Industrial Hygienist (07-2067)

ATTENTION ALASKA RESIDENTS!

The Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Division of Labor Standards and Safety, is recruiting for an

Industrial Hygienist located in Anchorage!

This position is in the General Government Unit (GGU) at a Range 19.

What You Will Be Doing:

This position will be conducting construction, transportation/warehousing, logging, seafood related and other worksite inspections throughout the State of Alaska to ensure compliance with pertinent state and federal safety and health standards. These worksites include both private and public sector employers.

The incumbent will ensure places of employment are safe for all employees by applying knowledge of safety and health standards, principles and philosophies of accident prevention technology/techniques and incumbent's experience in conducting work site inspections. This position will be responsible for conducting industrial accident investigations, including fatalities. Other tasks include responding to the public regarding safety and health compliance questions, taking employee complaints, and assisting employers with compliance abatement questions.

Key responsibilities include:

• Conduct inspections/investigations under Alaska's occupational safety and health standards.

• Observe and analyze the job environment to determine if code violations are present.

• Evaluate a variety of interrelated information involving existing and/or potential hazards related to the inspection and determine the best course of action.

• Recommend issuance of orders, citations, sanctions, and/or warnings for violations of state occupational safety and health laws and regulations.

• Take samples of workplaces to determine the presence of physical and chemical elements hazardous to workers' health.

• Maintain inspection or investigation records, prepare reports, and attend to other related administrative requirements.

• Monitor and evaluate workplace operations, safety and health programs, processes and/or practices for quality and effectiveness; make recommendations for improvement.

• Testify in court or in hearings regarding actions, findings, procedures, and protocols.

• Assist in preparing cases for presentation before the OSHA review board presided over an administrative law judge.

Our Organization, Mission and Culture:

The mission of Labor Standards and Safety is to ensure safe and legal working conditions. This mission is accomplished through occupational safety and health law enforcement, training, and consultation. The mission of Alaska Occupational Safety and Health (AKOSH) is to ensure safe working conditions from industrial accidents and job-related illnesses through the enforcement of state and federal standards, and by training employers and employees to follow safety and healthful work practices.

The Industrial Hygienists' job is to reduce the number of occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities in the state of Alaska by recognizing hazards in the workplace, evaluation with scientific methodologies work related health hazards recommending appropriate control measures, and enforcing the appropriate health and safety regulations in all workplaces throughout Alaska.

The Benefits of Joining Our Team:

The Division of Labor Standards and Safety is a small and highly collaborative division with a shared vision to provide various protections for Alaska's workforce through the administration of wage, safety, and licensing laws for Alaska workers statewide.

We provide training opportunities, a comprehensive employee benefits package to include retirement, health insurance, and paid holidays. This position works on a predictable schedule, and enjoys a significant amount of independence on the job.

Working for AKOSH provides the opportunity to work with a talented and dedicated group of employees who provide services to communities statewide. You will have the opportunity to meet the public that we serve and work with a large variety of individuals from varied backgrounds and cultures.

The Working Environment You Can Expect:

These positions are based out of the Anchorage AKOSH office located at 1251 Muldoon Road, Suite 109. Your job duties may be split between office and job sites with short notice travel requirements.

The incumbent must have the ability to perform medium physical exertion to include lifting, bending, carrying, pushing, pulling, and climbing ladders, stairways, ramps, etc., and may be required to climb to heights of three stories or more.

This position may require occasional travel within the State and local community; traveling may be via small aircraft and boats, and it may involve exposure to inherently hazardous or potentially dangerous environmental conditions.

Who We Are Looking For:

• Accountability: Accepts responsibility for own actions and decisions and demonstrates commitment to accomplish work in an ethical, efficient, and cost-effective manner.

• Interpersonal Skills: Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.

• Organizational Awareness: Knows the organization's mission and functions, and how its social, political, and technological systems work and operates effectively within them; this includes the programs, policies, procedures, rules, and regulations of the organization.

• Self-Management: Sets well-defined and realistic personal goals; displays a high level of initiative, effort, and commitment towards completing assignments in a timely manner; works with minimal supervision; is motivated to achieve; demonstrates responsible behavior.

• Writing: Recognizes or uses correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicates information (for example, facts, ideas, or messages) in a brief, clear, and organized manner; produces written information, which may include technical material, that is appropriate for the intended audience.

To view the general description and example of duties for the position, please go to the following link:

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/Alaska/classspecs

COMPETENCY DESCRIPTION

The competency description(s) listed below have been designed to promote a common understanding of the essential elements of the job class. They highlight the more general and customary knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), tasks, and behaviors used to describe the competency.

They typically list expectations, as opposed to specific tasks, and are to be used only as parameters and guidelines. A competency's description is not intended to exclusively define every KSA, task, and behavior needed to successfully meet the competency, but rather to provide the manager/agency with a broad reference of options as to how an applicant can meet the job expectation.

Please ensure your application (through work history, training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports/demonstrates you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Any combination of education and/or experience that provides the applicant with competencies in:

• Compliance: Knowledge of procedures for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring programs or projects for compliance with Federal laws, regulations, and guidance.

• Decision Making: Makes sound, well-informed, and objective decisions; perceives the impact and implications of decisions; commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals; causes change.

• Health Hazards: Knowledge of the concepts, principles, theories, and methods to anticipate, identify, control, mitigate, and eliminate health hazards in the design and use of facilities, equipment, operations, and work processes.

• Investigation: Knowledge of the guidelines, regulations, and procedures associated with investigation, including interviewing, evidence detection, locating, gathering, and handling, and drawing appropriate factual inferences and conclusions.
  
  Provide oral or written reports of findings.  Presenting evidence and providing testimony.

• Oral and Written Communication: Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral and written presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

Equivalent to those typically gained by:

Any combination of preparatory post-secondary education and/or professional experience in industrial hygiene, biology, chemistry, engineering, physics, occupational or industrial health and safety that included anticipating, recognizing, evaluating, and controlling health hazards in the working environment to protect worker health and well-being and safeguard the community at large or a closely related field.

Special Note:

"Competencies" means a combination of interrelated knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors that enable a person to act effectively in a job or situation.

"Typically gained by" means the prevalent, usual method of gaining the competencies expected for entry into the job.

"Training" and "education" in this guidance are synonyms for the process of acquiring knowledge and skills through instruction. It includes instruction through formal and informal methods (such as classroom, on-line, self-study, and on-the-job), from accredited and unaccredited sources, and long-duration (such as a post-secondary degree) and short-duration (such as a seminar) programs.

"Professional experience" means work that is creative, analytical, evaluative, and interpretive; requires a range and depth of specialized knowledge of the profession's principles, concepts, theories, and practices; and is performed with the power or right to decide or act according to one's own judgment.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS & INFORMATION CAREFULLY

THIS RECRUITMENT IS FOR ALASKA RESIDENTS ONLY

This recruitment is open to Alaska Residents only. Applicants must meet Alaska Residency Requirements in order to be considered for employment at this time.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS

For your application to be evaluated you must answer the Supplemental Questions.

The State of Alaska (SOA) uses four levels of proficiency to measure and describe an applicant's level of competence in applying certain behaviors, knowledge, skills, and abilities to accomplish a specific task. The four proficiency levels are:

Mastery, Fluency, Literacy, and Discovery. You will need to rate your proficiency level for each competency listed in the supplemental questions.

DRIVER'S LICENSE REQUIREMENT

Applicants must possess a valid driver's license. Proof of licensure will be required prior to reporting to duty.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED AT THE TIME OF INTERVIEW

• A list of three (3) professional references, one of which should be your most recent supervisor, including name, job title, employer, and current phone number(s).

• A copy of your last three (3) performance evaluations, or two (2) letters of reference if evaluations are unavailable.

• A copy of your valid Driver's License.

• A professional cover letter; it will be used as a writing sample. Your cover letter should:

• Give specific examples demonstrating your experience in each area in which you assert professional competency listed under the section "Who We Are Looking For"; and

• Be formatted in the traditional letter style complete with date, inside address, subject line, salutation, body of letter, complimentary close, and signature block. Applicants are advised to pay particular attention to spelling, punctuation, and grammar as the cover letter will also be used as a professional writing sample.

