Industrial Hygienist

Summary Employee will serve as an Industrial Hygienist assigned to the Safety and Emergency Management Service located at the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System in Palo Alto, CA. Learn more about this agency Duties ***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Duties will include, but may not be limited to the following: Plans and conduct industrial hygiene surveys and evaluations to ensure compliance with environmental, occupational health, and safety standards. Performs exposure assessments, recommends control, and provides technical advice to program officials. Assessments include identifying hazards such as physical, chemical, biological, and radiological risks across diverse work areas, including industrial shops, surgical suites, laboratories, research facilities, confined spaces, productions areas, and outdoor sites. Operates appropriate sampling equipment, performs analytical tests, interprets results, and recommends corrective actions in compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards and other regulatory requirements. Evaluates hazardous and infectious waste handling and storage practices and recommends controls to program officials in accordance with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), state, local and other regulations, which may involve documents employee exposures and disposal activities. Prepares comprehensive reports of monitoring activities, evaluates program effectiveness, and ensure legally sufficient documentation of all industrial hygiene activities. Develops and delivers training programs for healthcare personnel and collaborates with affiliated agencies on occupational and environmental health matters. Conducts evaluations in specialized exposure areas such as asbestos, ethylene oxide, formaldehyde, nitrous oxide, mercury, antineoplastic drugs, hearing conservation, hazard communications, respirator protection, and water quality parameters, and helps implement control measures. Perform other duties, as necessary. Work Schedule: Full-Time, Monday-Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: This position may be authorized for ad-hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Requirements Conditions of employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Required Documents" below for details. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications BASIC REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must meet one of the following Basic Requirements. The education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education(external link) at the time the degree was obtained. Courses in the history or teaching of chemistry are not acceptable. (TRANSCRIPT AND/OR CERTIFICATION REQUIRED) A. 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 B. 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 C. Certification from the Board for Global EHS Credentialing (formerly American Board of Industrial Hygiene(external link) (ABIH)). In addition to the Basic Requirement, applicants must meet at least one of the following specialized experience and/or education qualification requirements. A. EXPERIENCE: One year of specialized experience that equipped me with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: Planning and conducting industrial hygiene surveys and evaluations to ensure compliance with environmental, occupational health, and safety standards; performing exposure assessments, recommends controls, and provides technical advice to program officials; operating appropriate sampling equipment, performs analytical tests, interprets results, and recommends corrective actions; evaluating hazardous and infectious waste handling and storage practices; and developing and delivering training on industrial hygiene topics (e.g. hazard communication, respiratory protections, chemical hygiene, hearing conservation) to employees and supervisors. OR B. EDUCATION (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Successfully completed 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, related to the position as described above. OR C. COMBINATION (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience to meet total experience requirements. Only graduate education in excess of 2 years is creditable towards meeting this requirement. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: The performance of duties requires longs periods of walking, standing, crawling, kneeling, and bending. Moderate lifting and carrying 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. Employee is subjected to risks and discomforts associated with industrial and healthcare activities of the agency, and may encounter exposure to hazardous materials including biological, chemical, and radioactive agents. 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/. Education IMPORTANT: 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 Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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. 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. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 80 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. Note: Per "Executive Order 14251: Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs", this position is no longer eligible for bargaining unit participation. Expand Hide  additional information Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Benefits A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. Review our benefits Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.