This position, located at the Oklahoma City VA HCS, serves as the Industrial Hygienist within the service of Safety and Emergency Management.

Duties

Major duties of this position includes, but are not limited to... Serves as an Industrial Hygienist at the Oklahoma Health Care Center (OKCHCS) where duties include but are not limited to the following: asbestos control and abatement, ethylene oxide, formaldehyde, hearing conversation, hazard communication, nitrous oxide, mercury, hazardous and infectious waste management, water testing and treatment, respirator program, ergonomics, and anti-neoplastic drugs Performs various duties in an Industrial Hygiene program to access work practices and environmental conditions for hazards to the health and safety of workers Receives and disposes of hazardous wastes and maintains appropriate records in accordance with existing EPA standards, state laws, and VA regulations Prepares comprehensive and legally sufficient written reports of all monitoring activities performed which are subsequently incorporated into comprehensive reports prepared to assess the overall effectiveness of the industrial hygiene program Ensures proper documentation of employee exposures in medical records Regularly inspects the medical center to identify potential occupational health hazards and the need for further investigative studies and surveys In performing surveys/studies, incumbent must: 1) select or devise methods and instruments; 2) personally or through others, conduct measurements; and 3) study and test materials associated with the work operation or work environment Performs analysis to determine nature and degree of toxic materials present Interprets results of studies for the work environment in terms of possible impairment to health, nature of health impairment, potential for medical center damages, etc., and presents specific conclusions and recommendations to appropriate management and health officials Determines the need for, and effectiveness of, control measures and changes in work procedures Recommends procedures that will be suitable and effective for the environment Work Schedule: Monday -Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: N/A Telework: No Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Industrial Hygienist/PD134990 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Relocation Incentive may be authorized if applicable Permanent Change of Station (PCS): N/A Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/05/2024. 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-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. 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. Individual Occupational Requirement: This position has the following Individual Occupational Requirement: Education: 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). Courses in the history or teaching of chemistry are not acceptable. 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 may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: Specialized Experience is 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, applicants must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level of GS-09 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. Knowledge and ability to prepare technical written and oral detailed plans, survey reports, corrective action, and follow-up reports...OR, Education: Applicants may also qualify for this position at the GS-11 level based on their education. Applicants must have successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related...OR, Combination: Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification for this position at the GS-11 level. Only graduate education more than the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for this position at the GS-11 level. Preferred Experience: Industrial Hygiene experience to include conducting studies on work operations and processes, inspecting work environments, interpreting data, making recommendations, and generating various reports. Environmental circumstances include physical, chemical, and biological risks, as well as ionizing and non- ionizing radiation and other environment agents. In depth understanding (knowledge and experience) of industrial hygiene concepts, procedures, standards, equipment, techniques, and approaches. Knowledge to a wide range of industrial and hazardous operations, including clinical, research, nuclear medicine, and radiological procedures. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: ChemistryCommunicationEnvironmental EngineeringHazardous MaterialsTechnical Competence 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. The use of and storage of hazardous drugs and materials; building construction; maintenance shops, generating plants; warehousing; and ground maintenance. Variety of other medical center and outpatient clinic operations that involve hazardous materials and environments. Physical Requirements: 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. 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 Oklahoma City VA Health Care System 921 Northeast 13th Street Oklahoma City, OK 73104 US
• Name: Wyolene Varner Finch
• Phone: 678-592-7734
• Email: [email protected]