Workers’ health and safety have never been more emphasized than in today’s scenario. As a whole, one of the main priorities of businesses is to ensure that their employees remain safe and healthy. That is why employers need to invest in WHS awareness training and promote safe and healthy practices in the workplace by providing workers with adequate industrial hygiene. One way to do this is to hire experts in occupational hygiene services.
Occupational hygiene is a common term that is used in high-risk industrial areas to ensure that workers are in a safe and healthy working environment. There is a three-step process that defines occupational hygiene and this is as follows:
- Stressors that may potentially harm workers in the workplace should be identified
- Evaluating any risk that may transpire due to exposure to these stressors.
- Controlling any risks so workers are protected and unharmed at the workplace.
Occupational hygiene assessment is established in industrial and hazardous settings to ensure worker protection. This is done through prevention, minimizing exposure to chemical, physical, psychological and biological agents in the workplace environment. This is included in your pre employment medical assessment when working at high-risk industrial sectors.
Definition of Occupational Hygiene Services
If you are employed, your employer must provide a safe working space for you and your coworkers. There are a lot of instances when your health and safety can be compromised. That is why occupational hygiene services are important so these risks are minimized and better quality of life is insured.
Quality occupational hygiene assessment helps determine the following:
1. The nature of the hazard found in the workplace
2. The risk of getting short term or chronic health effects due to potential hazards
3. There should be continuous intermittent or seasonal exposure to stressors
4. It still depends on the level of exposure
5. It is based on the indoor air quality testing in the area
Who Provides Occupational Hygiene Service?
In every industrial sector, skilled occupational hygienists offer occupational hygiene services. These professionals are members of the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygiene or AIOH. They are granted the status of Certified Occupational Hygienist or COH.
An occupational hygienist is needed for high-risk industries such as mining, oil and gas, aviation and defence. These professionals can assist you with managing certain occupational hazards in your work environment.
In a high-risk industrial setup, there are a lot of occupational health hazards and these are the following:
- Psychological stress
- Ergonomic stress
- Respirable dust
- Heat and cold
- Diesel particulate
- Mould
- Mineral dust (i.e. lead and silica)
- Noise
- Vibration
These professionals have extensive experience when it comes to performing hygiene assessments in the aviation, manufacturing, transport, mining and oil and gas sectors. For instance, part of the transport sector are drivers that also need commercial drivers medical evaluation to assess their overall health.
These professionals implement a scientific approach to measure the extent of workers’ exposure to hazards. What they do is conduct an initial site visit and characterize various hazards to achieve a baseline. Then they develop a sampling strategy as well as exposure profiling of workers. At this point, careful monitoring is ideal to ensure significant outcomes. Lastly, they conduct occupational exposure assessment monitoring to help determine the risk of exposure and inform the risk control programs for certain measures.
Why You Should Invest in an Occupational Hygiene Program
Business owners and management teams are responsible for workers’ occupational health and safety especially when it comes to hygiene in the workplace as required by the law. That is why it is important to conduct occupational hygiene services by trusted experts that are trained to assist you in case you are exposed to asbestos or any hazardous materials while working. On top of that, drug & alcohol testing is also recommended as part of worker compliance.
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