Information about Occupational Hygiene
Occupational Hygiene is both a technical field of study and a profession.
The term Occupational Hygiene (used in the UK and Commonwealth Countries as well as much of Europe) is synonymous with Industrial Hygiene (used in the US, Latin America, and other countries that received initial technical support or training from US sources). Environmental Hygiene involves similar issues to Occupational Hygiene, but may not be limited to the workplace context.
The International Occupational Hygiene Association defines Occupational Hygiene as the discipline of anticipating, recognising, evaluating and controlling health hazards in the working environment with the objective of protecting worker health and well-being and safeguarding the community at large.
The American Industrial Hygiene Association has described Industrial Hygiene as that science and art devoted to the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, prevention, 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 citizens of the community.
According to the British Occupational Hygiene Society, hygiene is defined as the science behind health, or the conditions or practices conducive to health. But in common usage it has taken on a much narrower definition linking it to cleanliness, frequently leading to the misunderstanding of the term occupational hygiene: it's NOT about washing your hands or handling food properly at work, it's about minimising the risks of ill-health caused by the working environment.
The Occupational Hygienist may be involved with the assessment and control of chemical, physical or biological hazards in the workplace that could cause disease or discomfort. Physical hazards may include noise, temperature extremes, illumination extremes, ionizing or non-ionizing radiation, ergonomics. Indoor air quality (IAQ) and safety may also receive the attention of the Occupational Hygienist. As part of this activity, the Occupational Hygienist may be called upon to communicate effectively regarding hazard, risk, and appropriate protective procedures; to evaluate and occasionally to design ventilation systems; and to manage people and programs for the preservation of health and well-being of those who enter the workplace.
National professional societies include the following (in alphabetical order):
Annals of Occupational Hygiene [2] - published since 1958 by the British Occupational Hygiene Society
ABIH Certification examinations are offered twice each year in the US, and are also offered at locations outside the US, including Australia and East Asia among other locations.
Membership of the Faculty of Occupational Hygiene is confined to BOHS members who hold a recognised professional qualification in occupational hygiene.
There are three grades of Faculty membership:
All Faculty members participate in a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) scheme designed to maintain a high level of current awareness and knowledge in occupational hygiene.
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The term Occupational Hygiene (used in the UK and Commonwealth Countries as well as much of Europe) is synonymous with Industrial Hygiene (used in the US, Latin America, and other countries that received initial technical support or training from US sources). Environmental Hygiene involves similar issues to Occupational Hygiene, but may not be limited to the workplace context.
The International Occupational Hygiene Association defines Occupational Hygiene as the discipline of anticipating, recognising, evaluating and controlling health hazards in the working environment with the objective of protecting worker health and well-being and safeguarding the community at large.
The American Industrial Hygiene Association has described Industrial Hygiene as that science and art devoted to the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, prevention, 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 citizens of the community.
According to the British Occupational Hygiene Society, hygiene is defined as the science behind health, or the conditions or practices conducive to health. But in common usage it has taken on a much narrower definition linking it to cleanliness, frequently leading to the misunderstanding of the term occupational hygiene: it's NOT about washing your hands or handling food properly at work, it's about minimising the risks of ill-health caused by the working environment.
The Occupational Hygienist may be involved with the assessment and control of chemical, physical or biological hazards in the workplace that could cause disease or discomfort. Physical hazards may include noise, temperature extremes, illumination extremes, ionizing or non-ionizing radiation, ergonomics. Indoor air quality (IAQ) and safety may also receive the attention of the Occupational Hygienist. As part of this activity, the Occupational Hygienist may be called upon to communicate effectively regarding hazard, risk, and appropriate protective procedures; to evaluate and occasionally to design ventilation systems; and to manage people and programs for the preservation of health and well-being of those who enter the workplace.
Education
Academic programs offering industrial hygiene Bachelors or Masters degrees in United States may apply to the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) to have their program accredited. As of October 1, 2006, 27 institutions have accredited their industrial hygiene programs. Accreditation is not available for Doctoral programs.Professional Societies
The International Occupational Hygiene Association was formed in 1987. Its membership are the national professional associations, now numbering more that 20 organizations and representing over 20,000 occupational hygienists worldwide.National professional societies include the following (in alphabetical order):
- :Formed in 27 June 1938 as the National Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, renamed American Conference... in 1946. This organization was originally conceived as a gathering of the governmental organizations that employed industrial hygienists and membership was limited to two from each organization. From 1946, all industrial hygiene personnel employed by government agencies and educational institutions were eligible for membership. Today, membership is open to all practitioners in industrial hygiene, occupational health, environmental health, and safety.
