Summary This position, located at the Oklahoma City VA Health Care System, serves as an Industrial Hygienist and performs various duties in an Industrial Hygiene program to access work practices and environmental conditions for hazards to the health and safety of workers. Responsibilities Major duties of this position include but are not limited to... Provides for hazard/safety risk assessment for employee exposure Responsible for the management of hazardous chemicals used in the work environment Manages the Respirator Protection Program including fit testing and evaluation Conducts Noise Dosimetry studies and ensures proper hearing protection is used Performs ergonomic assessments existing and proposes new work processes to evaluate and make recommendations to alleviate ergonomic stressors Conducts collection of water quality testing for drinking water Conducts follow-up of other safety concerns within the facility (i.e. OSHA investigations, Joint Commission visits) Receives and disposes of hazardous wastes and maintains appropriate records in accordance with existing EPA standards, state laws, and VA regulations Prepares comprehensive and legally sufficient written reports of all monitoring activities performed which are subsequently incorporated into comprehensive reports prepared to assess the overall effectiveness of the industrial hygiene program Studies and surveys performed involve determining compliance with various established criteria, evaluating exposures, and advising on control measures and changes in work procedures or schedules to comply with established health requirements and providing information for evaluation purposes Regularly inspects the medical center to identify potential occupational health hazards and the need for further investigative studies and surveys Ensures proper documentation of employee exposures in medical records Conducts studies of work operations and processes, examining work environments, analyzing findings, promulgating recommendations, and preparing various reports Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Position Description Title/PD#: Industrial Hygienist/PD144650 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized to a highly qualified candidate Physical Requirements: The performance of duties requires long periods 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. Use of all appendages, good vision, and hearing are necessary. Emotional and mental stability are required. Driving is required. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. GS-11 grade level: One 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 (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: professional knowledge of industrial hygiene principles, procedures, standards, equipment, techniques, and methods; applies knowledge to a full range of industrial and hazardous operations such as clinical, research, nuclear medicine, and radiological procedures; use and storage of hazardous drugs and materials, building construction; maintenance shops; generating plants; warehousing; grounds maintenance; hazardous waste handling and disposal; and various other medical center and all outpatient clinic operations where there is exposure to hazardous materials and environments; expert in broad practice of industrial hygiene, making decisions affecting policies; develops programs to train and protect employees; provides consultative services to management and leadership; knowledge and skill in the use of a full range of industrial hygiene sampling techniques, instrumentation, analytical methods, and control measures utilized to identify and control industrial hygiene exposures; knowledge of administrative practices to manage and direct an industrial hygiene program including planning and initiating surveys of work operations to identify and quantify hazardous conditions, and personal contact with medical center personnel to convey information and obtain corrective action; and knowledge and ability to prepare technical written and oral detailed plans, survey reports, corrective action, and follow-up reports...OR, Education: Applicants may also qualify for this position using their education. To qualify through the use of education experience, applicants must possess 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree...OR, Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-11 level. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-11 level. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Preferred Experience: Industrial Hygiene experience to include conducting studies on work operations and processes, inspecting work environments, interpreting data, making recommendation, and generating various reports. Environmental circumstances include physical, chemical, and biological risks, as well as ionizing and non-ionizing radiation and other environmental agents. Receives and disposes of hazardous materials while keeping proper records in line with current EPA standards, state law and VA requirements. Prepares detailed and legally sufficient written reports on all monitoring activities undertaken, which are then included into complete reports designed to assess the overall efficiency of the industrial hygiene program. Ensures accurate documentation of employee exposures in medical records. In depth understanding (knowledge and experience) of industrial hygiene concepts, procedures, standards, equipment, techniques, and approaches. Apply knowledge to a wide range of industrial and hazardous operations; use and storage of hazardous drugs and materials, and a variety of other medical center and outpatient clinic operations that involve hazardous materials or environments. 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 A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. 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. Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities. 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. 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.
