Occupational hygiene

Occupational hygiene is the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of workplace health hazards. It aims to prevent work-related illness by managing exposures to physical, chemical, and biological agents.

Hazard identification: The process of finding hazards that could cause harm in a workplace or other setting. It begins the hygienist’s cycle by identifying potential sources of work-related illness.
Toxicology: The study of the harmful effects of chemicals and other agents on living organisms. Toxicology helps interpret how workplace substances can cause illness.
Occupational noise: Workplace sound exposure intense or prolonged enough to threaten hearing or health. Noise assessment and control are longstanding applications of occupational hygiene.
Occupational health: The multidisciplinary field concerned with protecting and promoting health in relation to work. Occupational hygiene is one specialized practice within this broader field.
Exposure assessment: The systematic estimation or measurement of contact between people and hazardous agents. It determines whether workers encounter hazards, and at what levels and for how long.
Epidemiology: The study of the distribution and causes of health conditions in populations. Workforce health patterns can reveal hazards that exposure measurements miss.
Occupational asthma: Asthma caused or worsened by exposure to agents encountered at work. Preventing it requires recognizing sensitizers and controlling inhalation exposures.
Occupational medicine: The medical specialty focused on the health of workers and the effects of work on health. It addresses clinical care and fitness for work, complementing hygiene’s focus on hazards and exposure.
Occupational exposure limit: A recommended or legally enforceable concentration limit for a hazardous substance in workplace air. Measured exposures are compared with limits to guide risk decisions and controls.
Occupational epidemiology: The study of how workplace exposures affect the health of workers. It links occupational exposures with illness across worker populations.

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