- :Founded in 1939, AIHA has more than 75 local sections and 11,800 members, making it the largest of the national professional associations.
- :Formed in 1980
- Belgian Society for Occupational Hygiene
- :Founded in 1953, its aim is to help reduce work-related ill-health. With approximately 1300 members, it is the biggest occupational hygiene society in Europe and the voice of occupational hygiene in the UK.
- French Occupational Hygiene Society
- Italian Occupational Hygiene Association
- Japan Occupational Hygiene Association
- Taiwan Occupational Hygiene Association
Related Journals
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene [1] - published jointly since 2004 by the American Industrial Hygiene Association and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, replacing the American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal and Applied Occupational & Environmental HygieneAnnals of Occupational Hygiene [2] - published since 1958 by the British Occupational Hygiene Society
Professional Credentials
United States of America
Practitioners who successfully meet minimum education and work-experience requirements and pass a written examination administered by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH) are authorized to use the term Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) or Certified Associate Industrial Hygienist (CAIH). Both of these terms have been codified into law in many states in the United States in order to identify minimum qualifications of individuals having oversight over certain activities that may affect public health.ABIH Certification examinations are offered twice each year in the US, and are also offered at locations outside the US, including Australia and East Asia among other locations.
Canada
In Canada, a practitioner who successfully completes a written and oral examination administered by the Canadian Registration Board of Occupational Hygienists can be recognized as a Registered Occupational Hygienist (ROH).United Kingdom
The Faculty of Occupational Hygiene, part of the British Occupational Hygiene Society, represents the interests of professional occupational hygienists.Membership of the Faculty of Occupational Hygiene is confined to BOHS members who hold a recognised professional qualification in occupational hygiene.
There are three grades of Faculty membership:
- Licentiate (LFOH) holders will have obtained the BOHS Certificate of Operational Competence in Occupational Hygiene and have at least three years’ practical experience in the field.
- Members (MFOH) are normally holders of the Diploma of Professional Competence in Occupational Hygiene and have at least five years’ experience at a senior level.
- Fellows (FFOH) are senior members of the profession who have made a distinct contribution to the advancement of occupational hygiene.
All Faculty members participate in a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) scheme designed to maintain a high level of current awareness and knowledge in occupational hygiene.
Examples of occupational hygiene
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Disposable foam earplugs: out of the ear with coins for scale (top) and inserted into the wearer's ear (bottom).
- See the Related Journals listed above for many examples of the science underlying occupational hygiene and its practical application
- Analysis of occupational hygiene effects can lead to worker protection plans. For example it is common in high noise environments to use earplugs or earmuffs. These are available over a range of applications, effectiveness and quality.
- Occupational Hygienists are among the experts planning the controls to protect against exposure in the event of a flu pandemic.
- Occupational/Industrial Hygienists are responsible for monitoring and testing the air for hazardous contaminants that can lead to potential worker illness and sometimes death.
Examples of occupational hygiene careers
- Compliance officer on behalf of regulatory agency
- Professional working on behalf of company for the protection of the workforce
- Consultant working on behalf of companies
- Researcher performing laboratory or field occupational hygiene work
Academic resources
- Annals of Occupational Hygiene, ISSN: 1475-3162 (electronic) 0003-4878 (paper), Oxford University Press
See also
- Astronautical hygiene
- Ergonomics
- ISO 8528
- ISO 10882
- ISO 12894
- ISO 15011
- Indoor air quality
- Noise Control
- Occupational health and safety
- Toxicity
Additional External links
- IH Laboratory Information
- Government of Hong Kong Occupational Safety and Health Council, Air Contaminants in the Workplace
- View a PowerPoint Presentation Explaining What Industrial Hygiene Is - developed and made available by AIHA
In 1948, in its constitution, the World Health Organization (WHO) defined health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" [1].
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labour (or labor) is a measure of the work done by human beings. It is conventionally contrasted with such other factors of production as land and capital. There are theories which have created a concept called human capital (referring to the skills that workers possess, not
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Citizenship is membership in a political community (originally a city or town but now usually a country) and carries with it rights to political participation; a person having such membership is a citizen.
