The Industrial Hygienist is responsible for the Industrial Hygiene Program which includes but is not limited to the following programs: respiratory protection, hearing conservation, indoor air quality, hazard communication, emergency decontamination preparedness, confined space, asbestos, lead and mold control and abatement, environmental monitoring, water testing and treatment, waste management, ergonomics and green environmental management.

Duties

Duties include but not limited to: Performs various duties to assess work practices and environmental conditions for hazards to the health and safety of workers. Conducting studies of work operations and processes, examining work environments, analyzing findings, promulgating recommendations, and preparing various reports. Performs studies and surveys to determine compliance with various established criteria, evaluate exposures, and advise on control measures and changes in work procedures or schedules to comply with established health requirements, and provide information for evaluation purposes. Interprets results of studies for the work environment in terms of possible impairment to health , nature of health impairment, potential for Southern Arizona VA Health Care System facility damages, etc., and presents specific conclusions and recommendations to appropriate management and health officials. Prepares comprehensive and legally sufficient written reports of all monitoring activities performed that 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. Conducts programs for the education of workers in the prevention of occupational exposures and diseases at the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System facility from physical and chemical hazards (hazard communication program). Performs, verifies, reviews chemical inventories throughout the facility. Manages the hearing conservation program. Evaluates effectiveness of personal protective equipment used by employees through noise measurements, and provides training. Reviews departmental-specific personal protective plans and in conjunction with supervisory staff, conducts hazard assessments for correctness of protective items chosen. Conducts fit testing and training for employees requiring tight fitting respirator s, powered air purifying respirators and N95 respirators. Identifies and requisitions test equipment used in performing industrial hygiene tasks. Performs or arranges for proper calibration and maintenance of equipment. Preferred Experience: Seasoned Industrial Hygienist, 10 years of more experience desirable. Experience with Job Hazard Analysis, confined space and fit testing programs. **** Recruitment/Relocation incentive may be authorized to high qualified applicants**** Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Industrial Hygienist/PD10057A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/06/2024. Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): Basic Educational Requirement: The education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (external link) 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 transcript is required to be part of your application) 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; (A transcript is required to be part of your application) OR, Certification from the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH) (You are required submit a copy of this certification as part of your application). Courses in the history or teaching of chemistry are not acceptable. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-11 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the federal service). Specialized experience includes but is not limited to: Assess work practices and/or environmental conditions for hazards to the health and safety of workers; Perform analysis to determine nature and degree of toxic materials present; Perform, verify, review chemical inventories throughout the facility; Identify and requisition test equipment used in performing industrial hygiene tasks; Perform or arranges for proper calibration and maintenance of equipment; Conduct programs for the education of workers in the prevention of occupational exposures and diseases. OR, Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-11 level. 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 addition to the Basic Education Requirement above. (A transcript is required to be part of your application) OR, Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-11 level. (A transcript is required to be part of your application) 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. 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.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. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analytical ThinkingCommunicationComplianceTechnical 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. 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: Duties require 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 Tucson VA Medical Center 3601 South Sixth Avenue Tucson, AZ 85723 US
• Name: Edgar Uriarte
• Phone: 5628268000 X6892
• Email: [email protected]