Industrial Hygienist

Employee will be assigned to Safety and Emergency Management Service, VA Medical Center, G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center, serving as an Industrial Hygienist working with the following: asbestos control and abatement, ethylene oxide, formaldehyde, hearing conservation, hazard communication, nitrous oxide, mercury, hazardous and infectious waste management, water testing and treatment, respirator program, and anti‑neoplastic drugs. 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‑11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS‑09. 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. 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 Applicants who meet the Individual Occupational Requirements described below are fully qualified for the specified entry grade and must also meet the specialized experience and/or education requirements. Courses in the history or teaching of chemistry are not acceptable. 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 bachelor's degree in science or engineering at an accredited college or university. For engineering degrees to be acceptable, the curriculum must be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) as a professional engineering curriculum. The education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. Applicants must meet one of the following 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 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 Certification from the Board for Global EHS Credentialing (formerly American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH)). GS‑11 Grade Level One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS‑09 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: Plan and conduct surveys, investigations, and evaluation of work operations throughout a facility that involve potentially hazardous environmental conditions. Utilize specialized sampling and monitoring equipment to analyze work environments for employee occupational health hazard exposures. Assess the health risks of identified workplace hazards, determining the nature and severity of the hazards present, and corrective measures and controls necessary to lower or eliminate worker exposure to the hazards. Recommend and communicate to senior management the requirements for modifying or controlling conditions in the workplace to eliminate exposure hazards which may result in traumatic injury or damage to property. Develop policies, programs and procedures designed to improve the overall occupational safety and health conditions in a workplace and comply with Federal, State, and local requirements. Education Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in a field related to this position that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. Examples of related fields include but are not limited to industrial hygiene, occupational health sciences, occupational and environmental health, toxicology, safety sciences, or related science. Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Combination of Education and Experience Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. A combination may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 36. Add the two percentages. Examples of related fields include but are not limited to industrial hygiene, occupational health sciences, occupational and environmental health, toxicology, safety sciences, or related science. Experience Details Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Physical Requirements The performance of duties requires long periods 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. He/she must be physically capable of wearing/donning personal protective equipment required to enter potentially hazardous environments. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at #J-18808-Ljbffr