Occupational hygiene
Depending on an individual's type of job, a hygienist will apply their exposure science expertise for the protection of workers, consumers and/or communities.
The profession of occupational hygiene uses strict and rigorous scientific methodology and often requires professional judgment based on experience and education in determining the potential for hazardous exposure risks in workplace and environmental studies.
Ultimately professionals seek to implement "safe" systems, procedures or methods to be applied in the workplace or to the environment.
[5] Industrial hygiene refers to the science of anticipating, recognizing, evaluating, and controlling workplaces to prevent illness or injuries to the workers.
However, it implies that the industrial hygienist must understand the nature of changes in the processes, products, environments, and workforces of the workplaces and how they can affect workers' well-being.
Recognition of engineering, work practice, and administrative controls are the primary means of reducing the workers` exposure to occupational hazards.
The industrial hygienists inspect research and evaluations of how given physical or chemical hazards affect the workers' health.
Ramazzini was critical to the industrial hygiene profession's future because he asserted that occupational diseases should be studied in the workplace environment and not in hospital wards.
Before the 20th century, these kinds of statistics were hard to come by because it appeared no one cared enough to make tracking of the job injuries and deaths a priority.
She began by observing industrial conditions first and then startled mine owners, factory managers, and other state officials with evidence that there was a correlation between workers' illnesses and their exposure to chemical toxins.
Occupational hygienists have been involved historically with changing the perception of society about the nature and extent of hazards and preventing exposures in the workplace and communities.
Occupational hygienists have become more engaged in understanding and managing exposure risks to consumers from products with regulations such as REACh (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) enacted in 2006.
The occupational hygienist may be involved with the assessment and control of physical, chemical, biological or environmental hazards in the workplace or community that could cause injury or disease.
Other related areas including indoor air quality (IAQ) and safety may also receive the attention of the occupational hygienist.
As part of the investigation process, the occupational hygienist may be called upon to communicate effectively regarding the nature of the hazard, the potential for risk, and the appropriate methods of control.
Such controls may involve recommendations as simple as appropriate PPE such as a 'basic' particulate dust mask to occasionally designing dust extraction ventilation systems, work places or management systems to manage people and programs for the preservation of health and well-being of those who enter a workplace.
Other sources of basic characterization information include worker interviews, observing exposure tasks, material safety data sheets, workforce scheduling, production data, equipment and maintenance schedules to identify potential exposure agents and people possibly exposed.
Electronic devices need to be calibrated before and after use to ensure the accuracy of the measurements taken and often require a system of certifying the precision of the instrument.
Collecting occupational exposure data is resource- and time-intensive, and can be used for different purposes, including evaluating compliance with government regulations and for planning preventive interventions.
From such samples, the amount of inhalable or respirable dust can be determined and compared to the relevant occupational exposure limits.
Both the UK Health and Safety Laboratory[18] and NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods[19] have specific methodologies for a broad range of metals in air found in industrial processing (smelting, foundries, etc.).
The absorbent material is then chemically or physically extracted and measurements performed using various gas chromatography or mass spectrometry methods.
A frequent complaint of workers is in having to wear the sampling pump (up to 1 kg) for several days of work to provide adequate data for the required statistical certainty determination of the exposure.
From the sampling method, results are expressed in milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3) or parts per million (PPM) and compared to the relevant occupational exposure limits.
Environmental noise can be generated from transportation such as road, rail, and air traffic, or construction and building services, and even domestic and leisure activities.
[27] Ototoxic chemicals including solvents, metals, compounds, asphyxiants, nitriles, and pharmaceuticals, may contribute further to hearing loss.
[29] The IOHA has grown to 29 member organizations, representing over 20,000 occupational hygienists worldwide, with representation from countries present in every continent.
[32] Further, NIOSH maintains a searchable bibliographic database (NIOSHTIC-2) of occupational safety and health publications, documents, grant reports, and other communication products.
[34] Professional occupational hygiene and safety education programs surveilled under these offices are available through Saudi Arabian colleges.
[35] Practitioners who successfully meet specific education and work-experience requirements and pass a written examination administered by the Board for Global EHS Credentialing (BGC) are authorized to use the term Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) or the discontinued Certified Associate Industrial Hygienist (CAIH).
