Introduction
to
INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE
OTI 501
Trainer Course in Occupational Safety and Health
Hazards for General Industry
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Industrial Hygiene
“that science or art devoted to the
anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and
control of those environmental factors or
stresses, arising in or from the workplace,
that may cause sickness, impaired health
and well-being, or significant discomfort
and inefficiency among workers”
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History
Circa 400 BC
– lead toxicity in mining (Hippocrates)
500 years later
– Pliny the Elder, a Roman scholar
– zinc and sulfur hazards
– protective mask
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History
2nd Century AD
– Galen
• copper miners exposure to acid mists
1473
– Ulrich Ellenbog
• publication n occupational illness in gold miners
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History
1556
– Agricola, German scholar
• diseases of coal miners
• preventive measures
• publication - De Re Metallica
1700’s
– Bernardino Ramazzini
• father of industrial hygiene
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OSH Act of 1970
 The purpose of the OSH Act is to
“assure so far as possible every working,
man and woman in the nation safe and
healthful working conditions and to
preserve our human resources.”
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Environmental
Factors or Stresses
Chemical hazards
– gases, vapors, dusts, fumes, mists, and smoke
Physical hazards
– non-ionizing and ionizing radiation, noise,
vibration, extreme temperatures and pressures
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Environmental
Factors or Stresses
Ergonomic hazards
– workstation design, repetitive motion, improper
lifting/reaching, poor visual conditions
Biological hazards
– insects, mold, yeast, fungi, bacteria, and viruses
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Routes of Entry
Inhalation
– airborne contaminants
Absorption
– penetration through the skin
Ingestion
– eating
– drinking
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OSHA Hierarchy of Control
Engineering controls
Work practice controls
Administrative controls
Personal protective equipment (PPE)
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Types of Exposure
Acute
– Short term period between exposure and onset
of symptoms
Chronic
– Long time period between exposure to an agent
and the onset of symptoms
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Types of Air Contaminants
Particulates
– dusts, fumes, mists, and fibers
– non respirable particles
• > 10 m in diameter
– respirable particles
• < 10 m in diameter
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Types of Air Contaminants
Fumes
– volatilized solids condenses in cool air
• < 1.0 m in diameter
– hot vapor + air (reaction with) = oxide
Mists
– suspended solid droplets
– generated by a condensation of liquids from a
vapors to a liquid state
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Types of Air Contaminants
Fibers
– solid, slender, elongated structures
– length several times the diameter
Gases
– formless fluids that expand to occupy a space
• arc-welding, internal combustion engine exhaust air
 Vapors
– liquid changed to vapor
• organic solvents
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Units of Concentration
ppm
– parts per million
mg/m3
– milligrams per cubic meter
mppcf
– millions or a particle per cubic foot
f/cc
– fibers per cubic centimeter
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Exposure Limits
Air Contaminants
OSHA
– Occupational Safety and Health Administration
NIOSH
– National Institute of Occupational Safety and
Health
ACGIH
– American Conference of Governmental
Industrial Hygienists
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Exposure Limits
Air Contaminants
OSHA
– PEL
• permissible exposure limit
NIOSH
– REL
• recommended exposure level
ACGIH
– TLV
• threshold limit value
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Exposure Limits
Air Contaminants
OSHA
– PEL, STEL, Ceiling
NIOSH
– TWA, STEL, Ceiling
ACGIH
– TWA, STEL, Ceiling
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Exposure Limits
Air Contaminants
TWA
– takes into account variable exposure through a full
shift, 8 hour work day
STEL
– limit of exposure during a short period, 15 minutes
CEILING
– absolute maximum level of exposure not to be
exceeded
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Exposure Limits
Air Contaminants
Legally enforceable
– OSHA PEL
– OSHA AL (action level)
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Air Contaminants
29 CFR 1910.1000
– Table Z-1
• Substances with Limits Preceded by “C” - Ceiling
Values
– Table Z-2
• employee’s exposure to Table Z-1 contaminants
shall not exceed exposure limits listed in Z-2 (TWA
and ceiling concentrations)
– Table Z-3
• Mineral Dusts
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Hearing Conservation
2.9 million workers experience 8-hours
noise exposures > 90 bBA
29 CFR 1910.95
– PEL
• 90 dBA
• 8 hours
• engineering and administrative controls
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Hearing Conservation Program
Mandatory
– at an 8-hour TWA > 85 dBA
Exposure monitoring
Audiometric testing
Hearing protection
Employee training
Recordkeeping
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Hearing Conservation Program
An effective program depends upon
– employers
– supervisors
– employees
– others
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Bloodborne Pathogens
Bloodborne pathogens include
– Hepatitis B
– HIV
– Others
29 CFR 1910.1030
– describes actions employers must take to
reduce risk of exposure in the workplace
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Bloodborne Pathogens
29 CFR 1910.1030
– Scope and application
• all employees with occupational exposure to blood
and other potentially infectious materials (OPIM)
– Exposure control plan (ECP)
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Bloodborne Pathogens
29 CFR 1910.1030 - ECP
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
engineering and work practice controls
personal protective equipment
training
medical surveillance
Hepatitis B vaccinations
signs and labels
other provisions
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Industrial Hygiene
 ANTICIPATION
 RECOGNITION
 EVALUTION
 CONTROL
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