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Introduction to Industrial Hygiene

Introduction to Industrial Hygiene. Industrial Hygiene. Part science, part art Industrial Hygiene is the application of scientific principles in the workplace to prevent the development of occupational disease or injury Requires knowledge of chemistry, physics, anatomy, physiology, mathematics.

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Introduction to Industrial Hygiene

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  1. Introduction to Industrial Hygiene

  2. Industrial Hygiene • Part science, part art • Industrial Hygiene is the application of scientific principles in the workplace to prevent the development of occupational disease or injury • Requires knowledge of chemistry, physics, anatomy, physiology, mathematics

  3. Toxicology Occupational Health Standards Airborne Hazards Indoor Air Quality Skin Disorders Noise Exposure Radiation Thermal Stress Anatomy Biohazards Chemicals Illumination Personal Protective Equipment Ventilation Vibration Sampling IH Topics

  4. History of IH • Disease resulting from exposure to chemicals or physical agents have existed ever since people chose to use or handle materials with toxic potential • In the far past, causes were not always recognized

  5. Earliest Recordings • Lead poisoning among miners by Hippocrates, 4th century BC • Zinc and sulfur hazards by Pliny the Elder, 3rd century BC

  6. The Original Metallica • Georgius Agricola published a 12 volume set in 1556, De Re Metallica • Town physician in Saxony • Silver mining • Described diseases of lungs, joints, eyes • Woodcuts (see next slides)

  7. Metallica Quotes • “If the dust has corrosive qualities, it eats away at the lungs, and implants consumption in the body” • Later determined to be silicosis, tuberculosis, and lung cancer

  8. Metallica Quotes • “there is found in the mines black pompholyz, which eats wounds and ulcers to the bone; this also corrodes iron . . . There is a certain kind of cadmia which eats away at the feet of workmen when they have become wet, and similarly their hands, and injures their lungs and eyes.” • Later recognized as manifestations of toxicity of arsenic and cadmium

  9. Metallica cont. • A young American named Herbert C. Hoover and his wife, L.H. Hoover, translated Agricola’s work into English. • The translation was published in 1912 • Hoover graduated from Stanford in 1891 as a Mining Engineer • Hoover served as the 31st president of the US (1929 – 1933)

  10. Paracelsus • Published work describing mercury poisoning of miners in 1567 • His famous quote, “All substances are poisons; there is none which is not a poison. The right dose differentiates a poison and a remedy.” • This provided the basis for the concept of the dose-response relationship.

  11. Dose-Response Relationship • The toxicity of a substance depends not only on its toxic properties, but also on the amount of exposure, or the dose • Paracelsus differentiated between • Chronic (low-level, long-term) poisoning • Acute (high-level, short-term) poisoning

  12. Bernardino Ramazzini (1633-1714) • Wrote a book, “De Morbis Artificum” (Diseases of Workers), starting the field of occupational medicine • Urged physicians to ask the question, “Of what trade are you?” • He described diseases associated with various lower-class trades, such as corpse carriers and laundresses.

  13. Other Pioneers around 1770 • Sir George Baker • Linked “Devonshire colic” to lead in cider • Percival Pott • Linked soot exposure and scrotal cancer in chimney sweeps

  14. The Mad Hatter • Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” (1865) • Mad Hatter exhibited symptoms of mercury poisoning, such as mental and personality changes marked by depression and tendency to withdraw • Mercury was used in processing hides made into hats • Bars were installed on windows at hat factories presumably to prevent afflicted workers from leaping during bouts of depression

  15. Protection Starts to Arrive • English Factory Act, 1833, allows injured workers to receive compensation • English Factory Inspectorate, 1878 • US Workers Compensation started in 1908-1915 in several states (state programs, not federal) • Occupational Safety & Health Act enacted in 1970 creating OSH Administration • Created regulations, inspections, recordkeeping, enforcement, etc.

