Industrial Hygiene

“that science and art devoted to the anticipation, recognition,
evaluation, and control of those environmental factors or stresses

arising in or from the workplace, which may cause sickness,
impaired health and well-being, or significant discomfort among
workers or among the citizens of the community.”
INTRODUCTION:
Industrial hygienists use environmental monitoring and analytical
methods to detect the extent of worker exposure and employ
engineering, work practice controls, and other methods to control
potential health hazards.
There has been an awareness of industrial hygiene since antiquity. The

environment and its relation to worker health was recognized as early
as the fourth century BC when Hippocrates noted lead toxicity in the
mining industry.
OSHA AND INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE
Under the OSH Act, OSHA develops and sets mandatory occupational
safety and health requirements applicable to the more than 6 million
workplaces in the U.S. OSHA relies on, among many others, industrial
hygienists to evaluate jobs for potential health hazards. Developing
and setting mandatory occupational safety and health standards
involves determining the extent of employee exposure to hazards and
deciding what is needed to control these hazards to protect workers.
WORKSITE ANALYSIS
A worksite analysis is an essential first step that helps an industrial
hygienist determine what jobs and work stations are the sources of
potential problems. The most-effective worksite analyses include all
jobs, operations, and work activities. The industrial hygienist inspects,
researches, or analyzes how the particular chemicals or physical
hazards at that worksite affect worker health. If a situation hazardous
to health is discovered, the industrial hygienist recommends the
appropriate corrective actions.
RECOGNIZING AND CONTROLLING HAZARDS
Industrial hygienists recognize that engineering, work practice, and

administrative controls are the primary means of reducing employee
exposure to occupational hazards.
Engineering controls
Minimize employee exposure by either reducing or removing the
hazard at the source or isolating the worker from the hazard.
Work practice controls
alter the manner in which a task is performed. Some fundamental and
easily implemented work practice controls include:
(1) changing existing

work practices to follow proper procedures that minimize exposures while
operating production and control equipment;
(2) inspecting and maintaining process and control

equipment on a regular basis;
(3) implementing good housekeeping procedures;
(4)providing good supervision; and
(5) mandating that eating, drinking, smoking, chewing

tobacco or gum, and applying cosmetics in regulated areas be prohibited.
Administrative controls
include controlling employees' exposure by scheduling production and

tasks, or both, in ways that minimize exposure levels.
When effective work practices or engineering controls are not feasible

or while such controls are being instituted, appropriate personal
protective equipment must be used. Examples of personal protective
equipment are gloves, safety goggles, helmets, safety shoes,
protective clothing, and respirators. To be effective, personal protective
equipment must be individually selected, properly fitted and periodically
refitted; conscientiously and properly worn; regularly maintained; and
replaced, as necessary.
EXAMPLES OF JOB HAZARDS
To be effective in recognizing and evaluating on-the-job hazards and

recommending controls, industrial hygienists must be familiar with the
hazards' characteristics. Potential hazards can include air
contaminants, and chemical, biological, physical, and ergonomic
hazards.
Air Contaminants
These are commonly classified as either particulate or gas

and vapor contaminants. The most common particulate
contaminants include dusts, fumes, mists, aerosols, and
fibers.
Dusts- are solid particles generated by handling, crushing, grinding,
colliding, exploding, and heating organic or inorganic materials such as
rock, ore, metal, coal, wood, and
Grain
Fumes- are formed when material from a volatilized solid condenses in

cool air. In most cases, the solid particles resulting from the
condensation react with air to form an oxide.
The term mist is applied to liquid suspended in the atmosphere. Mists

are generated by liquids condensing from a vapor back to a liquid or by
a liquid being dispersed by
splashing or atomizing. Aerosols are also a form of a mist
characterized by highly
respirable, minute liquid particles.
Fibers- are solid particles whose length is several times greater than
their diameter,
such as asbestos.
Gases -are formless fluids that expand to occupy the space or

enclosure in which they are confined. They are atomic, diatomic, or
molecular in nature as opposed to droplets or particles which are made
up of millions of atoms or molecules. Through evaporation, liquids
change into vapors and mix with the surrounding atmosphere.
Vapors- are the volatile form of substances that are normally in a solid
or liquid state at room temperature and pressure. Vapors are gases in
that true vapors are atomic or molecular in nature.
Chemical Hazards
Harmful chemical compounds in the form of solids, liquids, gases, mists,

dusts, fumes, and vapors exert toxic effects by inhalation (breathing),
absorption (through direct contact with the skin), or ingestion (eating or
drinking). Airborne chemical hazards exist as concentrations of mists, vapors,
gases, fumes, or solids.
Biological Hazards
These include bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other living

organisms that can cause acute and chronic infections by
entering the body either directly or through breaks in the skin.
Physical Hazards
These include excessive levels of ionizing and nonionizing
electromagnetic radiation, noise, vibration, illumination, and
temperature.
Ergonomic Hazards
The science of ergonomics studies and evaluates a full range of tasks
including, but not limited to, lifting, holding, pushing, walking, and
reaching. Many ergonomic problems result from technological changes
such as increased assembly line speeds, adding specialized tasks, and
increased repetition; some problems arise from poorly designed job
tasks.
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“that science and art devoted to the anticipation, recognition,

evaluation, and control of those environmental factors or stresses

There has been an awareness of industrial hygiene since antiquity. The

Industrial hygienists recognize that engineering, work practice, and

(1) changing existing

(2) inspecting and maintaining process and control

(3) implementing good housekeeping procedures;

(4)providing good supervision; and

(5) mandating that eating, drinking, smoking, chewing

include controlling employees' exposure by scheduling production and

When effective work practices or engineering controls are not feasible

To be effective in recognizing and evaluating on-the-job hazards and

These are commonly classified as either particulate or gas

Fumes- are formed when material from a volatilized solid condenses in

The term mist is applied to liquid suspended in the atmosphere. Mists

Gases -are formless fluids that expand to occupy the space or

Harmful chemical compounds in the form of solids, liquids, gases, mists,

These include bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other living

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