What is Occupational Hygiene?

Occupational Hygiene sounds like something related to cleaning. In a way, it is.

The purpose of Occupational Hygiene is to cleanse a workplace of substances and processes that might make workers sick or suffer injury. It’s the practice of protecting people’s health while they are at work. Occupational Hygienists use a combination of scientific, engineering and managerial principles to prevent work-related illness and injury. This involves identifying, evaluating, and controlling risks in the workplace.

As a professional team of experienced Occupational Hygienists, who better to explain than Blue Turtle! Read on to discover all there is to know about this vital profession…

What Exactly Does an Occupational Hygienist Do?

Mission = To Create Healthier, Safer and More Productive Workplaces for Everyone

When it comes to workplace health and safety, an Occupational Hygienist deals with pretty much everything! Occupational Hygienists use knowledge and technology to identify, reduce and remove hazards in the workplace.

Hazards come in all forms, and while some are brutally visible, others exist under the radar, often causing irreparable damage to health. Occupational Hygienists focus on prevention. They aim to protect employees by controlling risk and lowering exposure long before any health issues occur. An occupational hygienist helps businesses:

Meet legal obligations and national exposure standards while maintaining records and documentation.

A Day in the Life..

On a typical day, an Occupational Hygienist will be working behind the scenes to protect workers from things they can’t always see. Hazards in the workplace come in different forms, including:

Airborne contaminants – dusts, fumes, vapours and gases
Vibration – leading to hearing loss or nerve damage
Chemical hazards – solvents, cleaning agents, and industrial chemicals
Biological hazards – bacteria, mould
Thermal stress – working in extreme temperatures
Ergonomic and psychosocial risks – repetitive strain, manual handling risks, stress, fatigue

The job of an Occupational Hygienist is far-reaching, and it’s helped by the extensive health and safety legislation that regulates the workplace. An essential part of an Occupational Hygienists tasks is ensuring employers are compliant —think of them as the workplace safety police.

Creating a Safe Workplace

Employers are responsible for protecting their workers. This means they must implement measures to maintain a safe and compliant workplace. There are several ways to promote good occupational hygiene:

• Regular risk assessments, air quality testing and exposure monitoring
• Employee training and hazard awareness
• Effective ventilation systems
• Safe working processes
• Correct signs and labelling
• Engage qualified occupational hygienists

Why Occupational Hygiene Matters

Workplace safety means more than wearing the correct PPE. Long-term exposure to workplace hazards can lead to serious respiratory diseases, hearing loss, skin disorders, physical injuries and life-threatening illnesses like cancer and heart disease. Most of these diseases are preventable with correct health and safety practices in place, but if workers are overexposed or subject to dangerous conditions, the resulting illness or injury can be irreversible.

Creating a safe, caring environment goes beyond physical illness or injury – healthy workers perform better which increases productivity.

Identify – Evaluate – Control

How Blue Turtle Can Help

At Blue Turtle, our job is to help businesses create a safe and compliant workplace. We understand the importance of protecting your workforce, contractors and customers from occupational health hazards and illnesses. We are an experienced team of professionals. We’ve tackled all sorts of compliance problems and safety hazards, allowing businesses to focus on their core activities.

Staying compliant means regular, thorough inspections, training, and recordkeeping. At Blue Turtle, we can help with all aspects of occupational hygiene. Whatever your needs, we are here to help and support you through the process. Our service includes a report detailing the work completed, and we ensure our customers receive a follow-up consultation to make sure they fully understand the conclusions and recommendations

Maintain a positive, safe environment and reduce the risk of illness and injury with Blue Turtle Occupational Hygiene Consultants.

Blue Turtle – The missing cog in your business health!