Occupational Hygiene Flashcards for Health Hazards

Study Notes

Industrial hygiene focuses on recognizing, evaluating, and controlling environmental factors in the workplace that may cause sickness, impaired health, or discomfort among workers or citizens of the community.
Occupational health hazards can be classified as chemical, physical, biological, or ergonomic.
Chemical hazards include gases, vapors, mists, dust, and fume.
Physical hazards include extreme temperatures, heat stress, vibration, radiation, abnormal air pressure, illumination, and noise.
High temperatures are a common problem in industry, affecting the amount and manner of work that people can do.
Heat stress may be experienced by workers exposed to excessive heat arising from work.
Workers at risk of heat stress include outdoor workers and those in hot environments such as firefighters, bakery workers, farmers, construction workers, miners, boiler room workers, and factory workers.
Heat can be internally generated or externally generated from work factors such as radiation and hot surfaces of equipment and tools.
It is important for employers, supervisors, and those responsible for safety and health to be aware of physical hazards due to their possible immediate or cumulative effects on the health of employees.
Industrial hygiene practices, such as exposure assessment and control measures, can minimize occupational accidents and diseases and enhance productivity.