CSB Hiring Chemical Incident Investigators

Yesterday the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) posted a blurb on the ‘Recent News’ section of their web site announcing that they were hiring chemical incident investigators. The link in the blurb takes you to a .PDF document. That document is a high-quality flyer briefly describing the job. A link in the flyer is provided for the USAJOBS.gov page for the positions (four of them). The closing date is July 6^th, 2021.

Job Duties

Both the flyer and the USAJOBS.gov page list the following duties:

• Participates in surveying the site, determining the scope of the investigation; and works with local jurisdictional officials to secure the scene and assure that evidence is not jeopardized.

• Collects and records factual incident data, interviews witnesses, collects physical evidence, arranges for testing and/or examination of physical evidence, machinery and/or equipment.

• Evaluates and analyzes the significance of evidence collected, the methods used to collect the evidence, and the sources providing the evidence for validity, reliability, and substance.

• Conducts safety advocacy activities by representing the Board at meetings of national and international public and private organizations.

Other Interesting Information

The USAJOBS.gov page provides more detailed information for the job. Some interesting points include:

• Salary - $72,750 to $113,362 per year,

• Location negotiable after selection,

• Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position,

• Security clearance – not required,

• Drug test required – no,

Commentary

I think that the ‘you may be expected to travel’ statement is more than disingenuous. There are not a lot of investigations conducted by the Board, but all would require multiple trips to the incident site.

The CSB has had numerous problems over the years, generally due to the lack of support provided by various administrations. Morale has been described as ‘low’ and ‘problematic’. But this is an important job. The CSB and industry needs skilled investigators looking at the incidents. If you have the necessary skills and background and are willing/able to put up with the hiring process (that is not a problem unique to the CSB), then please think hard about applying for one of these positions.