INDUSTRIAL HYGIENIST

Summary

This position is with the the U. S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Kansas City Region, with duty location located in Kansas City Area Office, St. Louis Area Office, Omaha Area Office or Wichita Area Office.

• This position is at the full performance level.
• This position is inside the bargaining unit.
• This position is not remote. Selectee will be expected to report to a office above

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Duties

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The major duties for this position include but are not limited to the following:

• Ensures region-wide consistency among Area Offices in the application and interpretation of the federal enforcement program and all appropriate national and regional policies and procedures.
• Oversees and monitors the regional Federal health compliance programs by providing expert guidance and assistance to area directors and supervisors concerning national and regional office policies, the Field Operations Manual, the OSHA Information System (OIS), and new and existing directives and instructions dealing with enforcement of OSHA occupational health programs.
• Provides assistance and guidance to Area Directors concerning significant fatality/accident issues.
• Coordinates and work closely with Area Office, Regional Solicitors Office, and National Office on cases with citations that are willful, repeated, failure to abate in nature, and other significant health violations and high penalties, or presenting unique issues.
• Advises leadership on the most appropriate enforcement methods to gain abatement of general and unique safety issues.
• Analyzes trends which might indicate that significant issues or problems might arise through improper application or interpretation of established policy.
• Plans and evaluates health compliance methodology to develop internal compliance procedures and determine priorities, provide liaison with employer and employees, organizations as well as with the Regional Solicitor's Office and with publicly organized safety and health groups, and to act as the Assistant Regional Administrator, as required.
• Monitors inspection scheduling through the OSHA Information System (OIS) and other contacts with the Area Offices.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

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

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 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 Board for Global EHS Credentialing (formerly American Board of Industrial Hygiene(external link) (ABIH)).

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.

Evaluation of Experience: Qualifying experience involves the recognition, evaluation, corrective actions, and elimination of environmental conditions in the workplace that causes sickness, impaired health, or illness. This experience must demonstrate a professional knowledge of the theory and application of the principles of industrial hygiene and closely related sciences such as physics and engineering controls.

Such work must have involved experience in all of the following areas: the acquisition of quantitative and qualitative data, and the measurement of exposures for a variety of chemical, physical, and biological stresses; the analysis of the data acquired and the prediction of probable effects of exposures on the health and well-being of workers; and the selection and recommendation of appropriate controls, including management, medical, engineering, education or training, and personal protective equipment.

You must meet the " Individual Occupational Requirements" listed above and the "Specialized Experience" to qualify for INDUSTRIAL HYGIENIST, as described below.

At the GS-13 level: In addition to meeting the individual occupational requirement, Applicants must have at least 52 weeks experience at the next lower level in the normal career progression of the position being filled. When compared to Federal experience, this experience must be equivalent to at least the next lower grade level of GS-12. This experience may have been gained either in the Federal or Private sectors. Resumes should reflect the majority but is not limited to the following specialized experience listed below:

• Conduct investigations of accidents and/or fatalities which may involve one or more fatalities, a large number of injuries, or illnesses, or other unsafe conditions.
• Identify and document hazards, proposes citations for OSHA standards which have allegedly been violated, and secures immediate corrective action of conditions which are of imminent danger.
• Provide technical industrial hygiene advice and assistance to employers, employee organizations, and others concerning industrial health hazards and possible approaches to their control; potential hazards resulting from specific work operations, facilities, and equipment.

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

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 Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's 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 agency's 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.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may 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 your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Relocation incentives MAY BE offered at management's discretion in accordance with agency policy.

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.