Industrial Hygienist

Full Job Description

The position serves as the Industrial Hygienist assigned to the Safety and Emergency Management Service at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS).

VAPAHCS is a Level 1a facility and ranks among a complex system in VA service the VA Sierra Pacific Network (VISN 21).

The incumbent assesses occupational health hazards associated with a wide variety of work situations, including laboratory, clinical, research, and maintenance operations, and recommends appropriate control measures.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/06/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service.

An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials.

If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement.

In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade.

Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

This Occupational series has Individual Occupational Requirements The Basic requirements are: 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 for Global EHS Credentialing (formerly American Board of Industrial Hygiene(external link) (ABIH)).

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 (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) as a professional engineering curriculum.

Evaluation of Experience Qualifying experience involves the 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.

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.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Developing and advising on a comprehensive industrial hygiene program and monitoring and conducting workplace inspections to determine compliance with health and safety standards and regulations; recognition, evaluation, corrective actions, preparing comprehensive industrial hygiene reports; 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.

OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience.

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 directly related to the position being filled. 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 a master's degree.

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/.

Major Duties:

The incumbent assesses occupational health hazards associated with a wide variety of work situations, including laboratory, clinical, research, and maintenance operations, and recommends appropriate control measures.

The position supports facility programs that address wastewater treatment, environmental media permitting, and toxic substances by evaluating occupational exposure aspects and advising responsible program offices on worker protection requirements.

The incumbent works in coordination with Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) and related environmental program staff to ensure that occupational health considerations are incorporated into facility policies and programs.

Major duties include, but are not limited to: Independently planning and conducting industrial hygiene surveys and evaluations that ensure compliance with environmental, occupational health, and safety standards.

Conducting workplace health surveys and environmental assessments to identify hazards such as physical, chemical, biological, and radiological risks across diverse work areas, including industrial shops, surgical suites, laboratories, research facilities, confined spaces, production areas, and outdoor sites.

Selecting and operating appropriate sampling equipment, performing analytical tests, interpreting results, and recommending corrective actions to ensure compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards and other regulatory requirements.

Provides technical advice and recommendations to service chiefs, program managers, and other facility leaders, and may brief senior management on significant industrial hygiene issues], develops and delivers training programs for healthcare personnel, and collaborates with federal, state, and local agencies on occupational and environmental health matters Additional responsibilities include preparing comprehensive reports of monitoring activities, evaluating program effectiveness within assigned areas, and ensuring legally sufficient documentation of all industrial hygiene activities.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 08:00am - 04:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Applicable Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Industrial Hygienist/PD640-03370-O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized