The Health Field Division maintains specialized instrumentation, analytical, and experimental laboratories for the analysis of organic compounds. The incumbent is a principal operator and specialist in the operation and maintenance of MSHA's mobile gas chromatography laboratories and other equipment for emergency response and deployment to mine fires or other emergency events.
Duties
The responsibilities described are for the full performance level. At developmental grade levels, assignments will be of more limited scope performed with less independence, and limited complexity.
- Independently deploys and operates mobile analytical gas laboratories to remote mining operations, for immediate analysis of mine air contaminants and oversees the technical work of other analysts.
- Maintains gas analysis instrumentation and mobile laboratories in a ready-to-deploy status at all times and may be called upon on a 24-hour basis to deploy laboratories to mine emergencies anywhere in the United States.
- Fabricates, modifies and repairs gas chromatography instrumentation as well as support systems and equipment.
- Modifies, develops, and verifies gas chromatography methods and conducts special studies and analyses to identify and quantify gases and organic compounds.
- Interprets and evaluates the results of analyses.
- Develops standard operating procedures for analytical laboratories and instrumentation.
- Conducts routine analyses on industrial hygiene samples.
- In support of special investigations, performs specialized analytical work such as gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis.
- Plans, coordinates, and leads industrial hygiene field investigations and accident investigations involving exposures to hazardous chemical agents at coal and metal/non-metal mines.
- Prepares technical reports of studies and investigations.
- Advises on technical inquiries concerning the proper procedures and methods for the collection of mine gases and organic compounds and the interpretation of data.
- Authors technical manuscripts and presents findings at professional meetings, conferences, and workshops.
- Serves as a technical expert in resultant litigation.