What Does an Occupational Hygienist Look For?
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Posted On :
Jul-02-2018
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Article Word Count :
579
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An Occupational Hygienist (OH) is a professional who aims at the prevention and control of hazards arising from work processes.
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An Occupational Hygienist (OH) is a professional who aims at the prevention and control of hazards arising from work processes. One of the most important goals of occupational hygiene is the protection and promotion of workers’ health, protection of the environment and contribution to a safe and sustainable development.
Occupational hygiene is undeniably an integral part of the working of any company, and is something that finds a part in the planning and daily management of a factory or any other work place. A survey conducted in 2016 showed that around 1.3 million workers had a health problem related to their job. Records show that work-related fatalities run in the tens of thousands each year. Occupational cancer and chronic obstructive lung diseases contribute to several thousands of deaths every year.
Why does a company need an OH?
Many times companies make the mistake of bringing in an OH to analyse the workplace conditions only when a problem arises. When several cases of any contamination, health problems, accidents or trauma are reported, management seeks the advice of a certified occupational hygienist on how to restore safety. However, this can prove to be ‘too little too late’ in many cases, as the damage has already been done. Victims of workplace trauma do have the legal rights to sue the company for damages.
Therefore it is best to get occupational hygiene consultants in at the very beginning to assess the range and extent of problems in the workplace. It is important to ask the right questions regarding safety measures, and also get the right experts involved in union at every stage. An occupational hygienist will carry out the necessary tests and surveillance to ensure that the workplace is free of allergens, radiation sources, harmful chemicals, noise and other hazards that could cause health problems in workers.
What does an OH look for?
Your business will have to align with the safety standards and stipulations laid out by the Australian government, and so a certified occupational hygienist who is familiar with the required safety measures would be the expert to bring in. The OH would look for the following during his or her visit to your workplace:
- Work processes, operations and equipment that would result in health hazards. The OH would advise you on making adjustments to planning and design with such hazards
- Try to recognise and understand the nature of the work environment, including the occurrence, if any, of real or potential harmful chemical, physical, or biological agents, and other stresses. They would also check on the interaction of these hazards with other factors and how these may affect the well-being of the workers.
- The level of exposure that workers experience to potentially harmful agents, and also evaluate the results
- Possible generation and release or propagation of potentially harmful agents and other factors in the course of work processes and methods. They would then look for wards to eliminate these exposures, or reduce the acceptable levels.
- Faults or inconsistencies in control strategies, and recommend more effective strategies to control ill effects of harmful materials. They would collaborate with the professionals to ensure more effective and economical control.
- An analysis of the risk and ways to manage the risks of a particular harmful agent, process or workplace. They would also contribute to the establishment of priorities for risk management.
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Article Source :
http://www.articleseen.com/Article_What Does an Occupational Hygienist Look For?_321815.aspx
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Author Resource :
The author is an occupational hygienist in Sydney and has been active in implementing safety measures in various factories, companies and workplaces all over Australia. He also advises and trains professionals on maintaining safety standards in the work place, and carrying out periodic risk analysis of the work environment. Visit
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Keywords :
certified occupational hygienist, occupational hygiene consultants, occupational hygienist in Sydney,
Category :
Business
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Business
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