A Sailor

LT Kyle Lim, Industrial Hygiene Officer assigned to Navy Environmental and Preventative Medicine Unit Six, prepares to test a water sample for contaminants with a Hazardous Air Pollutants On-Site machine. His unit aids in the combat readiness of operational forces in the Pacific region by providing specialized environmental and preventative medicine support.


Industrial Hygiene

Job Overview:

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Classification:
Χ Enlisted
√ Officer
Available in:
√ Active Duty
√ Navy Reserve

In Navy Industrial Hygiene, you’ll find cutting-edge research in practice. Elite scientists at the top of their fields. And a position of honor and respect waiting should you choose to join such ranks.

Pay:

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Sailors and Marines have unique living and working arrangements. The challenge is to help them adapt to these close and sometimes hazardous conditions. Enter the Navy Industrial Hygiene Officer, who helps develop environmental and operational policies and procedures for keeping personnel strong and healthy.

What will you do?

Navy Industrial Hygiene Officers (IHOs) focus on protecting people, installations and equipment by managing risk within working, living and operating environments to preserve mission capability.

You’ll be responsible for a broad and rapidly expanding array of environmental and occupational control programs. These include hazardous material assessment and disposal; biohazards; safety; respiratory and personal protection equipment; ergonomic hazards; and detection, assessment and monitoring of chemical and biological agents in wartime and natural disaster contingencies.

You could also:

  • Provide direction worldwide to the Department of the Navy (DON) Environmental and Occupational Health, Industrial Hygiene and Safety programs
  • Serve as advisor to headquarters and operating force Commanders for environmental and occupational health issues, resulting in the reduction of injury and disease risks among Navy and Marine Corps personnel
  • Become head of large multidisciplinary departments and directorates (e.g., Occupational Health and Preventative Medicine), directorate-level staff positions and in-command positions (Naval Safety School, NEPMUs, NEHC, etc.). This specialty practices “Defensive Medicine” outside the Naval hospital or clinic
  • Conduct inspections and training functions in industrial or operational settings aboard ships, at shore-based workplaces or in the field with Marines and Navy Seabees

Requirements

Basic Requirements

  1. Bachelor’s or master’s degree with a major in industrial hygiene
  2. Bachelor’s or master’s degree in public health, environmental sciences, chemistry, industrial engineering or industrial safety is acceptable

Preferred Requirements

  1. Master’s degree in industrial hygiene, preferably from a program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)
  2. GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale
  3. Master’s of science or doctoral degree
  4. Certification in comprehensive practice by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH)
  5. Successful completion of calculus, biology, two academic years of chemistry (including inorganic and organic chemistry with labs) and a total of at least 40 semester hours of pure science
  6. Field experience as an industrial hygienist or industrial hygiene technologist

Want to drill deeper? Learn more about other Health Care Opportunities in the Medical Service Corps.

For more information, to talk to a Navy representative or to request a free informative video about the Navy Medical Service Corps, please fill out an information request form. We look forward to hearing from you!

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