Industrial Hygiene

April Corcoran

The Plan for the Day

What is Industrial Hygiene (IH)?
Major IH related organizations in the
US
IH Codes of ethics
Impact of OSH standards related to
IH
IH related hazards
IH related controls

Definition of Industrial
Hygiene
According to OSHA, Industrial hygiene involves
anticipating, recognizing, evaluating, and
controlling workplace hazards (OSHA, 1994).
The industrial hygiene practitioner applies a
variety of environmental monitoring and
evaluation techniques to evaluate the
workplace contaminant and physical exposures
to workers, and recommends workplace hazard
controls including engineering, administrative
and other control measures to limit exposure to
health hazards. (OSHA, 1994).

Industrial Hygiene
Organizations
American Association of Industrial
Hygienists (AAIH)
American Conference of
Governmental Industrial Hygienists
(ACGIH)
American Industrial Hygiene
Assoication (AIHA)
American Board of Industrial
Hygienists (ABIH)

Codes of Ethics
Joint code of ethics for AAIH, ABIH,
AIHA & ACGIH: 6 primary cannons:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Practice based on scientific principles

Risk notification to impacted parties
Maintain confidentiality
Avoid conflict of interests
Only practice in fields where
competent
6. Act responsibly (Anon, n.d.)

Impact of Federal
Regulations
Significant decreases in ailments and
fatalities related to the following
exposures:
Cotton Dust
Crystalline Silica
Asbestos
Carcinogens
Lead
Many others

Types of Hazards Addressed

Air Contaminants
Industrial Noise
Ionizing and Non-ionizing Radiation
Ergonomics
Biological
Heat Exposure

Industrial Hygiene Control

Recommend controls
Engineering ( General or local ventilation,
shielding, noise absorptive material, vibration
absorbers, air scrubbers, negative pressure
rooms, cool rooms, self-capping syringes)
Administrative (Work rotation, medical
surveillance programs, periodic contaminant
monitoring, PPE maintenance, rest breaks)
PPE (respirators, eye protection, aprons,
protective suits, noise attenuators, welding
hoods & leathers, PPE selection criteria)

Example of Hazards and

Control
In a lead refinery an industrial hygienist may
need to monitor for and control for airborne lead
exposure, lead ingestion, noise exposure, and
heat exposure.
Controls might include local exhaust ventilation
for molten lead reaction vessels, implementation
of a hearing conservation program, cool room
access and periodic rest breaks worker hygiene
facilities such as wash and shower stations to
prevent ingestion of lead on hands & to prevent
taking lead dust out of the facility (OSHA, 1995).

Conclusion
Defined the term Industrial Hygiene
Identified IH related organizations
Covered the main canons of the IH
code of ethics
Discussed impact of related OSH
standards
Identified primary IH related hazards
Identified IH related controls

Questions?

References
Anonymous, (n.d.). AIHA Code of Ethics. American
Industrial Hygiene Assn. Rocky Mountain Section.
Retrieved from: http://www.aiha-rms.org/code-of-ethics
Plog, B., Quinlan, P., (2012). Fundamentals of Industrial
Hygiene 6th ed.. National Safety Council. National
Safety Council Press. Itasca, IL.
US DOL-OSHA, (1994). Information Booklet on Industrial
Hygiene. OSHA 3134
USDOL-OSHA, (1995). 1910.1025. Lead [OSHAs lead
standard for general industry]. Retrieved from:
https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_d
ocument?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10030

Special Note on References

The reference utilized on the majority
of slides was:
Plog, B., Quinlan, P., (2012). Fundamentals of
Industrial Hygiene 6th ed.. National Safety
Council. National Safety Council Press.
Itasca, IL.

unless otherwise noted on a specific

slide.