Industrial Hygiene

April Corcoran

The Plan for the Day

• What is Industrial Hygiene (IH)?• Major IH related organizations in the US• IH Codes of ethics• Impact of OSH standards related to IH• IH related hazards• IH related controls

Definition of Industrial Hygiene

According to OSHA, Industrial hygiene involves “…anticipating, recognizing, evaluating, and controlling workplace hazards” (OSHA, 1994). The industrial hygiene practitioner applies a variety of environmental monitoring and evaluation techniques to evaluate the workplace contaminant and physical exposures to workers, and recommends workplace hazard controls including engineering, administrative and other control measures to limit exposure to health hazards. (OSHA, 1994).

Industrial Hygiene Organizations

• American Association of Industrial Hygienists (AAIH)

• American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH)

• American Industrial Hygiene Assoication (AIHA)

• American Board of Industrial Hygienists (ABIH)

Codes of Ethics

Joint code of ethics for AAIH, ABIH, AIHA & ACGIH: 6 primary cannons:

1. Practice based on scientific principles2. Risk notification to impacted parties3. Maintain confidentiality4. Avoid conflict of interests5. Only practice in fields where competent6. Act responsibly (Anon, n.d.)

Impact of Federal Regulations

• Significant decreases in ailments and fatalities related to the following exposures:– Cotton Dust– Crystalline Silica– Asbestos– Carcinogens– Lead– Many others…

Types of Hazards Addressed

• Air Contaminants• Industrial Noise• Ionizing and Non-ionizing Radiation• Ergonomics• Biological• Heat Exposure

Industrial Hygiene Control

• Recommend controls– Engineering ( General or local ventilation, shielding,

noise absorptive material, vibration absorbers, air scrubbers, negative pressure rooms, cool rooms, self-capping syringes…)

– Administrative (Work rotation, medical surveillance programs, periodic contaminant monitoring, PPE maintenance, rest breaks…)

– PPE (respirators, eye protection, aprons, protective suits, noise attenuators, welding hoods & leathers, PPE selection criteria)

Example of Hazards and Control

In a lead refinery an industrial hygienist may need to monitor for and control for airborne lead exposure, lead ingestion, noise exposure, and heat exposure. Controls might include local exhaust ventilation for molten lead reaction vessels, implementation of a hearing conservation program, cool room access and periodic rest breaks …worker hygiene facilities such as wash and shower stations to prevent ingestion of lead on hands & to prevent taking lead dust out of the facility (OSHA, 1995).

Conclusion

• Defined the term Industrial Hygiene • Identified IH related organizations • Covered the main canons of the IH code of

ethics• Discussed impact of related OSH standards • Identified primary IH related hazards• Identified IH related controls

Questions?

References

Anonymous, (n.d.). AIHA Code of Ethics. American Industrial Hygiene Assn. Rocky Mountain Section. Retrieved from: http://www.aiha-rms.org/code-of-ethics

Plog, B., Quinlan, P., (2012). Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene 6th ed.. National Safety Council. National Safety Council Press. Itasca, IL.

US DOL-OSHA, (1994). Information Booklet on Industrial Hygiene. OSHA 3134

USDOL-OSHA, (1995). 1910.1025. Lead [OSHA’s lead standard for general industry]. Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10030

Special Note on References

The reference utilized on the majority of slides was:Plog, B., Quinlan, P., (2012). Fundamentals of Industrial

Hygiene 6th ed.. National Safety Council. National Safety Council Press. Itasca, IL.

…unless otherwise noted on a specific slide.