Industrial hygiene is concerned with the recognition, evaluation, and control of those workplace environmental conditions or stresses arising in or from the workplace, which may cause sickness, impaired health, significant discomfort, or inefficiency. This position at the St. Cloud VA performs a variety of functions related to the identification, evaluation, and control of occupational health hazards and to the promotion of healthful and safe working conditions.

Duties

Major duties include but are not limited to: Develops, plans, implements, and manages the comprehensive industrial hygiene programs. Leads in the development of facility industrial hygiene goals, policies, and procedural documentation. Manages various industrial hygiene programs, to include respirator, ventilation, asbestos, ergonomics, heat stress, indoor air quality, ergonomics, hazardous communication, OSHA lead, mercury, waste anesthetic, formaldehyde; and assists with programs for medical surveillance, hearing conservation, laser safety, incident/accident review board, hazardous drugs, bloodborne pathogens, permit-required confined space entry, etc. Conducts in-depth surveys and evaluations of working conditions/environments to determine the nature and magnitude of hazardous exposures and the effectiveness of existing control measures. Applies appropriate sampling techniques and procedures and may oversee the work of contractors engaged to perform specific monitoring. Performs analyses of samples and evaluates the interpretation of scientific data. Analyzes hazardous exposures findings and recommends, devises, or works with engineers/other disciplines to develop corrective control measures, such as changes in work procedures, systems, materials, or use of personal protective equipment. Serves as the Hazardous Materials Officer, responsible for the initiation, development, administration, coordination and auditing all aspects of Federal, State, and municipal environmental health. Audits for compliance with protocols and guidelines established by the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control, The Joint Commission, College of American Pathologists, National Sanitation Foundation, Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The purposes of these efforts are to maintain safe working conditions and effective engineering and administrative controls as they relate to biological hazards. Serves as the technical representative in the design, modifications, operation and maintenance of facilities and infrastructure to ensure compliance with NFPA codes, OSHA regulations, etc. standards. Reviews construction drawings and provide expertise for determination of locations and adequacy of eye washes, biological safety devices, chemical safety devices, and industrial hygiene requirements. Conducts education and training for staff and other personnel on industrial hygiene program requirements, occupational health matters, hazard awareness, safe health working procedures, personal protective equipment, and materials handling. Composes correspondence in response to all inquiries, deficiencies, or action plans related to the industrial hygiene program. Manages the reports and documents for the industrial hygiene programs, to include analysis, inspections, hazardous findings, auditing, etc. Performs other duties as necessary. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Telework: Ad-hoc telework may be authorized at Supervisor's discretion. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Industrial Hygienist/PD23549-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Bargaining Unit Position: Yes - AFGE The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/02/2024. 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-9. 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. Note: 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. Basic Requirement: Applicants must meet one of the following: 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 (ABIH). Note: Transcripts and/or certification required. Also, 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. In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, you must also qualify based on your experience as described below: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Requires one full year of specialized experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-9, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. 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. (Resume(s) must clearly support responses to the online questionnaire to receive credit for experience. We will not make assumption) OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Successfully completed 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree related to the position. OR COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience may be used to meet total experience requirements. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Accident InvestigationOrganizational AwarenessPublic Safety and SecuritySafety Engineering 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. Physical Demands: Investigations and surveys involve moderate physical exertion, including carrying equipment, climbing, standing, walking, and bending, as well as use of personal protective devices and occasional work in confined spaces. Working Conditions: The work involves exposures to all the hazards and discomforts including chemicals, noise, dust, aerosols, fumes, and operating equipment. Protective clothing or equipment, including respiratory protection, may be necessary. Much of the work is performed in an office setting, although exposure to industrial hazards is expected multiple times weekly during walk-through surveys conducted individually or conducted as part of a larger study. Work is self-directed at this level. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address St Cloud VA Medical Center 4801 Veterans Drive St Cloud, MN 56303 US
• Name: Andrea McGuire
• Phone: 602-277-5551 X1738
• Email: [email protected]