U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Industrial Hygienist

Department of Labor
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This Position is with the Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Region 3; and will report to one of the following Area Offices: Charleston, WV or Philadelphia, PA.

  • This is not a virtual position.
  • This position is inside the bargaining unit.
  • Candidate may be required to submit a writing sample as part of the interview process.
  • Additional selections may be made from this vacancy announcement, if approved.

Learn more about this agency
Help

Overview

  • Hiring complete
  • Open & closing dates

    09/23/2022 to 09/29/2022

  • Salary

    $54,727 - $77,728 per year

    See 'Other Duties' below for the locality pay table for each location.

  • Pay scale & grade

    GS 09

  • Help

    Locations

    few vacancies in the following locations:

  • Remote job

    No

  • Telework eligible

    Yes—as determined by the agency policy.

  • Travel Required

    75% or less - for on site investigations and compliance reviews.

  • Relocation expenses reimbursed

    No

  • Appointment type

    Permanent -

  • Work schedule

    Full-time -

  • Service

    Competitive

  • Promotion potential

    12 - GS-12

  • Job family (Series)

    0690 Industrial Hygiene

  • Supervisory status

    No

  • Security clearance

    Other

  • Drug test

    Yes

  • Position sensitivity and risk

    Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

  • Trust determination process

    Suitability/Fitness


  • Announcement number

    DE-22-BOS-OSHA-778

  • Control number

    679194500

Help

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is open to U.S. Citizens; Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) eligibles in the local commuting area.

Help

Duties

Be a part of Department of Labor (DOL)! 

Join the mission to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; to help improve working conditions; to advance opportunities for profitable employment; and to assure work-related benefits and rights!  

OSHA's Mission:   With the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Congress created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for workers by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.  Join our team!

Major Duties of this position include but are not limited to the following: 

GS-9 Level duties

  • Assists in assessing the quality and uniformity of inspection programs and interviews officials in order to identify real of potential problems.
  • Assists in conducting, evaluating and analyzing select portions of OSHA programs, procedures, inspections, citations, and reports to determine compliance with approved occupational safety standards and programs.
  • Evaluates inspection records, assists in conducting investigations, and prepares select reports. Participates in re-inspections of workplaces previously inspected by state compliance personnel.
  • Assists in planning and conducting portions of or limited inspections or compliance reviews of private businesses and worksites whose operations are generally characterized by the presence of moderately stable, low-risk processes and some higher hazards and unsafe working conditions.
  • Writes complete and legally sufficient case files documenting all inspection procedures, interviews, sampling, identified hazards, and corrective actions.
  • Assists in conducting or may conduct opening and closing conferences with management officials, employees, and labor representatives regarding enforcement findings and applicable occupational safety and health policies and regulations.

Additional Salary Information with locality pay

Please see the links below for the Pay Tables for each location:

Philadelphia, PA:    https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/pdf/2022/PHL.pdf

Charleston, WV:    https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/pdf/2022/RUS.pdf

Help

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Subject to drug test prior to appointment at GS-11 and GS-12 grade levels.
  • Appointment to this position may require a background investigation.
  • Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
  • Requires a medical examination and must meet physical requirements.
  • Requires a valid drivers license and ability to operate a motor vehicle.
  • Must be at least 16 years old and a U.S. Citizen.
  • You will be required to lift items weighing up to 25 pounds,
  • This position requires the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the "Required Documents" section for additional requirements.

Notification Concerning COVID-19 Vaccinations.  As required by Executive Order 14043, Federal executive branch employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of the employee's duty location or work arrangement (e.g., telework, remote work, etc.), subject to such exceptions as required by law.  If selected, you will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and to submit documentation of proof of vaccination or to be in the process of requesting an exception to the vaccination requirement before appointment or onboarding with the agency.  The agency will provide additional information regarding which forms of documentation can be accepted and how you can request to be considered for a legally required exception from this requirement.  

Currently, implementation and enforcement of Executive Order 14043 has been suspended pursuant to an injunction pending further litigation.

This position requires an initial medical examination and reoccurring medical examinations throughout employment in this position, as a condition of employment. If you refuse the medical examination, do not submit required medical documentation, or do not meet the medical requirements of the position, the tentative job offer will be rescinded and you will not be extended a final job offer or may be removed from Federal service. The legal authority to conduct medical examinations is found under 5 CFR § 339.301 - Authority to require an examination.

Qualifications

THIS POSITION HAS A BASIC EDUCATION, INDIVIUAL OCCUPATIONAL 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 American Board of Industrial Hygiene (external link) (ABIH).