  16. Birth of Industrial Hygiene • A few industrial hygienists were practicing in early 1900s • Physicians sometimes saw the industrial hygienist as a threat to their realm of expertise • Dr. Alice Hamilton was a pioneer Occupational Physician and female pioneer. She helped foster the field of IH in the US • American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) formed in 1939

  17. Industrial Hygiene • Other terms • Occupational Hygiene • Environmental Hygiene • Environmental Health

  18. Professional Organizations • American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), www.aiha.org, member organization • American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), www.acgih.org, member organization for government employees • American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH), www.abih.org, independent organization that administers certification programs for industrial hygiene professionals • IHIT, Industrial Hygienist in Training • CIH, Certified Industrial Hygienist • Requires maintenance of certification

  19. Definition of Industrial Hygiene • An Industrial Hygienist is a person having a college degree in engineering, chemistry, physics, medicine, or related physical and biological sciences, who has also received specialized training in recognition, evaluation, and control of workplace stressors and therefore achieved competence in industrial hygiene. The specialized studies and training must be sufficient so that the individual is able to: 1) anticipate and recognize the environmental factors and understand their effects on people and their well-being; 2) evaluate, on the basis of experience and with the aid of quantitative measurement techniques, the magnitude of these stresses in terms of the stressor’s ability to impair human health and well-being; and 3) prescribe methods to eliminate, control, or reduce such stresses when necessary to diminish their effects.

  20. Scope of IH • Recognition, Evaluation, and Control of hazards or agents • Chemical Agents • Dusts, mists, fumes, vapors, gases • Physical Agents • Ionizing and nonionizing radiation, noise, vibration, and temperature extremes • Biological Agents • Insects, molds, yeasts, fungi, bacteria, viruses • Ergonomic Agents • Monotony, fatigue, repetitive motion

  21. 2nd Aspect: Evaluation of Agents • Observations • Quantitative measurement of the agents of concern • Experience and knowledge of Industrial Hygienist

  22. 3rd Aspect: Control of Agents • Controls in this order of preference • Engineering Controls • Engineering changes in design, equipment, processes • Substituting a non-hazardous material • Administrative Controls • Reduce the human exposure by changes in procedures, work-area access restrictions, worker rotation • Personal Protective Equipment / Clothing • Ear plugs / muffs, safety glasses / goggles, respirators, gloves, clothing, hard-hats

  23. Knowledge Basis for IH

  24. IH as Part of an Overall Safety Program • General Safety • Ergonomics • Industrial Hygiene • Wellness / Fitness

  25. IH Program: Minimum Elements • Recognition of health hazards • Evaluation of health hazards • Control of health hazards • Recordkeeping • Employee training • Periodic program review

  26. 1. Recognition of health hazards • Walk-through survey with someone knowledgeable of the processes • Regular intervals, keep records • Planning stage reviews • Modification reviews • MSDS reviews

  27. 2. Evaluation of hazards • Measurements • Air sampling, noise meters, light meters, thermal stress meters, accelerometers (vibration) • Calculation of dose • Level and duration of exposure • Keep records

  28. 3. Control of Hazards (Prioritized) • 1 Engineering • Substitute a less hazardous material, local exhaust ventilation • 2 Administrative • Worker rotation, training • 3 Personal Protective Equipment • Respirators, gloves, eye protection, ear protection, etc.

  29. 4. Recordkeeping • Important in all phases of the program • Often required by regulation • 29 CFR 1904 • Increase program effectiveness • Useful in legal challenges

  30. 5. Employee training • Effective component if total program is implemented and engineering controls are first established • Often required by regulation • Right to Know or Hazard Communication Standard: 29 CFR 1910.1200 • Regular intervals • Keep it interesting and effective, use a variety of techniques • Keep records of dates, individuals, topics, effectiveness

  31. 6. Program review • Regular intervals (~yearly, semi-annual) • Review the written program as well as the implementation • Updates for new regulations, new chemicals, new processes, or any changes • Audit components of the program • Internal “OSHA” inspection • Involve employees, consultants, management

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