Occupational Hygiene Society of Ireland (OHSI)
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The
Occupational Hygiene Society of Ireland (OHSI) was formed
in 1986. Its membership comprises broad interest group including
occupational hygienists, occupational physicians, scientists
and occupational health and safety practitioners.
The Society
provides a consultative forum for the exchange of information
and ideas for the control of occupational ill health.
The OHSI
is a member of the International Occupational Hygiene Association
(IOHA) whose function is to promote and develop occupational
hygiene through out the world, to promote the exchange of
occupational hygiene information, to encourage the development
of occupational hygiene and to ensure a high ethical standard
in occupational hygiene. The IOHA has members in 23 countries
worldwide.
What is Occupational Hygiene?
Occupational Hygiene is a specialised
discipline within the broad area of Occupational Safety and
Health and is concerned with the prevention of ill health
caused by exposures to poor work environments. It takes a
quantitative and scientific approach to the interaction of
workers and their environment.
The role of the hygienist is to:
- Identify hazardous agents
of a chemical, physical
or biological nature in the workplace
- Quantify exposure levels and assess
the risk to employees
- Recommend control measures to minimise
exposure
 Occupational hygienists usually operate as part of a multi-disciplinary
team that includes managers, safety practitioners, occupational
physicians and employees.
The routine work of a hygienist is to
ensure that a workers' environment does not cause ill health
and that levels of exposure are in compliance with the statutory
Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) (also known in the U.S.
as Threshold Limit Values (TLVs), for chemical, physical and
biological agents.
Typical examples include assessing the
hazards and risks associated with the handling of certain
chemicals (e.g. acute toxins, carcinogens), physical agents
(e.g. noise, radiation, thermal environment) or biological
agents (e.g. infectious material, toxins).
This would include a study of existing
plant, equipment, materials used, products and by-products,
production processes and general working conditions.
Any problems identified should then
be rectified, bearing in mind the hierarchy of the most practicable
controls, through substitution or isolation of the offending
agent or as a last resort the supply of suitable personal
protective equipment (PPE).
PPE has its own inherent problems
of isolation and discomfort, the effects of which should be
considered in terms of the workers'
health and welfare.
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