To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
I
ndividual Occupational Requirement (IOR). This position has the following IOR:
Basic Requirements. 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 American Board of Industrial Hygiene(external link) (ABIH).
The education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. 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 the ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) as a professional engineering curriculum.
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.
Specialized Experience: (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 for this position includes but is not limited to...professional knowledge of industrial hygiene principles, procedures, standards, equipment, techniques, and methods; applies knowledge to a full range of industrial and hazardous operations such as clinical, research, nuclear medicine, and radiological procedures; use and storage of hazardous drugs and materials, building construction; maintenance shops; generating plants; warehousing; grounds maintenance; hazardous waste handling and disposal; and various other medical center and all outpatient clinic operations where there is exposure to hazardous materials and environments; expert in broad practice of industrial hygiene, making decisions affecting policies; develops programs to train and protect employees; provides consultative services to management and leadership; knowledge and skill in the use of a full range of industrial hygiene sampling techniques, instrumentation, analytical methods, and control measures utilized to identify and control industrial hygiene exposures; knowledge of administrative practices to manage and direct an industrial hygiene program including planning and initiating surveys of work operations to identify and quantify hazardous conditions, and personal contact with medical center personnel to convey information and obtain corrective action; and knowledge and ability to prepare technical written and oral detailed plans, survey reports, corrective action, and follow-up reports.
OR
Education: Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-11 level by possessing 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree
or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree
OR
Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-11 level. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-11 level. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position.
A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
Preferred Experience: Industrial Hygiene experience to include conducting studies on work operations and processes, inspecting work environments, interpreting data, making recommendation, and generating various reports. Environmental circumstances include physical, chemical, and biological risks, as well as ionizing and non-ionizing radiation and other environmental agents. Receives and disposes of hazardous materials while keeping proper records in line with current EPA standards, state law and VA requirements. Prepares detailed and legally sufficient written reports on all monitoring activities undertaken, which are then included into complete reports designed to assess the overall efficiency of the industrial hygiene program. Ensures accurate documentation of employee exposures in medical records. In depth understanding (knowledge and experience) of industrial hygiene concepts, procedures, standards, equipment, techniques, and approaches.
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.