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Davies, OHS Unit, October 2006
The Role of Occupational Hygiene in OH Management
Dr Brian Davies AM
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What is Occupational Hygiene ?
'Occupational Hygiene is the discipline of anticipating, recognising, evaluating and controlling health hazards in the working environment with the objective of protecting worker health and well-being and safeguarding the community at large.' (Source IOHA)
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The Scope of Occupational Hygiene
• Recognition of health problems created within the industrial environment (chemical, physical & biological)
• Evaluation in terms of long and short term effects
• Development of corrective measures to control problems
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Functions Performed by Hygienists
• Examination and evaluation of the work environment
• Interpretation of gathered data
• Preparation of control measures
• Education
• Ongoing audits
• Research
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Occupational Hygienists• Are trained to recognise conditions
that give rise to potential health problems
– What health effects are possible in the workplace?
• Need to understand the process
– What is causing the health effect?
– How are people being exposed?
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Occupational Hygienists• Develop appropriate and cost effective
monitoring programmes to establish worker exposures
– What type of monitoring programme is required?
– Number of samples to give an accurate estimate of exposure?
• Participate in the development of control technologies
– Control technologies need to be effective & practical
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Occupational Hygienists• Develop and participate in education
programmes– Use of monitoring data is important in getting
over a message to the workforce
• Need to have the appropriate skills to undertake the above tasks– How do we develop these skills?
– University & professional training
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Training Occupational Hygienists• University post graduate programmes
– Provide the theoretical understanding but not always the practical experience
• Professional training
– BP/Petroskills/UOW pilot course to impart practical knowledge (October 2006)
– Currently being developed into modular programme (first two modules available early 2007)
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Training Occupational Hygienists
• Certification
– Professional societies/Accreditation bodies (BOHS/ABIH/AIOH)
• Mentoring
– Overview by an experienced OH
• CES at Occupational Hygiene conferences
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Development of the Profession
• International Occupational Hygiene Association
– Represents 25 associations in 23 countries
– Co-operation in Occupational Hygiene Programme (establishment of local societies)
– Accreditation of certification schemes
– NGO status with WHO & ILO
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Links to Other Professions
• In the industrial environment there few (if any) professionals who are skilled in all aspects necessary to protect worker health
• Need for all professionals to work as a team to address issues
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Exposure Assessment
Source: AIHA
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How can hygienists help here?
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Sydney Harbour Bridge
• Old paint containing lead
• Organic vapours
• Hand- arm vibration
• Noise
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Sydney Opera House
• Vapours from ceramic resins
• Noise
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Coal Mining
Dust
Noise
Diesel emissions
Hazardous substances
Fungi
Vibration
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Aluminium Smelter
CTPV
Heat stress
Metal fumes
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Welding
Welding fumes
Toxic gases & vapours
Radiation
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Sand Blasting
Silica exposure
Noise
RPE
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Pipe Laying
Welding fumes
Heat stress
UV radiation
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Aviation Industry
Composites
Cu Beryllium
Hazardous
substances
Noise
Confined spaces-
fuel vapours
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Oil & Gas Industry
Noise
Hydrocarbons
Hydrogen sulphide
Heat stress
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Monitoring Programmes
• What are they?
• What programmes are effective?
• What actually is overexposure?
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What is Monitoring?
Process of conducting measurement (s) of the concentrations of airborne contaminants.
To estimate risk the following are required;
1) a reliable estimate of exposure
2) an exposure limit for the contaminant
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Occupational Exposure Limits
• Regulatory limits (HSE EH40, MAK)
• Professional societies - eg ACGIH (TLV list), AIOH - (DP & Heat Stress)
• Corporate limits
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Why Monitor Workplaces?
• To establish the level of risk of adverse heath effects in a workplace
• To meet regulatory or corporate requirements
• To develop appropriate control measures
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Why Monitor Workplaces?
• To measure the effectiveness of control measures
• For research purposes such as epidemiology
• To dispel anxiety
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Points to Consider• For a health hazard to exist there has to be
both a toxic agent and the possibility of exposure
– Is monitoring warranted ?
– Can the issue be resolved without monitoring?
• Need to know what you are looking for in order to develop an effective monitoring programme
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Points to Consider
• What is the overall intention of the monitoring programme?
– Statutory or corporate compliance
– Settlement of industrial issues
– Ongoing risk management
– Epidemiology
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Limitations of Data
•Single worker, single day samples:
–Errors of space (location) and time
–Validity to ”real” exposure questionable?
•Accounting for as many influencing factors as possible improves validity of result
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Statistically Based Monitoring
• What constitutes statistically valid monitoring and data treatment
–Defined SEG’s
–Predetermined sampling plan
–Statistical treatment of data
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What is overexposure ?
• Which exposure standard should be used?
– TWA, STEL, Ceiling (Peak)
• Which metric should be used?
–GM, MVUE, 95%UCL, 95%ile
–Significance based on toxicity
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How do we link all this together?
• Hygienists need to
– Decide what needs to be monitored
– Decide how to monitor
– Decide how to interpret the data
– Decide how to present data to the workforce and management
– Assist in the development of solutions
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Summary
• Occupational hygienists are part of a team necessary to protect worker health and all contribute to this goal
• They fill the role of identifying, measuring & controlling worker exposures
• There is a shortage of trained experienced hygienists but industry is moving to address this issue
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Acknowledgements
• Dr Nasser Al-Maskery
• University of Wollongong