VOSH Industrial Hygienist (Norfolk)

Title: VOSH Industrial Hygienist (Norfolk)

State Role Title: Compliance/Safety Officer

Hiring Range: Commensurate with Experience

Pay Band: 3

Agency: Dept of Labor and Industry

Location: NORFOLK REGIONAL OFFICE

Agency Website: www.doli.virginia.gov 

Recruitment Type: General Public - G

Job Duties

A career with meaningful impact:
Are you looking for a career where you can make a positive contribution to the safety of working Virginians? If so, the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI) is seeking a highly motivated career-oriented professional to serve as VOSH Industrial Hygienist in the agency’s Tidewater Regional Office, Norfolk VA. Through your actions as a member of Virginia’s Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH) team, you will help save lives and prevent injuries in the workplace.

Why State Government?
As an Employer of Choice, the Commonwealth of Virginia offers a comprehensive total compensation package to include health benefits, paid leave, and flexible work schedules. The following benefits are available to classified employees:
• Vacation and Other Leave
• 12 Paid Holidays
• Health Benefits
• Sickness and Disability Program
• Deferred Compensation with Cash Match
• Group, Optional Life, and Long-term Care Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Wellness Program
• Retirement Plans
• State Employee Resources

Additional information relating to the benefits available to eligible state employees can be found online at: https://www.dhrm.virginia.gov/employeebenefits 

Duties and responsibilities:
Under the guidance of Senior Industrial Hygienists and/or the Regional Health Director, the Health Compliance Officer Apprentice will conduct both routine and complex on-site inspections of private and public sector employers to ensure compliance with Virginia’s occupational health laws and regulations. During a typical day, the Industrial Hygienist will be responsible for:
• Preparing for inspections by reviewing the employer’s history and researching industry practices and safety measures.
• Performing independent walk-around site visits and observations to identify hazards in the workplace.
• Identify and evaluate workplace exposures to health risks such as but not limited to physical, chemical, biological, and ergonomic stress factors.
• Documenting the effectiveness of occupational health programs, policies, and procedures.
• Conducting interviews with management and employee to determine exposure to hazards.
• Preparing case file documentation to include complete and accurate inspection reports and recommend citations for possible violations.
• Working closely with employers to ensure implementation of corrective measures for identified hazards.
• Evaluate employer’s efforts to reduce and eliminate hazards.
• Investigate occupational safety complaints reported by employees, as well as accidents, fatalities, and serious safety incidents in the workplace.

Other related skills and experience:
• Effective verbal and written communication skills with a demonstrated ability to compose meaningful and accurate narrative reports and correspondence.
• Practical knowledge and demonstrated ability to use personal computers and the Microsoft office suite of applications.
• Effective time management and organizational skills.
• Ability to establish and maintain excellent interpersonal relationships.
• Ability to interact positively with customers in an inimical environment.
• Ability to properly wear a respirator if required, and to properly use other types of PPE.
• Ability to perform job duties objectively and effectively in scenes where individuals may have sustained serious injuries or death.

Minimum Qualifications

• Experience interpreting, explaining, and/or applying federal or state occupational safety and health standards and regulations.

And / Or

• Fundamental knowledge of industrial hygiene sampling methods, control measures, equipment, and calculations or experience in a science related field.

Additional Considerations

• Certification in Industrial Hygiene, Industrial Safety, Industrial Engineering, Occupational Safety and Health, or closely related sciences field.
• Continuing certification in the areas of occupational safety and health.
• Demonstrated experience recommending controls and corrective actions of safety and health hazards.
• Demonstrated experience conducting investigations and/or participating in legal proceedings such as depositions and testifying in court.
• Demonstrated experience performing work site inspections to ensure compliance with occupational safety and health regulations.
• Bilingual fluency speaking, reading, and writing in Spanish.

Special Requirements:
• Possession of a valid driver’s license at the time of hiring or within 30 days of hiring.
• Ability to travel overnight occasionally.
• Ability to respond to emergency calls after-hours on a rotational schedule or as needed.
• Ability to perform moderate physical activity that includes, but is not limited to climbing stairs and ladders, bending, walking up and down inclines, occasionally lifting and carrying loads up to 30 pounds, etc.
• The selected candidate must pass a criminal background investigation, and successfully serve a 12-month probationary period effective from the date of employment if beginning employment as an original hire or re-employment.

Special Instructions:

The salary range for this position will vary based on the experience level of the selected candidate, commensurate with experience, plus the State's benefits package.

Apprentice: $51,884
Journeyman: $62,732

The agency will not entertain salary negotiations for this position.

The opening date for this position is February 5, 2025. Applications will be accepted until a suitable pool of candidates is received. After 5 business days, this position may be closed at any time.

To apply, you must submit a completed State of Virginia Application for Employment at www.jobs.virginia.gov.  A resume can be attached within the state application. The application and/or resume must be completed in a comprehensive manner and reference all pertinent knowledge, skills, and abilities as well as any training and experience that relates to the position. You must also provide your education on your state application. Mailed, faxed, or e-mailed applications and/or resumes will not be accepted or considered. Interview candidates may be required to demonstrate the skills and abilities necessary for satisfactory performance of work.

Virginia Department of Labor and Industry does not provide sponsorship; therefore, applicants must be a citizen or national of the U.S., Lawful Permanent resident, or an alien authorized to work in the United States.

Current and former employees of the Commonwealth of Virginia who have either been laid off or will be laid off from State service, who indicate preferential hiring rights in the form of a valid Interagency Placement Screening Form (yellow card) or a Preferential Hiring Form (blue card), must submit the card to our office by the application deadline. The card may either be scanned and attached to the application as a supplemental document or faxed to (804) 786-0139. Please include a fax cover sheet with your name and the position number for which you are applying.

The Department of Labor & Industry is committed to the goal of equal employment opportunity, with the intention that every employee and applicant for employment shall have an equal opportunity to be judged on the basis of their fitness and merit to participate in the terms, conditions, privileges, and benefits of employment. All candidates are afforded opportunities without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, political affiliation, genetics, or disability.

DOLI Human Resources will provide, if requested, reasonable accommodation to applicants in need of accommodation in order to provide access to the application and/or interview process. If any assistance is needed when applying online, please contact DOLI at hr@doli.virginia.gov.

Contact Information

Name: Human Resources

Phone: No Phone Calls

Email: hr@doli.virginia.gov 

In support of the Commonwealth’s commitment to inclusion, we are encouraging individuals with disabilities to apply through the Commonwealth Alternative Hiring Process. To be considered for this opportunity, applicants will need to provide their AHP Letter (formerly COD) provided by the Department for Aging & Rehabilitative Services (DARS), or the Department for the Blind & Vision Impaired (DBVI). Service-Connected Veterans are encouraged to answer Veteran status questions and submit their disability documentation, if applicable, to DARS/DBVI to get their AHP Letter. Requesting an AHP Letter can be found at AHP Letter or by calling DARS at 800-552-5019.

Note: Applicants who received a Certificate of Disability from DARS or DBVI dated between April 1, 2022- February 29, 2024, can still use that COD as applicable documentation for the Alternative Hiring Process.