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 GS-09:  

In addition to meeting the basic education requirement, Applicants must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience at the next lower level in the normal career progression of the position being filled. When comparing Private Sector to Federal Service experience, this specialized experience must be equivalent to at least the next lower grade level of GS-07. Resumes should reflect but is not limited to the following specialized experience listed below:

  • Assisting in the planning of and/or conducting occupational safety and/or occupational health inspections of workplaces where the exposures and types of hazards are predictable in advance. Examples may include the following:
    • Health sampling;
    • Chemical exposures and/or overexposures;
    • Noise exposures and/or overexposures;
    • Equipment and/or machine operations;
    • Environmental conditions;
    • Work practices;
    • Protective devices and/or protective equipment;
    • Safety procedures.
  • Studying records and/or files regarding any of the following:
    • Occupational safety and/or occupational health mishaps/accidents;
    • Occupational safety and/or occupational health injuries;
    • Equipment maintenance data.
  • Identifying occupational health and safety hazards;
  • Recording and/or photographing plain-view occupational safety and/or occupational health hazards
  • Evaluating occupational safety and/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;
  • Interpreting and/or applying standards and/or criteria and/or operating instructions for occupational safety and/or occupational health.


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.  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.

Education

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 undergraduate (GS-07) and 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.  

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum course work requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

Read more

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be evaluated against the evaluation factors below and will be placed into a category based on your vacancy question responses.

Categories

Category A - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and has successful experience in the same or similar job that has demonstrated superior proficiency in applying critical competencies required by this position to work of increased levels of difficulty and complexity.

Category B - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and demonstrates satisfactory proficiency in the critical competencies required by this position.

Category C - Meets the specialized experience described in the minimum qualifications requirements section of this announcement and demonstrates proficiency in the basic competencies.

Evaluation Factors (Competencies) - All qualified applicants will be evaluated on the following key competencies:

Technical: Uses knowledge acquired through formal training/extensive on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.

Interpersonal SkillsShows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others

Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.

Self-Management - Sets well-defined and realistic personal goals; monitors progress and is motivated to achieve; manages own time and deals with stress effectively

Information Management - Identifies a need for and knows where or how to gather information; organizes and maintains information or information management systems.

Technology Application - Uses machines, tools, instruments, or equipment effectively; uses computers and computer applications to analyze and communicate information in the appropriate format.

Oral Communication - Expresses information to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information; makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

The information you provide on your resume may be verified by a review of your work experience, employment start/end dates/hours worked and/or education, by checking references and through other means (ex. interview). The examining Office of Human Resources (OHR) makes the final determination concerning applicant ratings. Your resume MUST provide sufficient information to substantiate your responses to the vacancy questions. If not, the OHR may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the level of competency indicated by the content of your resume. Your evaluation may also include a review by a Human Resources Specialist or panel and may include other assessments (ex. interview, panel review, written test, writing sample, etc.)

If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be evaluated against the evaluation factors below and will be placed into a category based on your vacancy question responses.


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Help

Required Documents

The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date. You are not required to submit a document if it does not apply to you. Warning: If you submit a document using the same document title, the 2nd submission will OVERWRITE the 1st submission. Also, do not upload password-protected documents.

- Resumes are required - provide a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one from your profile. To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please list the month, year, and the number of work hours worked for the experience listed on your resume.  We also suggest that you preview the vacancy questions, and confirm that your resume supports your question responses. 

- Veterans Documents (if applicable): To be considered as a 5-point preference eligible, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD214. Your DD-214 must show the type of discharge and dates of active duty. To claim 10-point preference, you must submit a copy of your DD214; an Application for 10-point Veteran's Preference, SF15; and the proof of entitlement of this preference which is normally an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. (For active duty service members expecting honorable or general discharge or release within 120 days, click Active Duty). Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's preference. For more information, go to https://www.fedshirevets.gov.

- Displaced Employee Placement Documents – Only required if requesting priority consideration under CTAP or ICTAP eligibility.

Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience, but may be submitted. Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship, and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires.
 

Unofficial Transcript(s) (in English) - If you are using education as a basis for qualifying for this position, you must submit all applicable academic transcripts demonstrating that you meet the qualifying educational requirements (ex. BA/BS, MA, JD, Ph.D., etc.).  If specific coursework is required to qualify, you must supply an unofficial transcript from each academic institution in which the required courses were taken in order to receive credit.

You may upload your unofficial transcript(s) as one document (3 MB size limit). If over 3 MB, please submit via fax feature.

 NOTE: The OFFICIAL Transcript(s) MUST BE RECEIVED, if you are selected, and prior to receiving the firm offer with a start date.

Reference the “Education Section” for College Transcript and Evaluation of Foreign Education.

INFORMATION FOR ICTAP/CTAP ELIGIBLE(S) ONLY: If you are eligible for special priority selection under ICTAP/CTAP, you must be well-qualified for the position to receive consideration. ICTAP/CTAP eligible(s) who are placed into Category B or higher will be considered "well-qualified." Be sure to review DOL Account Eligibility Questions #24 to reflect that you are applying as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible and submit supporting documentation. Click Application of Veterans Preference for Category Rating Jobs for more information.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Help

How to Apply

Read more

Agency contact information

Christine Romans

Phone

3123531207

TDD

7-1-1

Email

romans.christine.l@dol.gov

Address

Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Admin
OHR Branch D
Boston, Massachusetts 02203
United States
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Read more

This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/679194500. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.