Occupational hygiene, also known as industrial hygiene, is a practice that detects and manages health hazards in the workplace. It involves anticipating, recognizing, evaluating, communicating, and controlling potential risks, including ergonomic, physical, psychosocial, chemical, and biological factors. Occupational hygienists come from various backgrounds, including science, medicine, and engineering.
Occupational hygiene, also known as industrial hygiene in the United States, is a method by which health hazards in the work environment are detected and managed. It is a practice considered both an art and a science, which spans a wide range of disciplines and concerns. The overall objective of occupational hygiene is to ensure the continued safety of workers in the performance of their duties. It is carried out according to five basic actions: anticipation, recognition, evaluation, communication and control.
By anticipating potential health risks, good occupational hygiene can ward off potential problems before they become problems. Recognizing an existing problem is the first step to creating a safer environment. Proper problem assessment helps in developing an effective plan to mitigate the risks. Communicating with all relevant professionals helps to reach a solution and ensure that the risk is understood and avoided wherever possible. The final action, control, helps ensure the highest possible adherence to good occupational hygiene and a safe working environment.
The primary factors that are normally evaluated in the practice of good occupational hygiene are ergonomic, physical, psychosocial, chemical and biological. These are crucial elements in the physical and emotional well-being of employees and are vital to the continued success of an overall organization. They help ensure a safe and healthy work environment that operates at optimal productivity and with low risk to employees and the facilities in which they work.
Some of the hazards that good occupational hygiene can uncover include asbestos, lead, and airborne particles that are dangerous to breathe in. Other high-risk factors include equipment or workspace settings that are not ergonomically safe or real and perceived hazards that affect workers’ mental well-being. These risks are investigated with the help of scientific and engineering principles. Once risks are discovered, they are usually controlled and eliminated where possible, and all affected workers are informed about possible risk factors and how to avoid them.
Occupational hygiene is usually led by a contract or designated staff member. Because the job requires a strong understanding of multiple disciplines, professionals from a wide variety of backgrounds work as occupational hygienists. Scientists, including biologists and physicists, often work in occupational hygiene. Medical professionals such as nurses and doctors can also work in the field. Some occupational hygienists have an engineering background.
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