LEGAL EMPLOYMENT

The State's online recruitment system, Workplace Alaska, requires applicants to certify that they have a legal right to accept employment in the United States. It is the responsibility of the employee to maintain the appropriate documentation to accept or continue legal employment. The State of Alaska does not function in the role as an employer sponsor.

APPLICATION NOTICE

You can ONLY apply for this position through Workplace Alaska website or via hardcopy (paper) application. If you accessed this recruitment bulletin through a job search portal such as AlaskaJobs or any other database, you MUST use a Workplace Alaska online or hardcopy application to successfully apply. Instructions on how to apply with Workplace Alaska may be found on the Workplace Alaska "How to Apply" page.

Omission of any required documentation listed will result in an incomplete application and you will not receive further consideration. If you're experiencing problems attaching to your application, or if you simply had forgotten, you may email it to the contact provided below before 5:00 pm of the closing date. Any documents submitted after the posting has closed will not be considered.

EDUCATION

If post-secondary education is required to meet the minimum qualifications, you must fill in the Education section of the application. If you have not obtained a degree, please indicate the number of units completed.

Copies of transcripts are required to verify educational credentials if used to meet the minimum qualifications for a position. Transcripts must be attached at the time of application or submitted to the contact information below prior to the close of recruitment. If you're unable to attach to your application, email it to the contact provided in the job posting. If email is not an option, please call the contact person to obtain a fax number.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOREIGN EDUCATION

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above requirements, if applicable. If utilizing this education you must show that the education credentials have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and that such education has been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs; or an accredited U.S. state university reports the other institution as one whose transcript is given full value, or full value is given in subject areas applicable to the curricula at the state university. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying.

WORK EXPERIENCE

If using work experience not already documented in your application, also provide the employer name, your job title, dates of employment, whether full-or part-time. Applications will be reviewed to determine if the responses are supported and minimum qualifications are clearly met. If they are not, the applicant may not advance to the interview and selection phase of the recruitment.

Note: Attaching a resume is not an alternative to filling out the application in its entirety. Noting, "see resume" or any similar response on any portion of your application may lead to a determination that your application is incomplete and removal from consideration for this job posting.

BARGAINING UNIT

If you are a current state employee, please mark the union you are a member of at the time of application. If you are not a current state employee, you must mark that it does not apply to you.

MULTIPLE VACANCIES

This recruitment may be used for more than one (1) vacancy. The applicant pool acquired during this recruitment may be used for future vacancies for up to ninety (90) days after this recruitment closes. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply to each recruitment notice to ensure consideration for all vacancies.

NOTICE

Questions regarding the application process can be directed to the Workplace Alaska hotline at 800-587-0430 (toll free) or (907) 465- 4095. If you choose to be contacted by email, please ensure your email address is correct on your application and that the spam filter will permit email from the 'govermentjobs.com' domains. For information on allowing emails from the 'governmentjobs.com' domains, visit the Lost Password Help page located at https://www.governmentjobs.com/OnlineApplication/User/ResetPassword

EEO STATEMENT

The State of Alaska complies with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Individuals with disabilities, who require accommodation, auxiliary aides or services, or alternative communication formats, please call 1-800-587-0430 or (907) 465-4095 in Juneau or TTY: Alaska Relay 711 or 1-800-770-8973 or correspond with the Division of Personnel & Labor Relations at:

P.O. Box 110201, Juneau, AK 99811-0201. The State of Alaska is an equal opportunity employer.

WORKPLACE ALASKA APPLICATION QUESTIONS & ASSISTANCE

Questions regarding application submission or system operation errors should be directed to the Workplace Alaska hotline at 1-800-587-0430 (toll free) or (907) 465-4095 if you are located in the Juneau area. Requests for information may also be emailed to: recruitment.services@alaska.gov

For applicant password assistance please visit: https://www.governmentjobs.com/js_lostpswd.cfm?&topheader=alaska

Dale Williamson

Chief of Alaska Occupational Safety and Health Enforcement

Phone: 269-4952

dale.williamson@alaska.gov