Industrial Hygienist performs various duties to assess work practices and environmental conditions for hazards to the to the health and safety with employees and patients of the Lt. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr. VA Medical Center. Regularly inspects the medical center to identify potential occupational health hazards and the need for further investigative studies and surveys.

Duties

Incumbent must be resourceful in devising alternative methods to accomplish program objectives when technical guidelines are not always clear-cut, economic conflicts arise, etc. Work situations cover a wide variety of hazards, work activities and environments and involve numerous types and quantities of exposure to chemical, biological, physical and radiological hazards. Incumbent must exercise good judgement in selecting ways and means of adapting established methods of monitoring, analyzing and controlling to meet unique hazardous situations including interpretation of multiplicative hazardous factors in work operations. Duties include: Conducting studies of work operations and processes, examining work environments, analyzing findings, promulgating recommendations, and preparing various reports. 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. 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. Receives and disposes of hazardous wastes and maintains appropriate records in accordance with existing EPA standards, state law 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. Conducts program for the education of workers in the prevention of occupational exposures and diseases at the medical center (hazard communication program). Presents expert testimony before courts of law, hearing boards, workmen's compensation commissions, and other investigative bodies covering all matters pertaining to industrial hygiene. Performs on-site inspection of new construction to ensure compliance with all applicable codes and standards. Actively participates in and advises multidisciplinary committees on matters related to industrial hygiene. Work Schedule: Multiple shifts Monday- Friday, 7:00am to 3:30pm , or 7:30am to 4:00pm, or 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: Not Authorized. Position Description Title/PD#: Industrial Hygienist/ PD 50208-0 Remote: Not Authorized. Physical Requirements: The performance of duties requires long period 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.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): You must meet one of the following basic requirements below to be eligible for the GS-0690, Industrial Hygiene job series. The education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Applicants must meet one of the following Basic 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 (ABIH). Note: You must submit a copy of your certification with your application. Certification cannot be credited without documentation. Please note: Courses in the history or teaching of chemistry are not acceptable. 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. In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements above, applicants must also meet one of the grade specific requirements listed below: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of an Industrial Hygienist, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Examples of Specialized experience includes but is not limited to: Specifies goals and obstacles to achieving those goals, generates alternatives, considers risks, and evaluates and chooses the best alternative in order to make a determination, draw conclusions or solve a problem. Use knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on the job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues. Effectively expresses information to multiple audiences through clear dissemination of information and ideas; actively listens to others and demonstrates understanding of their comments and/or questions. Knowledge of procedures for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring programs or projects for compliance with Federal laws, regulations, and guidance. Demonstrates knowledge of the principles of health risk analysis; establish an exposure assessment strategy; collect basic characterization information (workplace, work force, and agents); assess exposure to the work force; prioritize health risks; implement monitoring and control strategies for unacceptable exposures; schedule and perform periodic reassessments; and document and communicate health risk exposure. ~OR~ Possess 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or equivalent doctoral degree in a course of study directly related to this position. Note: Transcripts required. ~OR~ Combination of specialized experience and successfully completed graduate level education beyond a Master's degree (36 semester hours) in a course of study directly related to this position. 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. 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.

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.

Contacts

• Address Memphis VA Medical Center 1030 Jefferson Avenue Memphis, TN 38104 US
• Name: Lewis Forester
• Phone: 407-669-8072
• Email: [email protected]