Industrial Hygienist

Summary

These Industrial Hygienist positions are organizationally located in Facilities Management at the VA Boston Healthcare System (West Roxbury and Brockton campuses). Each position is full-time at 40 hours per week.

Duties

Performs various duties to assess work practices and environmental conditions for hazards to the health and safety of workers to include conducting studies, analyzing findings, and preparing various reports. Reviews Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Environmental Protection Agency regulations, as well as Food and Drug Administration reports, recall alerts, and other notifications to determine if any hazardous material supplies are in use that require removal. Promptly takes action on any hazardous products restricted by medical facility, ensuring they will be immediately suspended from use and held in a separate area pending disposition instructions with consultation with the Green Environmental Systems Coordinator. Performs sampling using standard methods and reviews of results to determine the nature and degree of toxic/hazardous material present in a variety of constituents (air, water, soil, etc.). Determines types of measurements to be made and methods to be used. Calibrates and adapts various kinds of equipment such as air sampling pumps, moisture meters, direct reading instrumentation, screening devices, noise survey instruments, quantitative and qualitative fit testing equipment, etc. Conducts respirator fit testing where evaluation of health hazards or potential health hazards requires the use of this personal protective equipment. Conducts assessments of emergency eyewash and shower facilities and completes characterizations of confined spaces throughout the medical center. Reviews and approves all hazardous materials for the medical facility using a chemical management system. Assists services with storage and handling requirements relating to chemical compatibility, allowable storage quantities and requirements, rotation of products to reduce waste, etc. Conducts surveys to identify and evaluate health hazards and potential health hazards to include determining compliance with established occupational and environmental limits, evaluating exposures and advising on control measures and changes in work procedures or schedules to comply with the established health requirements and to provide information for evaluation purposes. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST Position Description Title/PD#: Industrial Hygienist/PD523-04278-0 Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year). Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA. Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement). Telework: This position may be authorized for ad-hoc telework which occurs on an occasional, non-routine basis and is utilized to complete short-term special assignments or to accommodate special circumstances even though the telework arrangement may occur continuously for a limited and specific period of time. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Financial Disclosure: Not Required Notifications: This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until 12/31/2026. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be 11/19/2026, with subsequent cut-off dates bi-weekly. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled. This position is in the Competitive Service. This position is not a Bargaining Unit position. This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay. Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/31/2026. Industrial Hygiene Series, 0690 Individual Occupational Requirements Basic Requirements The education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. 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 (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. In addition to meeting the Individual Occupational Requirements listed above, you may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-09: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to a