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A chemical hazard arises from contamination with harmful or potentially harmful chemicals.
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Chemical hazards
Chemicals have the ability to react when exposed to other chemicals or certain physical conditions...... Click the link for more information.
biological hazard or biohazard is an organism, or substance derived from an organism, that poses a threat to (primarily) human health. This can include medical waste, samples of a microorganism, virus or toxin (from a biological source) that can impact human health.
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disease is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions. In human beings, "disease" is often used more broadly to refer to any condition that causes discomfort, dysfunction, distress, social problems, and/or death to the person afflicted, or similar problems
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Noise health effects, the collection of health consequences of elevated sound levels, constitute one of the most widespread public health threats in industrialized countries. Roadway noise is the main source of environmental noise exposure.
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Temperature extremes are the highest and lowest temperatures recorded in specific regions. Normally the instrumentation in place would be inadequate to measure the extreme accurately, but discussion of media hypes is a popular hobby.
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Over-illumination is the presence of lighting intensity (illuminance) beyond that required for a specified activity. Over-illumination was commonly ignored between 1950 and 1995,[2]
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Ionizing radiation is energetic particles or waves that have the potential to ionize an atom or molecule through atomic interactions. It is a function of the energy of the individual particles or waves, and not a function of the number of particles or waves present.
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Non-ionizing radiation (or, esp. in British English, non-ionising radiation) refers to any type of electromagnetic radiation that does not carry enough energy per quantum to ionize atoms or molecules — that is, to completely remove an electron from an atom or molecule.
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Radiation as used in physics, is energy in the form of waves or moving subatomic particles. Radiation can be classified as ionizing or non-ionizing radiation, depending on its effect on atomic matter.
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Ergonomics (or human factors) is the application of scientific information concerning humans to the design of objects, systems and environment for human use (definition adopted by the International Ergonomics Association in 2007).
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Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) deals with the content of interior air that could affect health and comfort of building occupants. The IAQ may be compromised by microbial contaminants (mold, bacteria), chemicals (such as carbon monoxide, radon), allergens, or any mass or energy stressor
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Safety is the state of being "safe" (from French sauf), the condition of being protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational or other types or consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm
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Overview
ABET, Inc., formerly the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, is a non-profit organization that serves the public by accrediting United States postsecondary degree programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology...... Click the link for more information.
earplug is a device that is meant to be inserted in the ear canal to protect the wearer's hearing from loud noises or the intrusion of water, foreign bodies, dust or excessive wind.
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Earmuffs are objects designed to cover a person's ears for protection. They consist of a thermoplastic or metal head-band, that fits over the top of the head, and a pad at each end, to cover the external ears.
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Note: For information about the content, tone and sourcing of this article, please see the tags at the bottom of this page.
Flu
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Flu
- Flu
- Flu season
- Flu vaccine
- Flu treatment
- Avian flu
- H5N1 flu
- Flu research
- Genome project
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Oxford University Press (OUP) is a publishing house and a department of the University of Oxford in England. It is the largest university press in the world, being larger than all the American university presses combined with Cambridge University Press.
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Astronautical hygiene is the application of science and technology to the study of the recognition and evaluation of the hazards and the prevention or control of the risks to health while working in a low gravity environment. John R.
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Ergonomics (or human factors) is the application of scientific information concerning humans to the design of objects, systems and environment for human use (definition adopted by the International Ergonomics Association in 2007).
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Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) deals with the content of interior air that could affect health and comfort of building occupants. The IAQ may be compromised by microbial contaminants (mold, bacteria), chemicals (such as carbon monoxide, radon), allergens, or any mass or energy stressor
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Noise mitigation is a set of strategies to reduce unwanted environmental sound. The main topics of noise mitigation (alternatively known as noise abatement) are: transportation noise control, architectural design, and occupational noise control.
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Occupational safety and health (OSH) is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. As a secondary effect, OSH may also protect co-workers, family members, employers, customers, suppliers, nearby
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Toxicity is the degree to which something is able to produce illness or damage to an exposed organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as a human or a bacterium or a plant, or to a substructure, such as a cell (cytotoxicity) or an organ (organotoxicity
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