This positions are located within the Occupational Safety Service within the VA Portland Health Care System located in Vancouver, WA. The Industrial Hygienist performs various duties in an Industrial Hygiene program to access work practices and environmental conditions for hazards to the health and safety of workers.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all time-in-grade and specialized experience requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 07/29/2025. Driver's License Requirement: Applicants must possess a valid, unrestricted State driver's license, have a safe driving record, and demonstrate that he or she is medically qualified to operate the appropriate motor vehicle safely. Applicants are required to pass agency Government Vehicle Drivers physical examination. NOTE: We cannot accept photographs, therefore; please do not submit a copy of your driver's license with your application package. If an interview is requested, you may be required to provide a copy of your valid state-issued driver's license. 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 within 30 days of 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. Basic Requirements: You must meet one of the following basic requirements below to be eligible for the GS-0690, Industrial Hygiene job series. The education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Applicants must meet one of the following Basic 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 American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH). Note: You must submit a copy of your certification with your application. Certification cannot be credited without documentation. Please note: Courses in the history or teaching of chemistry are not acceptable. 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. In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements above, applicants must also meet one of the grade specific requirements listed 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: 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. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successful completion of 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. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the second year) and specialized experience, 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. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communication Compliance Safety Engineering Technical Competence 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. 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. 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. 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/.
The major duties include but are not limited to: Conducts studies of work operations and processes; Examines work environments and identifies potential occupational health hazards; Determines the need for further investigative studies and surveys; Selects and/or devises methods and instruments used for surveys/studies; Analyzes findings and evaluates exposures; Performs analysis to determine nature and degree of toxic materials present; Interprets results of studies for the work environment in terms of possible impairment to health, nature of health impairment, potential for medical center damages, etc.; Advises on control measures and changes in work procedures or schedules to comply with established health requirements; Presents specific conclusions and recommendations to appropriate management and health officials; Receives and disposes of hazardous wastes; Maintains appropriate records in accordance with existing Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards, state laws, and VA regulations; Prepares comprehensive and legally sufficient written reports of all monitoring activities performed; Ensures proper documentation of employee exposures in medical records; and, Performs all other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:30 am - 4:00 pm PST Telework: Not authorized for telework. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Industrial Hygienist/PD21095A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. 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. Work Environment: The incumbent is frequently exposed to potentially hazardous conditions and materials such as noise, dust, asbestos, fumes, smoke gases, solvents, flammables, explosives, etc. Also, the incumbent is frequently exposed to equipment in operation and construction hazards. Temperatures encountered can be extremely hot or cold for periods of time. Per OSHA requirements, a beard is not permitted due to the usage of a respirator. The ability to operate a motor vehicle is necessary.