INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE

WHAT IS INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE?

INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE IS
The science or art devoted to the anticipation,
recognition, evaluation and control of those
environmental factors or stresses, arising in or from
the workplace, that may cause sickness, impaired
health and well-being, or significant discomfort and
inefficiency among workers
INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE INCLUDES
Investigating and assessing the workplace for hazards and
potential dangers to health and safety.
Making recommendations to improve the safety of workers and
the surrounding community.
Training and educating workers about job-related risks.
Ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local laws.
THE BEGINNINGS OF INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE
HISTORY OF INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE
Circa 400 BC
Lead toxicity in mining
(Hippocrates)
500 years later
Pliny the Elder, a Roman scholar
Zinc and sulfur hazards
Protective mask
HISTORY OF INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE (CONT.)
2nd Century AD
Galen
Copper miners exposure to acid mists

1473
Ulrich Ellenbog
Publication on occupational illness in
gold miners
HISTORY OF INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE (CONT.)
1556
Agricola, German scholar
Diseases of coal miners
Preventive measures
Publication - De Re Metallica
HISTORY OF INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE (CONT.)
1700s
Bernardino Ramazzini
Father of industrial hygiene
Published De Morbis Artificum Diatriba
(The Diseases of Workmen)
Asserted that occupational diseases
should be studied in the work
environment rather than in hospital wards
The Industrial revolution from the late 1700s through to the late 1800s led to
increased urbanisation and industrialisation. Picture of Manchester UK.
HISTORY OF INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE (CONT.)
1858
John Stenhouse
Introduces a charcoal impregnated mask
to control exposure to gases and vapours.
In 1889, exposure limits are set for humidity and carbon dioxide in
cotton mills in the UK.
HISTORY OF INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE (CONT.)
1890s
Haldane undertakes work on the
toxicity of Carbon Monoxide by
exposing rats mice and even himself
to varying concentrations within an
exposure chamber
HISTORY OF INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE (CONT.)

1910
Alice Hamilton worked in the US as the
first Industrial toxicologist pioneering the
field of toxicology and occupational
hygiene.
HISTORY OF INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE (CONT.)
1920s-30s
Industrial hygiene develops and grows in the USA in both the
Public Health Service (PHS) and large private companies.

1938/1939
The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygiene
(ACGIH) and the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA)
were formed.
HISTORY OF INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE (CONT.)
1953
British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) founded. Society
starts publishing Annals of Occupational Hygiene in 1958.

1960s
Occupational Safety and Health Act in the USA and the Health
and Safety at Work Act in the UK lay the path for Risk Assessment
/ performance based legislation.
HISTORY OF INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE (CONT.)
1970s
Occupational Safety and Health Act in the USA and the Health
and Safety at Work Act in the UK lay the path for Risk
Assessment/performance based legislation.
1980/90s
The practice of occupational hygiene grows widely in the USA, UK,
The Netherlands and Australia with legislation in these countries
being introduced specifically to focus on chemical and physical
hazards.
HISTORY OF INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE (CONT.)
2000s
The societies of 25 different countries are members of the
International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA).
Industrialisation in countries such as China and India increase the
need for Occupational hygiene.
The development of modelling techniques for assessing exposure.
TERMINOLOGIES
TERMINOLOGIES
International Occupational Hygiene
Association (IOHA)
Promotes and develops occupational hygiene throughout the world,
at a high level of professional competence, through means that
include the exchange of information among organizations and
individuals, the further development of human resources and the
promotion of a high standard of ethical practice
TERMINOLOGIES
Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH)
A professional industrial hygienist who by education, experience,
and demonstration of knowledge has satisfied the requirements of
the American Board of Industrial Hygiene and ahs been
designated a CIH in either the comprehensive practice or chemical
aspects of the profession.
TERMINOLOGIES
Qualified Industrial Hygienist (QIH)
Individuals by virtue of adequate experience, training, education,
board certification or a combination of these factors are
competent to provide industrial hygiene related services
TERMINOLOGIES
Workplace hazard
Any condition that may adversely affect the well-being or health
of exposed persons

