p. Occupational Safety and Health Committees or Council. An effective
OHP is an interdisciplinary effort and requires the support and cooperation of both the
providers and users of OHS. Participation by OH and industrial hygiene personnel is
essential to the full utilization and success of both the hospital and installation safety
and health committee or council. In addition to key providers of services, the committee
or council will include management and employee representation from organizations
being served to include representatives of recognized employee unions, as appropriate.
The installation safety and health committee or council offers an effective means of
ensuring coordination between the various staff elements. It is recommended that the
committee or council meet on a regular basis either monthly or quarterly.
1-7.
INTRODUCTION TO INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE
a. Defining Industrial Hygiene. Industrial hygiene (IH) is that science and art
devoted to the recognition, evaluation, and control of those environmental factors or
stress, arising in or from the work place, which may cause sickness, impair health and
well being, or cause significant discomfort and inefficiency among workers or among the
citizens of the community. Industrial hygiene primarily involves:
(1) The recognition of environmental hazards and stresses associated with
work and work operations, and the understanding of their effects on man and his well
being in the work place and the community.
(2) The quantitative evaluation, through training and experience, of the
magnitude of these hazards and stresses is to determine the actual potential for harm to
man's health and well being.
(3) The prescription of methods to control or reduce such factors and
stresses when necessary to alleviate their effects.
b. Recognition. Recognition of environmental hazards and stresses that
influence health requires a familiarity with work operations and processes. The
categories of hazards most frequently of interest are:
(1)
Chemical in the form of liquid, dust, fumes, mist, vapor, or gas.
(2) Physical energy, such as electromagnetic and ionizing radiation, noise
and vibration, and extremes of temperature and pressure.
(3) Biological, such as insects and mites, molds, yeasts, fungi, bacteria, and
viruses. (Infectious agents presenting a risk or potential risk to our well-being.)
(4) Ergonomic, such as body position in relation to task, monotony,
boredom, repetitive motion, worry, work pressure, and fatigue. The effect of these four
areas of stress on man's health and well being must be recognized. It is important to
know whether such stresses are dangerous to life and health, whether they produce an
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