Industrial Hygiene is the “science and art devoted to the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of those environmental factors or stresses arising in or from the workplace, which may cause sickness, impaired health and well-being, or significant discomfort among workers or among the citizens of the community”.
Brief Explanation
Industrial hygiene involves anticipating potential hazards, measuring exposure levels, and implementing control measures to prevent occupational illnesses. Professionals in this field, known as Industrial Hygienists, use engineering controls, administrative policies, and personal protective equipment (PPE) to ensure workplace safety. Industrial hygienists are professionals who work to protect the health of workers by:
- Anticipation: Identifying potential health hazards before they occur. This involves reviewing processes, materials, and equipment to predict potential exposures.
- Recognition: Identifying and documenting existing health hazards in the workplace. This includes conducting workplace surveys, taking samples, and reviewing records.
- Evaluation: Measuring and assessing the extent of worker exposure to health hazards. This involves using specialized equipment to measure levels of noise, dust, chemicals, and other contaminants.
- Control: Developing and implementing strategies to eliminate or reduce worker exposure to health hazards. This can involve engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment (PPE).
Example:
Workers in a manufacturing plant are exposed to solvent vapors during a painting process. An industrial hygienist would:
- Recognize the solvent vapors as a potential chemical hazard.
- Evaluate the level of worker exposure by taking air samples and measuring the concentration of solvent vapors.
- Compare the measured levels to established occupational exposure limits (OELs).
If the exposure levels exceed the OELs, the hygienist would recommend control measures, such as:
- Installing local exhaust ventilation to remove the solvent vapors at the source.
- Providing workers with appropriate respiratory protection.
- Modifying the painting process to use less hazardous solvents.
- Implementing an employee training program about the hazards of the solvents
The industrial hygienist might also conduct periodic monitoring to ensure the effectiveness of the control measures and to verify that worker exposures remain below safe levels.
Reference:
https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/training-library_industrial_hygiene.pdf
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