranda to provide field personnel information on health standards development.
• Developing technological feasibility studies of specific industries and operations.
• Attending technical committees board meetings public hearings and stakeholder meetings to collect background information relating to proposed standards and guidance products.

GS-12:

• Reviewing public comment and hearing records in order to prepare scientifically and legally supportable regulations modifying standards as necessary.
• Visiting industrial facilities to analyze work processes and health hazards evidenced.
• Reviewing interim reports and completed studies to assure satisfactory fulfillment and compliance with accepted occupational health principles and practices.
• Providing support during rulemaking hearings stakeholder meetings or other public meetings including the formulation of technical questions on industrial hygiene and engineering related issues.

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

*Applicants should submit a writing sample in the application package to demonstrate analytical writing skills. It should be no longer than 3-4 pages and written personally by the applicant.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must be at least 16 years old.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.

Qualifications

THIS POSITION HAS A BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT. ALL APPLICANTS MUST MEET THIS REQUIREMENT IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED.
Applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

• A bachelors or graduate/higher level degree in industrial hygiene occupational health sciences occupational and environmental health toxicology safety sciences or related science; or
• A bachelors 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 (external link) (ABIH).

Evaluation of Education : All science or engineering courses offered in fulfillment of the above requirements must be acceptable for credit toward the completion of a standard 4-year professional curriculum leading to a bachelors degree in science or engineering at an accredited college or university.

For GS-11 :
In addition to meeting the basic education requirement Applicants must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience at the next lower level in the normal career progression of the position being filled. When comparing Private Sector to Federal Service experience this specialized experience must be equivalent to at least the next lower grade level of GS-09. Resumes should reflect but is not limited to the following specialized experience listed below:

• Planning and/or conducting evaluations of workplace operations to assess potential hazards.
• Identifying appropriate engineering controls work practices and/or personal protective equipment to address hazards.
• Writing technical reports describing potential hazards the process followed to evaluate those potential hazards and/or recommendations for control measures.

OR:
Three years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.

For GS-12 :
In addition to meeting the basic education requirement Applicants must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience at the next lower level in the normal career progression of the position being filled. When comparing Private Sector to Federal Service experience this specialized experience must be equivalent to at least the next lower grade level of GS-11. Resumes should reflect but is not limited to the following specialized experience listed below:

• Evaluating the effectiveness of engineering and administrative control measures.
• Developing sampling strategies for employee exposure monitoring.
• Analyzing findings and/or writing technical reports and presenting the results.
• Recognizing potential hazards in the workplace created by exposure to physical chemical biological agents or environmental factors.

Education is not a substitution for experience at the GS-12 level.

Education

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the Required Documents section for additional requirements.

The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers improve working conditions expand high-quality employment opportunities and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

As a condition of employment all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities systems information and/or classified materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION

This position is inside the bargaining unit. If the duty location is within the Washington D.C. metropolitan area the position will be included in the Local 12 AFGE bargaining unit. If the duty location is outside the Washington D.C. metropolitan area the position will be included in the NCFLL bargaining unit.

For more information click Telework Position Information. This is not a remote work position. The selectee will report to an assigned DOL office location on a regular basis and is eligible for participation in telework as determined by management in accordance with DOL policy.

Based on agency needs additional positions may be filled using this vacancy.

The Department of Labor may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities currently offered by the Federal government to attract highly qualified candidates. Click for more information on Pay Leave and Workforce Flexibilities.

The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicants criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOL employee has violated your rights under the FCA you may file a complaint of the alleged violation following our agencys complaint process Guidelines for Reporting Violations of the Fair Chance Act.

Note: The FCA does not apply to some positions specified under the Act such as law enforcement or national security positions.

All Department of Labor employees are subject to the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Program under Executive Order 12564 and Public Law 100-71.

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.