INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE – METHODS OF CONTROL

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON –

DOWNTOWN CAMPUS

FALL 2014

DEFINITION

Industrial Hygiene (IH) is that science devoted to the anticipation, recognition, measurement, evaluation, and control of adverse stresses or agents which could cause sickness and impaired health among workers and the community. The basic goal of IH is to promote a safe and healthful work environment.

IH ELEMENTS

• Anticipation

• Recognition

• Evaluation

• Control

RECOGNITION

Detailed information to be obtained regarding types of hazardous materials used, type of job operation, worker exposures and patterns, levels of air contaminants, exposure duration, control measures, etc. Consult product information including MSDSs.

EVALUATION

Involves monitoring and analytical methods required to detect the extent of exposure; decision-making process resulting in an opinion on the degree of health hazard that exists; extent of potential health hazards based on comparisons of environmental measurements with current governmental regulations and recommended guidelines.

CONTROL

Involves the reduction of environmental stresses to levels that the worker can tolerate without impairment of health or productivity; various general control methods employed.

CONTROL METHODS

Engineering – remove the hazard; should be considered first.

Administrative – reduce exposures through scheduling; also included is employee training; not generally favored.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – use should be secondary to engineering.

ENGINEERING CONTROLS

•Substitution•Change in process•Isolation•Enclosure•Wet methods•Ventilation

• General• Dilution

ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROLSExamples:

- Arranging work schedules and the related duration of exposure to limit employee exposures to health hazards.

- Transferring employees at PELs to an environment where no additional

exposure will be experienced.

- Housekeeping

ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROLS

Administrative controls must be designed only by knowledgeable health and safety professionals, and used cautiously. Not as satisfactory as engineering controls and have been criticized as a means of spreading exposures instead of reducing or eliminating the exposure.

PPE

PPE may be used to protect the worker when it is not feasible to render the working environment completely safe. This is considered a secondary control method to engineering and administrative controls and should be used as a last resort.

EFFECTIVE IH PROGRAM

Applies knowledge to the anticipation and recognition of health hazards arising out of work operations and processes, evaluation and measurement of the magnitude of the hazard based on past experience and study, and control of the hazards.

POTENTIAL HAZARDS

• Chemical

• Physical

• Biological

• Ergonomic

CHEMICAL HAZARDS

• Various forms – vapors, gases, dusts, fumes, mists, or by skin contact

• Degree of risk depends on magnitude and duration of exposure

• Hazard identification through use of MSDSs

PHYSICAL HAZARDS

• Noise• Radiation

- Ionizing

- Non-ionizing

• Lighting• Heat/Cold Stress• Pressure Extremes

BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS

• Bioaerosols

• Surface/Bulk Contamination

• Tuberculosis

• Bloodborne Pathogens

• Indoor Air Quality Issues

ERGONOMIC HAZARDS

• Musculoskeletal Disorders

• Cumulative Trauma Disorders

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

• Material Handling/Lifting

• Workplace Design Considerations

OTHER HAZARDS

• Confined Spaces

• Waste Management

• Lab Health and Safety

• Emergency Planning

FEDERAL REGULATIONS

Occupational Safety and Health Act

Enacted on December 29, 1970

Effective on April 28, 1971

Purpose: “assure so far as possible every working man and woman in the nation safe and healthful working conditions and to preserve out human resources.”

OHS GOAL

Prevent occupational injury and illness by anticipating, recognizing, evaluation, and controlling occupational health and safety hazards.

VITAL COMPONENTS

• Effective health and safety program is the commitment of Senior Management and Line Management.

• Includes visible involvement; assignment of authority as well as the responsibility to carry out the health and safety program.

IH PROGRAM ELEMENTS

• Written Program/Policy Statement• Hazard Recognition Procedures• Hazard Evaluation and Exposure

Assessment• Hazard Control• Employee Training• Employee Involvement• Program Evaluation and Audit• Recordkeeping

OST TEAM COMPONENTS

• Industrial Hygienist

• Safety Professional

• Occupational Health Nurse

• Occupational Medicine Physician

• Employees

• Senior Line Management

INDUSTRIAL HYGIENIST

Industrial Hygienists are occupational health professionals concerned primarily with the control of environmental stresses or occupational health hazards that arise as a result of or during the course of work.

SAFETY PROFESSIONAL• Specialized knowledge in the physical and

social sciences

• Understand factors contributing accident occurrence along with motivation, behavior and communication to control safety hazards

• Potential combination of IH and Safety positions due to relatively common responsibilities

OCCUPATIONALHEALTH NURSE

• Key to delivery of comprehensive health care services to workers

• Focused on promotion, protection, and restoration of workers’ health within the context of the work environment

• Critical link between employee’s health status, work process, and the determination of employee ability to do job.

• Case management approach to return injured employees to work on a timely basis

OCCUPATIONAL PHYSICIAN

• Goal is to prevent occupational illness and when illness occurs, to restore employee health within the context of a health and safe workplace

• Regulations require medical surveillance programs with specific criteria

• Determination of work-relatedness of disease

OTHER COMPONENTS

• Employee

• Safety and Health Committee