Introduction to Occupational Hygiene OH

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Introduction to Occupational Hygiene (OH)

• Dr. Lim Jac Fang
• Occupational Health Doctor
• Department of Health, Sabah

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Definition

• The science and art devoted to the anticipation,
  recognition, evaluation and control of factors
  and stresses (arising in or from the workplaces),
  which may cause sickness, impaired health and
  well being or significant discomfort, and
  inefficiency among workers or among the citizens
  of a community - ACGIH

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• The science devoted to recognition (or
  identification), evaluation and control of
  hazards arising in or from the workplace, which
  could impair the health and well being of people
  at work, while also taking into account the
  possible impacts on the general environment - BIOH

Detection and Assessment of Occupational Hazards
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Industrial Hygienist

• The person having a college or university degree
  or degrees in engineering, chemistry, physics,
  health physics, nursing, medicine, or related
  field, by virtue of special studies, training,
  experience, and/or certification has acquired
  competence in IH.

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Scope of OH

• Anticipation
• Recognition
• Evaluation
• Control

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Anticipation

• Design of process, equipment
• Future legislation/regulations
• Research

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Recognition

• Raw materials, by-product, products
• Process and operations
• Records of accidents and diseases
• Walkaround senses, talk to workers, etc
• Grab samples

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Evaluation

• Purpose
• Sampling technique and strategy
• Instrumentation (Real time non Rt)
• Standard, regulations etc

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Control

• Principle of control measures
• Hierarchy of control measures
• ALARA

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Benefits of IH Program

• Improve health and hygiene
• Reduce compensation
• Improve job satisfaction
• Reduce absenteeism
• Improve productivity
• Improve workers attitude towards management

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Historical Perspective of OH in Malaysia

• Development of legislation
• Provisions of FMA, 1967
• Industrial Hygiene Unit 1975-1979
• Industrial Hygiene Division 1989-1993
• Industrial Health Division, DOSH - 1994

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Objectives

• To create awareness among employers and workers
  on the importance of OH practices in industry to
  preserve and protect the health of workers from
  being affected by hazards in the working
  environment.
• To investigate the effect of specific hazard on
  the health of workers so that the short and long
  term measures can be taken to control the hazard

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Activities

• Occupational Hygiene Inspection
• Monitoring of occupational hazards
• Biological monitoring
• Enforcement
• Investigation of complaints / accidents
• Training

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Industrial Hygiene Instruments

• Noise level Dosimeter, SLM
• Lighting Luxmeter
• Heat WBGT, Hygrothermometer
• Gas/Vapour/Fumes Gas detector, Drager pump
• Dust suction pump

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Occupational Hygiene Inspection

• What are you going to inspect???
• - Refer to the checklist on factory inspection

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Industrial Hygiene Monitoring

• Monitoring of occupational hazards
• Chemical
• Biological
• Physical
• Ergonomic/mechanical
• Psychosocial

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Biological Monitoring

• Blood Pb, Hg, Cd etc
• Lung Function Test
• HCP

• Textile workers
• Padi mill workers
• Timber processing workers

• Audiometric testing

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Enforcement

• DOSH

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Accident/Incident Investigation

• (refer notes)

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Training

• 4 Ts

• Target group
• Type of training
• Timing
• Training techniques

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Result and Action

• Medical surveillance
• Medical examination
• Removal
• Control
• Laws (USECHH 2000)
• Enforcement

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Thank you!