Industrial Hygienist

Salary: $81,415.00 to $105,845.00 Per Year

The Industrial Hygienist at the Minneapolis VA performs a variety of functions related to the identification, evaluation, and control of occupational health hazards and to the promotion of healthful and safe working conditions. Industrial hygiene is concerned with the recognition, evaluation, and control of those workplace environmental conditions or stresses arising in or from the workplace, which may cause sickness, impaired health, significant discomfort, or inefficiency.

Major duties

Major duties include but are not limited to: Serve as Hazardous Materials Officer and responsible for initiation, development, administration, coordination and auditing of the Hazardous Materials Program. Apply appropriate sampling techniques and procedures and may oversee the work of contractors engaged to perform specific monitoring. Respond to any requests, directives, reports and/or inspections conducted by regulating/governing agencies. Maintain contact with external stakeholders (e.g. Federal Agencies, Community Partners, Standards organizations). Provide education programs designed to inform management, supervisors and employees of potential hazardous exposures, applicable directives and fire safety. Coordinate response to internal and external Safety/Industrial Hygiene audits, surveys, inspections and ensure corrective actions, plans, and preventive measures are initiated. Where hazardous exposures are discovered, the incumbent devises or works with engineers to develop control measures, such as changes in work procedures, systems, materials or the use of personal protective equipment. Ensure that written policies and procedures are developed, implemented and maintained for program related processes. Coordinate/audit the effort of staff involved with the Industrial Hygiene program to ensure that it is developed and implemented in accordance with OSHA, ANSI standards, NFPA, OIG, Joint Commission and all internal policies and directives. Maintain industrial hygiene sampling equipment including selection, calibration, servicing and repair. Conduct internal gap analysis of Industrial Hygiene programs. Issue reports of gap analysis and track status of corrective and preventive actions. Conduct surveys of working conditions to determine the nature and magnitude of hazardous exposures and the effectiveness of existing control measures. Serve as the technical authority who ensures compliance with all safety and OSHA requirements by employees and contractors while on VA grounds/facilities, they would have the authority to take immediate action when any situation develops which is deemed a hazard to workers, employees, patients or property. Monitor contracts and scheduled work for chemical fume hoods, Biological Cabinets and IH sampling as necessary. Manage the reports and documents from inspections and interpret findings for determining required repairs, abatement and follow-up. Performs other duties as necessary. Work Schedule: 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. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Industrial Hygienist/PD23557A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/13/2026. Basic Requirement: Applicants must meet one of the following: 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 of Global EHS Credentialing (formerly American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH)). Note: 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. In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement above, you must also qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: 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. 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. Qualifying specialized experience includes what is stated above as well as: recognizing potential health hazards associated with a variety of operations; investigating alleged or suspected occupational health conditions; utilizing a wide variety of sampling instrumentation; and identifying process changes that may reduce or eliminate hazards. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 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. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the first two years of graduate education. 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/. Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. Investigations and surveys involve moderate physical exertion, including carrying equipment, climbing, standing, walking, and bending, as well as use of personal protective devices and occasional work in confined spaces. Working Conditions: The work involves exposures to all the hazards and discomforts including chemicals, noise, dust, aerosols, fumes, and operating equipment. Protective clothing or equipment, including respiratory protection, may be necessary. Much of the work is performed in an office setting, although exposure to industrial hazards is expected multiple times weekly during walk-through surveys conducted individually or conducted as part of a larger study. Work is self-directed at this level.