Summary This Industrial Hygienist position is located in Facilities Management at the Charles George VA Medical Center and the Western North Carolina Health Care System in Asheville, NC. This position is full-time at 40 hours per week. Recruitment/Relocation Incentive may be authorized for highly qualified applicants THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO 12/6/24 DUE TO THE LACK OF APPLICATIONS AS OF 11/22/2024. Responsibilities The primary duties and responsibilities of the Industrial Hygienist includes but is not limited to the following: Develops industrial hygiene policies, performing environmental monitoring, recommending methods to abate occupational exposures, initiating medical surveillance procedures, maintaining proper records, and conducting employee training. Has the ability to anticipate, recognize, evaluate and formulate corrective action and/or control occupational hazards or stress (e.g., physical, chemical, biological and ergonomically) arising from the workplace which may cause inefficiency or significant health effects among employees. Conducts industrial hygiene inspections on a routine basis to determine compliance with occupational health regulations, recognized standards, and VA governing references through the use of techniques and practices commonly utilized in the profession. Investigates exposures which may include those involving fatalities, serious injuries, and complaints by employees concerning work conditions. Calibrates and uses various types of analytical equipment used in the field of industrial hygiene to include, but not limited to, air sampling pumps, sound level meters, noise dosimeters, light meters, velometers, portable infrared spectrophotometers, and mercury vapor analyzers. Has the responsibility as the designated official to implement and monitor all aspects of the hazard communication program as defined in 29 CPR 1910.1200.Serves as Administrator of the Respiratory Protection Program. Is designated as the designated hazardous materials coordinator for the hazardous material inventory. Maintains a reference library of technical references, guidance documents, and pertinent regulations of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the U.S. Department of Labor and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Work Schedule: M-F 0730 - 1600 Telework: This position is approved for Ad-Hoc Telework Only and must be approved by supervisor. THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION. Position Description Title/PD#: Industrial Hygienist/PD041570 Recruitment/Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for Highly Qualified Appicants. Physical Requirements: Work 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. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Basic Requirement: Do you possess a bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree in industrial hygiene, occupational health sciences, occupational and environmental health, toxicology, safety sciences, or related science. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED IF BEING USED TO MEET THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS) 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. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED IF BEING USED TO MEET THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS) OR A certification from the American Board of Industrial Hygiene. (CERTIFICATION REQUIRED IF BEING USED TO MEET THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS) 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 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. In addition, specialized experience also includes providing leadership guidance, technical assistance and evaluation for matters involving industrial hygiene, decontamination, and respiratory protection; planning, conducting or directing special studies concerned with occupational health problems; conducting surveys of working conditions; and performing sampling techniques of hazardous materials. (To be creditable, experience must be clearly detailed on your resume). OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed three (3) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the Industrial Hygienist position. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) This graduate education must have provided you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of an Industrial Hygienist.. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate level education (beyond a Master's or equivalent graduate degree) the second year o) as described above, which may be used to meet total experience requirements for this grade level. The education portion must include graduate courses that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the Industrial Hygienist position. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Hazardous Materials Health Risk Analysis Compliance Inspection Communication 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. Additional Information Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. A supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/. Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.