Occupational Health Module Occupational Hygiene Occupational Hygiene objectives
Occupational Health Module
Occupational Hygiene
Occupational Hygiene objectives • Importance of Health Working Environment • Relationship between Preventive Components and Health Working Environment • What is Occupational Hygiene and hygienist, and, what do we do
Human & Environment Work Environment (unhealthy) Disease Diagnosis Treatment and Cure HEALTHY PERSON
Human & Environment Work Environment (unhealthy) Disease Diagnosis Recognition and evaluation of problem Treatment and Cure Preventive control measures Work Environment (healthy) HEALTHY PERSON
Preventive Components Work Environment (unhealthy) Recognition and evaluation of problem Preventive control measures Work Environment (healthy) OH Professionals OH Nurses OH Doctors/Physicians Ergonomists Occupational Hygienists Epidemiologists Other Professionals Safety Officers Legal Advisers Engineers
Concept & Definition OCCUPATIONAL HYGIENE Anticipation, recognition, evaluation and control of hazards in the working environment with the objective of protecting worker health and well-being and safeguarding the community at large
Occupational hygiene is considered a "science"; but it is also an art that involves judgment, creativity and human interaction.
Occupational Hygienist (OH) • Scientists and engineers committed to protecting the health and safety of people in the workplace and the community • Traditionally occupational hygienists worked primarily in factories and other industrial settings • Today, Occupational hygienists can be found in almost every type of work setting
Goal of the occupational hygienist • Keep workers, their families, and the community healthy and safe. • Play a vital part in ensuring OHS laws and regulations are followed in the work environment
Typical roles of the OH • Investigating and examining the workplace for hazards and potential dangers • Making recommendations on improving the safety of workers and the surrounding community • Conducting scientific research to provide data on possible harmful conditions in the workplace • Developing techniques to anticipate and control potentially dangerous situations in the workplace and the community
Cont…… • Training and educating the community about job-related risks • Advising government officials and participating in the development of regulations to ensure the health and safety of workers and their families • Ensuring that workers are properly following health and safety procedures
What do OH do? • Anticipation • Recognise hazards/sources • Evaluate exposure/risk • Design, evaluate effectiveness of control strategies
Anticipation • Vital skill • Require access to readily available sources; – MSDS – Literatures – Past experiences • Online database – http: //www. ccohs. ca/oshanswers/ – http: //www. ilpi. com/msds/ – http: //www. msds. com/ – http: //toxnet. nlm. nih. gov/ – http: //www. chemalert. com. au/
Recognise hazards/sources • Records of accidents and diseases • Raw materials, products, by-product • Design of process, equipment, environment • Process and operations • Walkthrough survery – senses, talk to workers, etc • Grab samples (air, dust, gas, water, soil etc) • Measure noise levels etc. .
Evaluate exposure/risk • Purpose – exposure evaluation and assessing risks associated with the hazards • A typical risk assessment include, – Identify the health effects & route of entry – Estimate likelihood of exposure by : • Monitoring the exposure to the hazard (e. g. substance/noise/dust) • Comparing with recommended exposure standard or limits • Deciding whethere is a risk to health & safety • Some may not need instrument but some require specific instruments • Standard, regulations e. g. personal exposure,
Specific Instruments • Noise level – Dosimeter, SLM • Lighting – Luxmeter • Heat – WBGT, Psychrometer • Gas/Vapour/Fumes – Gas detector, Drager pump • Dust – suction pump
Evaluate Controls • Principle of control measures • Hierarchy of control measures
Summary • Occupational Hygiene – Identify hazards/sources – Evaluate risk of exposure, environment, modes of action, process – Design, evaluate effectiveness of control strategies – Risk Assessment of health hazards • Preventive Control Measures – Multidisciplinary Team
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