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Industrial hygiene is the science dedicated to protecting workers from health hazards in their workplace. Also known as occupational hygiene or occupational health, it involves anticipating, recognizing, evaluating, and controlling conditions that may cause illness or injury to workers.
Industrial hygienists use environmental monitoring, engineering controls, and other methods to eliminate or minimize exposures to chemical, biological, physical, and ergonomic hazards at work. Their goal is to foster healthy and safe work environments.
Safeguarding workers from occupational health hazards is vital. In 2022 alone, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were approximately 2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses reported by private industry employers.
Additionally, occupational illnesses account for an estimated 95,000 deaths per year in the country. Industrial hygiene provides the tools and expertise to anticipate, assess, and mitigate the hazards that lead to these alarming statistics.
Effective industrial hygiene programs are essential for any organization to protect its most valuable asset – its workforce. They enable compliance with health and safety regulations while promoting productivity, morale, and a healthy work environment.
Workers may encounter a range of potential health hazards based on their industry and job duties. Here are some of the main types:
Exposure to toxic chemicals may occur through inhalation, skin contact, or ingestion. Examples include solvents, metals, asbestos, pesticides, and cleaning products. Overexposure can cause acute or chronic respiratory issues, organ damage, cancer, dermatitis, and more.
These include infectious microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other pathogens that can be inhaled, ingested, or transmitted through contact. Examples are unsanitary conditions leading to flu or virus outbreaks.
Excessive noise, vibration, radiation, heat/cold stress, poor lighting, trip hazards, and electrical dangers are critical physical hazards. Effects may include hearing loss, burns, trauma from falls, electric shock, and more.
Risk factors like repetitive motions, awkward postures, improper workstation setups, and manual material handling can result in strains, sprains, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, and back injuries.
To minimize occupational hazards, industrial hygienists utilize a hierarchy of controls approach in descending order of effectiveness:
Industrial hygienists use various sampling and testing methods to measure worker exposures. Examples include:
The results provide data to estimate risks, select controls, and determine compliance. Periodic monitoring helps evaluate control effectiveness.
Industrial hygienists have several key responsibilities that drive their daily work. Their priority is anticipating potential health hazards by thoroughly learning work processes and identifying areas of concern. They are also responsible for recognizing if risks are present by conducting facility walkthroughs and interviews with employees to gain insights.
Industrial hygienists evaluate identified hazards using environmental monitoring, reviewing injury and illness records, and investigating incidents to pinpoint root causes. They also control risks by recommending effective interventions based on the hierarchy of controls, such as improved ventilation, adequate personal protective equipment, implementing safer materials, and robust training programs. Additionally, industrial hygienists ensure appropriate health and safety policies and procedures are implemented across the organization.
Finally, they are responsible for remaining current on the latest regulations, industry trends, standards, and technological advances to continuously improve their organization’s industrial hygiene practices.
Whether your organization has an effective hygiene program or you’re looking to implement a new approach, it’s essential to understand what makes these programs effective:
Industrial hygiene programs help companies comply with regulations like Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) permissible exposure limits, which dictate maximum allowed airborne concentrations for hazardous substances.
Other important regulations include OSHA standards for respiratory protection, hazard communication, hearing conservation, bloodborne pathogens, confined spaces, lockout/tagout, ergonomics, and more. Many states also have occupational health regulations.
Organizations looking to implement or improve industrial hygiene programs should consider partnering with external consultants like Amerisafe Group. These experts can provide:
With their depth of experience and comprehensive services, Amerisafe Group helps organizations exceed compliance requirements to foster truly healthier, safer, and more productive work environments.
With decades of experience serving various industries, Amerisafe Group has the expertise to provide end-to-end solutions tailored to each client’s needs. Our certified industrial hygienists anticipate, recognize, evaluate, and control hazards by determining exposure potentials and assessing concerns, then developing strategic plans that meet your needs. Our safety consultants have strong backgrounds in using appropriate NIOSH, OSHA, EPA, and other regulatory agencies sampling protocols.
With our full range of environmental industrial hygiene and occupational health services, we can help your organization anticipate, recognize, evaluate, and control health and safety hazards. Learn more about our industrial hygiene services today, or contact us to get started.
An industrial hygienist is a professional devoted to anticipating, recognizing, evaluating, and controlling health hazards in the workplace to protect workers. They utilize air sampling, audits, training, data analysis, and other methods to minimize risks.
Common industrial hygiene tests include air sampling for chemicals, noise dosimetry, ergonomic assessments, ventilation measurements, radiation monitoring, biological monitoring like blood tests, and reviewing injury logs and incident reports.
Industrial hygiene protects the health and safety of workers. It reduces illnesses, injuries, and fatalities on the job. Effective industrial hygiene programs enable compliance with regulations and support productivity and morale.
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