Industrial Hygiene
Industrial Hygiene can be defined as follows:
The science and art devoted to the recognition, evaluation, and control of environmental factors or stresses arising in or from the workplace that may cause sickness, impaired health and well-being, or significant discomfort and inefficiency among workers or those with whom they come into contact.These environmental stresses include:
1) Chemical – liquid, particulate, vapor, gas.
2) Physical – electromagnetic radiation, noise, vibration, heat/cold stress.
3) Biological – agents of infectious disease.
4) Ergonomic – body position in relation to task, repetitive motion, mental/physical fatigue.
The purpose of Ames Laboratory's Industrial Hygiene (IH) Program is to provide employees places and conditions of employment that are free from or protected against recognized hazards that could potentially cause sickness, impaired health and well-being, or significant discomfort and inefficiency among workers or those with whom they come into contact. This is accomplished through the following process
1) Anticipation of hazards.
2) Identification of hazards.
3) Evaluation of hazards through qualitative and quantitative (exposure monitoring) exposure assessments.
4) Control of hazards through engineering controls, administrative controls, and/or personal protective equipment (PPE).
This strategy of exposure controls and the IH Program in general conform to the principles of Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS) which includes: 1) define the scope of work, 2) analyze the hazards, 3) identification and implementation of hazard controls, 4) performing work within controls and 5) continuous improvement through regular feedback.
