Introduction to INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE

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Introduction toINDUSTRIAL HYGIENE
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What is Industrial Hygiene?

• The science of Anticipating, Identifying,
  Evaluating, and Controlling Environment Hazards
  in the Workplace.
• The science of protecting the worker through the
  control of the work environment.

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Things to Consider

• Industrial Hygienists look at
• Health issues rather than just Safety.
• Illnesses rather than Injuries.

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COST

• What is the cost of illnesses to Industry?
• In 1990 the average cost of an Illness was
• 27,386.
• Skin Disorders, averaged 3,368.
• Pneumoconiosis, averaged 77,467.

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HAZARDS

• In Industrial Hygiene we want to be concerned
  with 4 Types of Hazards.
• What are they?

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CHEMICAL

• The FIRST group and the one that comes to mind
  for most people is Chemical Hazards.
• EXAMPLES INCLUDE
• Paints/Solvents
• Welding Fumes
• Wood Dust
• Carbon Monoxide
• Exhaust Fumes

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Chemical Effects

• Local
• Damage to the part of the body that comes in
  contact with the substance.
• Systemic
• Chemical is absorbed by the body and attacks a
  target organ.

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PHYSICAL

• The SECOND group is Physical Hazards.
• Examples Include
• Noise
• Extreme Heat
• Extreme Cold
• Light

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BIOLOGICAL

• The THIRD group is Biological Hazards.
• Examples Include
• Infectious Blood/Body Fluids
• Bird Droppings
• Mold Mildew
• Tuberculosis/Hepatitis
• Hypersensitivity Pnuemonitis

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RADIATION

• The FOURTH group is Radiation Hazards.
• Examples Include
• Ultra-Violet (UV) Light
• Infra-Red (IR) Radiation
• Microwaves
• Radar
• Lasers
• X-Rays

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ROUTES of ENTRY

• Inhalation
• Ingestion
• Skin Absorption
• Injection

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Acute vs. Chronic

• Many illnesses are not obvious because they take
  so long to Develop (latency period).
• DISEASE YEAR TO DIAGNOSIS
• Asbestosis Usually 10-20 Years
• Silicosis Usually After 10-20 Years
• of exposure
• Black Lung Usually after 10 Years

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PLAN of ACTION

• What do you want to do as far as dealing with
  these hazards? The first thing is to Develop a
  Plan.
• Recognize the Hazard
• Evaluate the Hazard
• Control the Hazard

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RECOGNITION

• How can you find the Potential Health Hazards
  in your Facility?
• Walk-Through Survey Ask Employees
• Check The Inventory Inquire With Assoc.
• Inquire with Unions NIOSH
• OSHA Safety Health
  Organizations
• Many Organizations Publish valuable information
  like trade assoc., unions, NIOSH, OSHA and
  others.

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EVALUATION

• Once you have identified the hazards, how do you
  evaluate them?
• Is the exposure necessary?
• If not, eliminate it.
• If the exposure cant be avoided, measure it for
  comparison with published standards or background
  levels.

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Evaluating Risk Factors

• Frequency (how often)
• Intensity (how much)
• Duration (how long)
• Individual Sensitivity
• Toxicity of the Chemical

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Keep in Mind...

• What is it that is not poison? All things are
  poison and nothing is without poison. It is the
  dose only that makes a thing not a poison.

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To Evaluate, We Must Measure

• Units of Measurement
• Parts per Million (ppm)
• Milligrams per Cubic Meter (mg/M3)
• Fibers per Cubic Centimeter (f/cc)

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Organizations

• OSHA
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration
• NIOSH
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and
  Health
• ACGIH
• American Conference of Governmental Industrial
  Hygienists
• AIHA
• American Industrial Hygiene Association

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Exposure Limits

• OSHA - Permissible Exposure Limit
• ACGIH - Threshold Limit Value
• NIOSH - Recommended Exposure Limit
• AIHA - Workplace Environmental Exposure Limit

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Threshold Limit Value

• TLV - Airborne concentrations to which nearly all
  workers may be routinely exposed without adverse
  health effects.
• TWA - Time Weighted Average. Based on an 8 hour
  exposure and assumes a 40 hour work week.
• STEL - Short Term Exposure Limit (4/15/60)
• C - Ceiling Limit (should never be exceeded)
• IDLH - Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health
• Skin - Capable of cutaneous skin absorption

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CONTROLLING HAZARDS

• The final step is controlling the potentially
  hazardous exposure.
• Engineering Controls
• Administrative Controls
• Personal Protective Equipment