Basic Principles of Industrial Hygiene

HAMIDI SAIDIN

hamidi@mohr.gov.my

Introduction to Industrial Hygiene

What is industrial hygiene? • occupational hygiene; health hygiene. • to prevent the occurrence of occupational diseases

and injuries in industries. • Hazards- Anticipate,Recognize, Evaluate & Control• sciences and arts: physics,chemistry, human

anatomy, mathematics and physiology; creativity, curiosity and communication skills

History of industrial hygiene

4th century BC

Hippocrates

He recognised and recorded the problem of lead poisoning among miners.

1st century AD

Pliny the Elder

He described exposure to zinc and sulphur among labourers in the “Natural History” series. Besides that, he also devised a protective mask for miners made from an animal bladder to be tied over the mouth to prevent inhalation of dust and lead.

2nd century AD

Galen

This Greek physician recognised the hazards of copper mining as the miners were exposed to acid mist.

History of industrial hygiene

1473

Ulrich Ellenbog

He published a pamphlet about occupational diseases and illnesses among gold miners. He discussed toxic fumes and vapours, and described ways of coping with the hazards.

1556

George Bauer (Georgius Agricola)

This mining town physician in Joachimcal, a place where silver mining was one of the primary occupations, wrote a 12-series volume set named De Re Metalicca (Latin for On the Nature of Metals).The book covered mining geology, environmental contamination, management technique, mine ventilation, ergonomics and illnesses suffered by miners. The book described the injuries and sicknesses of the miners, and it also discussed treatments and preventive measures for the occupational diseases.He also discussed silicosis, a lung disease caused by inhaling silica dust.

History of industrial hygiene

1567

Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohemheim (Paracelsus)

In Miners ‘Sickness and other Diseases of Miners, Paracelsus described the differences of the employees’ conditions between “chronic” and “acute” poisoning. He also described the physical and behavioral effects of mercury exposure.He uttered the phrase “All substance are poisons; there is none which is not poison. The right dose differentiates a poison and a remedy”

1700

Bernardino Ramazzini

He is known as the Father of Industrial Hygiene. He wrote a book titled De Morbis Artificum (Diseases of Employees). He is the first person to make a connection between occupations and diseases by urging physicians to include important questions such as “Of what trade are you?”

History of industrial hygiene

Late 1770s

Sir George Baker

He correctly found the link “Devonshire Colic” to lead poisoning in cider, the traditional drink of Devonians.

1833

Percival Pott

He is the first to link cancer to chemical exposure. He observed the development of scrotal cancer in London chimney sweepers. He found out that the cancer was caused by the soot that the sweepers rarely washed away.

Early 1990s

British Government English Factory Act

The Act focused on compensation rather than safety practices. It led to improvements in safety as the Act also gave employers financial incentives to prevent accidents.

Alice Hamilton

History of industrial hygiene

Early 1990s

This American physician emphasised on employees welfare. She identified hazards and illnesses and recommended prevention measures. She also raised public consciousness about employee safety. Her work can be found in these two publications: Industrial Poisons in the United States (1925) and Exploring the Dangerous Trades (1943).

2016

The Importance of Occupational Hygiene

• 2,000,000 work-related deaths per year.• 386,000 deaths each year from exposure to

airborne particulates.• 152,000 deaths per year from carcinogens in

the workplace. • 37% of Lower Back Pain is attributed to

occupation.

The World Health Organisation estimates that globally there are:

Development of industrial hygiene in Malaysia

Definition of Industrial Hygiene

• According to OSHA (1998), industrial hygiene is defined as the science and art devoted to the anticipation, recognition, evaluation and control of environmental factors or stresses.

• Industrial hygienist is a person having college or university degree(s) in engineering, chemistry, physics, medicine, or related physical and biological sciences, who has also received specialized training in recognition, evaluation, and control of workplace stressor and therefore achieved competence in industrial hygiene.

Industrial Hygienist?

Factors or stresses :

Chemical agents Dust, mists, vapours, gases, fumes.

Physical agents Ionising, non-ionising radiation, noise,

vibrations and temperature extremes. Biological agents

Insects, molds, yeast, fungi, bacteria, viruses.

Ergonomic agents Monotony, fatique and repetative motion

Scope of Industrial Hygiene

Anticipation/

Recognition

Evaluation Control

• Commitment

• Planning

• Design

• Training

• Hazard Identification

• Exposure Asessment

• Monitoring

• Studies

• Observations

• Elimination

• Substitution

• Engineering

• Administration

• Personal protective equipment

What is Industrial Hygiene

Exposure

Work Activity

Disease

Occupational Hygiene

Occupational Medicine

Occupational Health

Industrial Hygiene Duties

Occupational Physician

• Utilize the exposure evaluation and workplace assessments;

• Identify the possible impact on the employee; and

• Provide proper diagnosis and treatment.

Industrial Hygiene Profession

• Registered Competent Person• Assessor• Hygiene Technician• IAQ Competent Person• Noise Monitoring Competent Person• Mineral Dust Competent Person• Lead Competent Person

1) Examination of the industrial environment;

2) Interpretation of gathered data from studies made in the industrial environment;

3) Preparation and proper implementation of control measures;

4) Creation of regulatory standards for work conditions;

Responsibilities of an Industrial Hygiene

5) Presentation of competent and meaningful testimony when called upon to do so by boards, commissions, agencies, courts, or investigative bodies;

6) Performance of epidemiological studies to uncover the presence of occupation-related diseases;

7) Education of the working community in the field of industrial hygiene; and

8) Preparation of adequate warnings and precautions where dangers exist.

Responsibilities of an Industrial Hygiene

Applied science and application of IH

Diciplines Application in IHPhysics, mathematics, human anatomy, and physiology

Hazard evaluation of noise, illumination, lasers, non- ionising radiation, ionising radiation, and ergonomics.

Chemistry, anatomy and physiology, toxicology

Toxic chemical exposure evaluation of carcinogenic hazard assessments and reproductive hazard assessments. Toxic chemical exposure evaluation of carcinogenic hazard assessments and reproductive hazard assessments.

Applied science and application of IH

Diciplines Application in IHStatistics, epidemiology, physics, chemistry, anatomy and physiology, toxicology, language skills

Measuring exposures to chemical and physical agents. Interpreting laboratory analytical reports.Using direct-reading instruments.

Language skills Interaction with employees, management, and clients; report writing; preparing manuscripts of original research studies for publication; and design and delivery of employee education programmes.

Industrial Hygiene Programme• Programme for the employees health protection and safety.

• source of information for the physician or nurse relative to the employees working conditions, including the possible causes of, or factors contributing to, the employees symptoms.

• medical surveillance programme.

1) Periodic hearing tests to detect noise-induced hearing loss;

2) An examination of the respiratory system including a chest x-ray; and

3) Lung capacity measurements to detect scarring of the lungs due to asbestos exposure.

Basic elements of IH Programme

Elements ExamplesAnticipation/ recognition of health hazards

• Watching • Asking questions • Observing work practices • Reviewing chemical inventories

Evaluation of health hazards

• Air sampling • Noise exposure •  Ergonomic stress

Control of health hazards

• Determining appropriate and effective control measures

Basic elements of IH ProgrammeElements Examples

Recordkeeping • Keeping accurate and complete industrial hygiene records

• Requiring regulation • Source of information for trending exposure

Employee training • Hazard communication programme • New employee orientation • Industrial hygiene responding to specific

questions • Evaluating new materials proposed for use in

a process

Periodic programme reviews, changes, and updates

• Changes in regulatory requirements • New information about the toxic properties

of a chemical or • physical agent • Changes in a process