Module 1: Occupational Hygiene - Section 1: Introduction to Occupational Hygiene

OH1.8: Summary

SUMMARY:

Workers are exposed to a wide range of health and safety hazards in the workplace environment. These hazards can result in either acute or chronic health effects depending on nature and route of exposure.

Occupational hygiene plays a vital role in alleviating exposure to harmful substances and agents in the workplace. Components of occupational hygiene are identification, evaluation and control of workplace health hazards.

Identification of potential health hazards is the first step in a prevention programme. Labels, MSDSs and walk-through inspections form the basis of a hazard identification programme.

Once hazards are identified, it may be necessary to evaluate the extent of exposure or to test effectiveness of control measures. Results of monitoring programmes should be compared to occupational hygiene standards (occupational exposure limits and biological exposure indices) to determine the level of risk to the health of workers.

The most important aspect of occupational hygiene is the control of hazards. However, identification and evaluation are necessary steps leading to implementation of appropriate and cost effective control measures.

General Introduction to Occupational Health: Occupational Hygiene, Epidemiology & Biostatistics by Prof Jonny Myers is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 South Africa License