State of Connecticut Executive Branch

In the Departments of Emergency Services and Public Protection, Energy and Environmental Protection, Public Health and Transportation this class is accountable for independently performing the full range of chemical and/or toxicological examinations and analyses.

Works under the general supervision of a Principal or Supervising Chemist or other employee of higher grade.

• Performs routine as well as new and unusual or difficult analyses and examinations utilizing sophisticated instrumentation;
• Calibrates instruments and prepares and standardizes solutions and reagents;
• Conducts chemical analyses of food and dairy products;
• Tests samples and analyzes sewage and solid wastes, drinking water, rivers and other surface and trade waters for evidence of pollution according to standard methods for water analysis;
• Tests air samples for pollutants;
• Tests industrial samples to determine composition;
• Tests environmental samples and effluents for radioactivity;
• Makes up and checks standard solutions;
• Utilizes universal laboratory precautions;
• Utilizes computers to operate and maintain instrumentation, quality assurance data and test results;
• Prepares reports and maintains records of investigations;
• Participates in the implementation of quality assurance programs;
• May perform analyses of physical evidence resulting from criminal and toxicological cases;
• May perform biochemical and toxicological analyses of human specimens as well as environmental samples for toxic substances in postmortem and medical/legal cases;
• May act for the Principal Chemist in their absence;
• May testify in court;
• Performs related duties as required.

• Performs chemical and physical tests on materials such as paint, steel, alloys, cement, hydrated lime, chlorides in paint, soil and concrete, fuel oils and other related materials which are used on construction and maintenance projects;
• Maintains and calibrates equipment;
• Standardizes reagents in chemical testing unit;
• Responsible for inventory control of supplies;
• Control of hazardous wastes and monitoring safety procedures;
• Tabulates and charts in graphic form records of laboratory work.

• Considerable knowledge of
  • organic, inorganic and analytical chemistry including equipment, instrumentation and material;
  • tests and techniques employed in field of chemistry;
• Knowledge of
  • radiochemistry and occupational hygiene;
  • laboratory quality assurance and quality control policies and procedures;
  • universal laboratory precautions;
  • laboratory hazards and safety;
• Considerable skill in performance of analytical tests in field of chemistry;
• Skills
  • data collection, analysis, and interpretation skills;
  • interpersonal skills;
  • oral and written communication skills;
• Ability to utilize computer software.

Six (6) years of experience in an industrial, public health, toxicology, medical or materials laboratory involving scientific work in the field of chemistry.

One (1) year of the General Experience must have been at the junior working level in the field of chemistry. 

NOTE: For state employees this experience is interpreted at the level of a Chemist 1.

• College training in chemistry or a related field may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling one half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of four (4) years for a Bachelor's degree.
• A Master's degree in chemistry or a related field may be substituted for one (1) additional year of the General Experience.

• Incumbents in this class must be willing to periodically undergo tests and immunizations for communicable diseases.
• Incumbents in this class may be required to have specific education and/or experience to meet the various certification and/or licensing requirements.
• Incumbents in this class may be required to undergo and successfully complete security background checks.

This replaces the existing specification for the class of Chemist 2 in Salary Group HC 22 approved effective May 2, 2023. (Revised to update terminology) Final No. 23-313