Industrial Hygienist

Full Job Description

This position is with the U. S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). This position is in Birmingham Region's Birmingham Area Office located in Birmingham, AL.

The full performance level of these positions is at the GS-12 grade level. Position is in the bargaining unit. A writing sample may be included as a part of the interview process.

Selectee will be expected to report to the office listed above. THIS POSITION HAS A BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT. ALL APPLICANTS MUST MEET THIS REQUIREMENT IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED.

Applicants must meet one of the following 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 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.

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 must meet the "Individual Occupational Requirements" listed above and the "Specialized Experience" to qualify for Industrial Hygienist, as described below.

At the GS-07 level: In addition to meeting the individual occupational requirement, applicants must have at least 52 weeks specialized experience at the next lower level in the normal career progression of the position being filled.

When compared to Federal experience, this experience must be equivalent to at least the next lower grade level of GS-05. This experience may have been gained either in the Federal or private sectors.

Resumes should reflect the majority but is not limited to the following specialized experience listed below: Assisting in the planning of or conducting basic occupational safety or occupational health inspections of workplaces Identifying occupational health and safety hazards; evaluating occupational safety or occupational health programs and making recommendations for improvement when deficiencies are noted Applying occupational safety and/or occupational health standards and criteria to unsafe working conditions.

At the GS-09 level: In addition to meeting the individual occupational requirement, applicants must have at least 52 weeks specialized experience at the next lower level in the normal career progression of the position being filled.

When compared to Federal experience, this experience must be equivalent to at least the next lower grade level of GS-07. This experience may have been gained either in the Federal or Private sectors.

Resumes should reflect the majority but is not limited to the following specialized experience listed below: Assisting in the planning of or conducting of occupational safety or occupational health inspections Conducting research and studies records or files regarding Occupational safety or occupational health mishaps/accidents Identifying occupational health and safety hazard Assisting in or knowledge of calculating penalties to be assessed based on the gravity of occupational safety and/or occupational health violations To qualify for this position solely on education, in addition to meeting the IOR, the following education may be used to substitute for specialized experience: For GS-07: One full year of progressively higher-level graduate education.

or Superior academic achievement in a bachelor's degree program. S.A.A. is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership.

Class standing -- Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, based on completed courses.

Grade-point average (G.P.A.)-- Applicants must have a grade-point average of: a.

3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or b.

3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.

3. Election to membership in a National Honor Society - membership in a freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision.

or A qualifying combination of education and competencies as described below.

For GS-09: 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree.

Combining Education and Experience In addition to meeting the basic education requirement, an equivalent combination of successfully completed related graduate (GS-09) level education and specialized experience as described in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement, can be used to meet the total experience requirements for this position.

For more information please click here (Application of Qualification Standard/Option 5).

If you wish to use your education as a basis for meeting the eligibility and/or minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must submit academic transcripts demonstrating that you meet the qualifying educational requirements.

If specific course work is required to fulfill the eligibility and/or minimum qualification requirements, you must supply transcripts from each academic institution in which the required courses were taken in order to receive credit for that course work.

See the 'Qualifications and Evaluations' section of this announcement for more details. Major Duties:

GS-07: Develops contacts with higher-graded specialists, industrial hygienists, and safety engineers in the immediate office or assigned inspection/compliance review assignment as well as line supervisors, employees, and employee representatives met during assigned inspections or compliance reviews.

Communicates the nature and type of hazards and unsafe working conditions encountered, and to coordinate the carrying out of measures to correct any adverse occurrence, unguarded machine operations, and fire hazards.

Motivates and encourages personnel who are usually willing and cooperative to adopt safe working practices and to remedy hazardous conditions.

Resolves assignments that consist of specific, often unrelated duties which provide an orientation to occupational work and the different types of safety hazards and unsafe working conditions and the techniques, measures, and procedures used to eliminate or control them.

Makes recommendations concerning the appropriate course of action to be followed by determining the merits of the case and by evaluating testimony and the applicability of OSHA policies and court decisions.

GS-09: Deposes, makes affidavits and testifies in a court of law where an opposing attorney may challenge the competence of the IH including his/her work methods or findings.

Identifies areas in need of immediate corrective action or conditions which are of imminent danger to life or limb.

Assists in investigating mishaps resulting in fatalities or injuries and serious incidents.

Assists in conducting sampling, arranging for shipment of samples to laboratory for analysis, reviewing laboratory analyses, and preparing reports which include findings and recommendations for control of identified hazards.

Inspect worksites, machine, equipment operations, environmental conditions, work practices, protective devices, equipment, and safety procedures.

Conducts research assignments using internet technology to prepare for onsite inspections or in response to requests for information.

Selects and applies appropriate regulatory provisions to determine whether establishments are complying with prevailing safety and occupational health standards.

Uses the automated system to calculate penalties assessed based on the gravity of the violations and consideration of the severity of possible injury or illness and the probability that such should occur.