Industrial Hygienist

Summary

The Industrial Hygienist at the Minneapolis 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. Industrial hygiene is concerned with the recognition‑evaluation‑and control of those workplace environmental conditions or stresses arising in or from the workplace that may cause sickness, impaired health, significant discomfort, or inefficiency.

To qualify for this position applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. 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 Board of Global EHS Credentialing (formerly American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH)).
  
  Note:
  
  Transcripts and/or certification required. 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 as a professional engineering curriculum.

Evaluation of

Experience:

Qualifying experience involves the recognition, evaluation, and corrective actions of environmental conditions in the workplace that cause 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, 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 (equivalent to the GS‑09 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position.
• Substitution of Education for Experience (Transcript Required):
  Successfully completed 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or equivalent doctoral degree related to the position.
• 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. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned, then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify at the GS‑09.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience—including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, Ameri Corps) and other organizations. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must…