Industrial Hygiene Education, Training, and Information Exchange

Abstract

Abstract As defined by the American Industrial Hygiene Association, industrial hygiene is principally an applied discipline dedicated to the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of environmental factors or stresses arising in the occupational environment that may cause sickness, impaired health and well‐being, or significant discomfort among workers or among citizens of the community. These factors or stresses may be chemical (e.g., solvents, heavy metals), physical (e.g., noise, heat stress), biological (e.g., bloodborne pathogens, tuberculosis), or ergonomic (e.g., manual materials handling, repetitive motion) in nature and may arise in virtually any sector of the occupational environment. Practitioners in the field of industrial hygiene must be able to: Identify situations in the workplace that pose a potential threat of adverse consequences to employee health and well‐being, Determine the nature and extent of this risk through extensive investigation of all pertinent background information and qualitative and quantitative assessment of the environmental stressors involved, Judge the acceptability or unacceptability of the risk upon careful observation of all relevant factors and thorough analysis of all pertinent qualitative and quantitative data. Design and implement adequate measures of remediation for those situations posing unacceptable risk. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the reader to various outlets for industrial hygiene education, training, and information exchange. It is intended to provide guidance for those seeking their first degree in industrial hygiene, those wishing to update their educational credentials, and for those attempting to identify resources enabling them to remain regularly updated and informed on responsible and ethical industrial hygiene practice. For the purposes of this chapter, the word “education” is used to refer to the acquisition of knowledge in a formal, academic setting, typically occurring in the context of a college or university curriculum and ultimately leading to the award of a formal degree. The process of pursing information outside of an academic, “degree‐seeking” program of study is termed training, continuing education, or professional development. This avenue encompasses a wide variety of information delivery systems and formats such as seminars, workshops, short courses, self‐paced/self‐study courses, etc. A brief discussion of various mechanisms and forums of information exchange such as printed materials (e.g., journals), personal interactions (e.g., conferences, meetings), and electronic interfaces (e.g., listserves, web pages, etc.) is also included. Please note that this material is by no means exhaustive. The reader is encouraged to consider this chapter as a beginning point for further exploration.