Industrial Hygienist

About the role

The position serves as an Industrial Hygienist within the VA Portland Health Care System at the Vancouver, WA Location. 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.

Responsibilities

• Conducts studies of work operations and processes, examines work environments, analyzes findings, promulgates recommendations, and prepares various reports.
• Performs various duties in an Industrial Hygiene program to access work practices and environmental conditions for hazards to the health and safety of workers.
• Studies and surveys performed involve determining compliance with various established criteria, evaluating exposures, and advising on control measures and changes in work procedures or schedules to comply with established health requirements, and providing information for evaluation purposes.
• 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., and presents specific conclusions and recommendations to appropriate management and health officials.
• Determines the need for and effectiveness of control measures and changes in work procedures.
• Recommends procedures that will be suitable and effective for the environment.
• Receives and disposes of hazardous wastes and maintains appropriate records in accordance with existing EPA standards, state laws, and VA regulations.
• Prepares comprehensive and legally sufficient written reports of all monitoring activities performed which are subsequently incorporated into comprehensive reports prepared to assess the overall effectiveness of the industrial hygiene program.
• Ensures proper documentation of employee exposures in medical records.
• Promotes procedures that will be suitable and effective for the environment.

Requirements

All US citizens. This position is subject to background/security investigation. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. 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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet Individual Occupational Requirements and Minimum Qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/16/2026. Individual Occupational Requirements: Basic Requirement: An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for the 0690 occupational series. All applicants, regardless of grade level must meet minimum education requirements. For this occupation, 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 bachelors or graduate/higher level degree in industrial hygiene, occupational health sciences, occupational and environmental health, toxicology, safety sciences, or related science. OR, A bachelors degree in a branch of engineering, physical science, or life science that includes 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, A Certification from the Board for Global EHS Credentialing (formerly American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH)). Note: Courses in the history or teaching of chemistry are not acceptable. In addition to meeting the Individual Occupational Requirement you may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-9 Minimum Qualifications: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Conducting surveys and investigations to identify and evaluate conditions that are hazardous to the health of employees to assist in developing and recommending corrective measures; Develops reviews and revises industrial hygiene related plans, policies, and standard operating procedures; Performs accident investigations including indoor air quality assessments, chemical exposures, lighting surveys, etc.; Advises on control measures and changes in work procedures to comply with established health requirements; Receives and disposes of hazardous wastes and maintains appropriate records. Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month & year starting and year ending dates AND hours worked per week. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. Please see Education section for requirements. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. Please see Education section for requirements. GS-11 Minimum Qualifications: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Conducting surveys and investigations to identify, evaluate, and present conclusions of conditions that are hazardous to the health of employees by selecting or devising methods and instruments, conducting measurements, and studying test materials; Develops, submits, and presents industrial hygiene reports upon request; Performs accident investigations including indoor air quality assessments, chemical exposures, lighting surveys, etc.; Drafts and maintains records in accordance with State law and EPA standards; Advises on control measures and changes in work procedures to comply with established health requirements; Develops a comprehensive industrial hygiene program consisting of environmental monitoring, record keeping, medical surveillance, personal protective equipment, respiratory fit testing, hazardous material management, asbestos control and education and training. Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month & year starting and year ending dates AND hours worked per week. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. Please see Education section for requirements; OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. Please see Education section for requirements. Note: Experience should show 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