IH Increases Workplace Safety & Reduces Risk
More often than not, when people ask what does an Industrial Hygienist do they ask questions like “Do you need to teach people how to wash their hands?”, or “Are you a glorified janitor?”. Many times, an industrial hygienist works behind the scenes to ensure the workplace is safe for all workers.
In a nutshell, the role of an industrial hygienist includes the anticipation, identification and recognition of workplace hazards. As part of the process, the industrial hygienist will investigate and examine the workplace for current, emerging and developing risks and analyze the identified risks.
Working closely with management and line managers, the industrial hygienist will need to develop risk reduction plans and ensure that the control measures are implemented to achieve As Low as Reasonably Practical risk levels. Working together with the many stakeholders, the approach to reduce the employees’ exposure to occupational hazards via the hierarchy of controls, which may include engineering controls and administrative controls.
A holistic approach which takes into consideration productivity, operational needs and employee Health and Safety requirements is part of the industrial hygiene intervention program.
Beyond what is commonly known to many in the workplace, Industrial hygiene includes environmental hazards, chemical hazards, biological hazards, and physical hazards such as heat exposure and noise hazards. Other hazards which are gaining more traction in recent years include poor ergonomic practices as well as other human factors.
Industrial hygiene and safety remain, and continues to be, an important part of workplace health and safety, with emerging hazards and the growth of new industries.
Ye Mesiahn,
Fusion Safety Industrial Hygienist
Head to the website for an overview of how Fusion Safety can help you with Industrial Hygiene, as well as other Bespoke Services.
If you’d like to know more about how IH increases workplace safety & reduces risk, do contact us at info@fusionsafetymgt.com or schedule a 15-minute Discovery Call.
Get to know our IH team at the Fusion Safety LinkedIn page.