Risk assessment
A methodology that aims at characterizing the types of health
effects expected as a result of a certain exposure to a given
agent, as well as providing estimates on the probability of
occurrence of these health effects, at different levels of exposure
TERMINOLOGIES
Occupational hygiene technician
A person competent to carry out measurements of the work
environment but not to make the interpretations, judgements, and
recommendations required from an occupational hygienist
Exposure Assessment
Determination or estimation (qualitative or quantitative) of the
magnitude, frequency, duration, and route of exposure
BASIC PRINCIPLES
OF INDUSTRIAL
HYGIENE
1. ANTICIPATION
This involves identifying
potential hazards in the
workplace before they are
introduced.
ANTICIPATION
Reviewing all new chemicals and processes (including significant
modifications of processes) in advance of their use
Performing either a quantitative or qualitative assessment annually
(or a combination of the two) of processes and procedures
Using control banding, a best practice where there is limited
information or technical resources available
Actively integrating industrial hygiene practices and procedures
into other related business processes
2. RECOGNITION
This involves identifying the potential hazard that a
chemical, physical or biological agent - or an adverse
ergonomic situation - poses to health.
WHAT ARE THE
INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE
HAZARDS?
CHEMICAL HAZARDS
Arises from excessive
airborne concentration of:
Acids/Mists
Gases
Solvents/Vapors
Dusts/Particulates
Heavy Metals/Fumes
PHYSICAL HAZARDS
Excessive noise
Inadequate Illumination
Extreme temperature
Extreme pressure
Vibration
Radiation
Inadequate ventilation
BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS
Bacteria
Virus
Fungi
Molds
Microorganisms
ERGONOMIC HAZARDS
Improperly designed tools or work areas
Improper lifting or reaching
Poor visual conditions
Repeated motion in awkward position
3. EVALUATION
This often involves measurement of the personal exposure of a
worker to the hazard/agent in the workplace, particularly at
the relevant interface between the environment and the body,
e.g. breathing zone, hearing zone, and assessment of the data
in terms of recommended occupational exposure limits (OELs),
where such criteria exist.
EVALUATION
Qualitative evaluations are done by smelling, seeing, hearing, and
by noticing body signs and symptoms (e.g. rash, headaches,
nausea, etc.)
Quantitative evaluations are done by taking physical
measurements in the workplace. This typically includes sampling a
specific contaminant in the air that the worker is breathing using air
monitoring instruments or measuring noise and radiation levels
using noise dosimeters and radiation meters. Quantitative
evaluations are more specific because an actual measurement of
the hazard is performed.
4. CONTROL
This often involves control of the chemical, physical
or biological agent - or adverse ergonomic
situation, by procedural, engineering or other means
where the evaluation indicates that this is necessary.
We control our exposure to hazardous materials by
using the Hierarchy of Controls.
HOW CAN INDUSTRIAL
HYGIENE KEEP US SAFE?
The goals of occupational hygiene include the protection and
promotion of workers health, the protection of the
environment and contribution to a safe and sustainable
development.

Industrial hygienists are considered to be workplace detectives

because they find and then fix the health and safety problems
of workers of all ages in a variety of occupational and
environmental settings.
Indispensable activities such as
food production, extraction of
raw materials, manufacturing of
goods, energy production and
services involve processes,
operations and materials which
can create hazards to the health
of workers and those in nearby
communities, as well as to the
general environment.
Preventive action should start
much earlier, not only before the
manifestation of any health
impairment but even before
exposure actually occurs.

The work environment should be

under continuous surveillance so
that hazardous agents and
factors can be detected and
removed, or controlled, before
they cause any ill effects; this is
the role of occupational hygiene.
In conclusion, occupational hygiene
contributes to a safe and sustainable
development, that is to ensure that
development meets the needs of the
present without compromising the
ability of the future generations to
meet their own needs. Meeting the
needs of the present world
population without depleting or
damaging the global resource base,
and without causing adverse health
and environmental consequences,
requires knowledge and means to
influence action.