Industrial Hygienist - Recruitment Incentive Authorized

Veterans Health Administration • Iowa City, IA

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The Industrial Hygienist develops, implements, and manages comprehensive industrial hygiene programs to identify, evaluate, and control workplace hazards that could affect employee health and well-being. The role manages programs covering respirators, ventilation, asbestos, ergonomics, heat stress, indoor air quality, hazardous communication, OSHA lead, mercury, waste anesthetic, and formaldehyde, and assists with medical surveillance, hearing conservation, laser safety, incident review, hazardous drugs, bloodborne pathogens, and confined-space entry programs.

The position conducts exposure surveys and evaluations, selects or oversees sampling methods, analyzes samples and scientific data, and recommends corrective controls. It also serves as Hazardous Materials Officer, coordinating and auditing environmental health requirements, and as a technical representative for facility design, construction, modifications, operation, and maintenance. The role reviews construction plans, trains staff, responds to inquiries and deficiencies, and maintains and updates program documentation and policies.

The work is primarily performed in an office, with industrial-hazard exposure expected multiple times weekly during walk-through surveys. The position is self-directed and may be authorized for ad-hoc telework; it is not a virtual position. The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Recruitment or relocation incentives may be authorized for highly qualified applicants.

Requirements

• Meet one of the basic education or certification routes: a bachelor's or graduate degree in industrial hygiene, occupational health sciences, occupational and environmental health, toxicology, safety sciences, or a related science; or a bachelor's degree in engineering, physical science, or life science with 12 semester hours in chemistry, including organic chemistry, and 18 additional semester hours in specified related subjects; or American Board of Industrial Hygiene certification.
• Provide transcripts and/or certification as applicable to establish the basic qualification requirement.
• Have one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-09, involving professional industrial hygiene work, including hazard recognition, evaluation, and control; exposure-data collection and analysis; evaluation of chemical, physical, biological, and ergonomic stresses; assessment of health effects; and recommendation of corrective controls. Alternatively, qualify through the stated graduate-education substitution or combination of education and experience.
• Qualifying experience must include acquisition of quantitative and qualitative data and measurement of chemical, physical, and biological exposures; analysis of data and prediction of probable health effects; and selection or recommendation of management, medical, engineering, education or training, and PPE controls.
• Submit a resume that clearly supports questionnaire responses and claimed experience; transcripts are required when qualifying based on education.
• Courses in the history or teaching of chemistry do not count toward the specified chemistry coursework.
• Meet the stated education accreditation requirements; foreign education requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with the transcript.
• Complete the application, questionnaire, and required online assessment.
• Register for Selective Service if male and born after December 31, 1959.
• Pass the required background/security investigation and online onboarding process, and provide acceptable employment-identification documents.
• Meet the Department of Veterans Affairs seasonal influenza vaccination requirement or obtain an eligible exemption.
• Serve a one-year probationary period.
• Participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process.

Responsibilities

• Develop, plan, implement, and manage comprehensive industrial hygiene programs.
• Lead development of facility industrial hygiene goals, policies, and procedural documentation.
• Manage industrial hygiene programs, including respirator, ventilation, asbestos, ergonomics, heat stress, indoor air quality, hazardous communication, OSHA lead, mercury, waste anesthetic, and formaldehyde programs.
• Assist with programs such as medical surveillance, hearing conservation, laser safety, incident and accident review, hazardous drugs, bloodborne pathogens, and permit-required confined-space entry.
• Conduct in-depth surveys and evaluate working conditions to determine hazardous exposures and the effectiveness of control measures.
• Apply appropriate sampling techniques and procedures, and oversee contractors conducting monitoring when needed.
• Perform sample analyses and evaluate scientific data.
• Analyze exposure findings and recommend or develop corrective controls, including changes to work procedures, systems, materials, or personal protective equipment.
• Serve as Hazardous Materials Officer, initiating, developing, administering, coordinating, and auditing environmental health activities at Federal, State, and municipal levels.
• Audit compliance with protocols and guidelines established by NIH, CDC, The Joint Commission, the College of American Pathologists, the National Sanitation Foundation, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, particularly for biological hazards and related controls.
• Represent the program technically in facility and infrastructure design, modifications, operation, and maintenance to ensure compliance with applicable standards and regulations.
• Review construction drawings and advise on the location and adequacy of eyewashes, biological and chemical safety devices, and industrial hygiene requirements.
• Educate and train staff and other personnel on program requirements, occupational health, hazard awareness, safe work procedures, PPE, and materials handling.
• Prepare correspondence responding to inquiries, deficiencies, and action plans related to industrial hygiene.
• Manage program reports and documents, including analyses, inspections, hazardous findings, and audits.
• Review and update policies, and perform other duties as necessary.

Benefits

• Federal employees and their families have access to a comprehensive benefits package; specific benefits depend on position type and should be confirmed with the hiring agency.
• VA may credit job-related non-federal experience or active-duty uniformed military service when determining annual leave accrual, if requested and approved before appointment; this is not guaranteed.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level