Field Of Occupational Hygiene Research Articles

The Use of the DPMO Indicator to Verify the Fulfilment of Hygienic Requirements in the Food Industry - A Case Study

Abstract The quality of the manufactured product plays a special role in the food industry. Food producers, in addition to meeting consumer requirements, are obliged to comply with legally sanctioned, rigorous requirements of hygiene and cleanliness at work, as well as the way it is performed. In order to maintain the legally required hygiene rules in production plants specializing in the production of food products, manufacturers implement numerous management systems aimed at maintaining legally imposed guidelines in the field of quality management and occupational health. The article describes the use of the DPMO indicator, which allows for a thorough analysis of process parameters affecting the final quality of the manufactured product. For the analyzed process, the maximum DPMO value for one of the areas is 636364. In nine cases, which constitutes 12.5% of the total, DPMO is 0. The purpose of this article is to identify non-compliances in the field of occupational hygiene in the production plant analyzed using the DPMO indicator and then to introduce improvements. The developed recommendations concern marking, standardization and responsibility for individual processes as well as additional cleanliness inspections.

Use of expert elicitation in the field of occupational hygiene: Comparison of expert and observed data distributions.

The concept of professional judgement underpins the way in which an occupational hygienist assesses an exposure problem. Despite the importance placed on professional judgement in the discipline, a method of assessment to characterise accuracy has not been available. In this paper, we assess the professional judgement of four occupational hygienists (‘experts’) when completing exposure assessments on a range of airborne contaminants across a number of job roles within a surface mining environment in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The job roles assessed were project driller, mobile equipment operator, fixed plant maintainer, and drill and blast operator. The contaminants of interest were respirable crystalline silica, respirable dust, and inhalable dust. The novel approach of eliciting exposure estimates focusing on contaminant concentration and attribution of an exposure standard estimate was used. The majority of the elicited values were highly skewed; therefore, a scaled Beta distribution were fitted. These elicited fitted distributions were then compared to measured data distributions, the results of which had been collected as part of an occupational hygiene program assessing full-shift exposures to the same contaminants and job roles assessed by the experts. Our findings suggest that the participating experts within this study tended to overestimate exposures. In addition, the participating experts were more accurate at estimating percentage of an exposure standard than contaminant concentration. We demonstrate that this elicitation approach and the encoding methodology contained within can be applied to assess accuracy of exposure judgements which will impact on worker protection and occupational health outcomes.

Assessment of professional judgement in the field of occupational hygiene: comparison of expert and observed data distributions

Assessment of professional judgement in the field of occupational hygiene: comparison of expert and observed data distributions

Fitness technologies implementation in the individual work of choreographic departments students of higher educational institutions

The aim of this article is to highlight the problems of professional competencies formation by implementation of fitness technologies into students-choreographers’ individual work in higher educational institutions, namely: formation of practical skills to compile a set of exercises using methods of pilates and myofascial release in independent work; use of pilates and myofascial relaxation in everyday life as technologies that help maintain health; use of applied knowledge and skills in future working career. 
 The methodology. To achieve and implement the goal, a set of approaches has been applied, namely, general scientific (analysis, synthesis, generalization, systematization), which were used to clarify the state of the problem; historical-genetic and retrospective, which allowed to determine the origins and genesis of fitness technologies and pedagogical observations method, which made it possible to analyze the possibilities of their usage in the students-choreographers’ independent work. 
 The results. The process of fitness technologies implementation, in particular pilates and myofascial release into the students-choreographers’ individual work, has health-preserving value. Systematic classes with the help of these methods help to accelerate the recovery processes in the body and improve the psycho-emotional background of students, which is positively reflected in educational and creative activities. The applied role of these fitness technologies implementation in students-choreographers’ individual educational process is not only in self-development, but also promotes increase of professional performance level, deepens knowledge in the field of aesthetic dance and functional movement.
 The scientific topicality of the study lies in the implementation and usage of fitness technologies, the pilates and myofascial release system in particular, in the independent educational process for students of choreographic faculties of higher educational institutions, which plays an important compensatory role in their physical condition. The list of exercises and methodological recommendations for compiling independent classes on myofascial release and pilates is suggested.
 The practical significance is difficult to overestimate. The benefits of fitness technologies implementation in the students-choreographers’ individual work as a part of the educational process may not only have the preventive value of occupational diseases, but also expands the range of applied knowledge and skills in the field of occupational hygiene in the future career.

COVID-19 Outbreak in Italy: Protecting Worker Health and the Response of the Italian Industrial Hygienists Association.

The number of people infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome—coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), i.e. the virus causing coronavirus disease (COVID-19), is dramatically increasing worldwide to the size of a pandemic. At the time of writing Italy is ranking first among countries both in terms of number of COVID-19 confirmed cases and in terms of number of deaths. Such a wide spread of COVID-19 has led to concern among workers who are facing the risk of becoming infected during the execution of their duties. We believe it is useful to remark on the need for professional expertise in the field of Occupational Hygiene in this emergency context, in which the indications provided by national and international bodies, the available scientific literature and the legal provisions are constantly and rapidly evolving. It is of fundamental importance that there is an effective analysis of expert inputs, to provide essential guidance to Health, Safety and Environmental managers and other prevention managers in workplaces. In this regard, not only a constant update of the regulatory framework is needed, but also a development and circulation of operational guidance to all the stakeholders to translate general indications into clear operating procedures and implementation tools to be adopted in the workplaces. We believe that the scientific associations in the field of Occupational Hygiene play a crucial role in guiding and assisting prevention professionals. There is considerable expertise in the occupational hygiene and exposure science communities that can help employers and workers to contain and delay the spread of COVID-19. For this reason, the Italian Association of Industrial Hygienists (AIDII—Associazione Italiana degli Igienisti Industriali) published documents containing operational guidelines to provide correct and constantly updated information for: (i) workers employed in essential activities (with low and medium risk of contagion), (ii) health workers and other workers at high or very high risk of contagion, and (iii) for the correct use and handling of personal protective equipment for workers and for the population in general. It is worth pointing out that the documents produced are not intended to replace those produced by authoritative bodies, but to comply with and complete them by reporting an effective summary and further indications about the measures that should be taken in practice under the light of the Italian legislation. At present, the challenge is to produce scientifically sound knowledge, appropriate tools, and effective methodologies, by coordinating the initiatives of different scientific associations, with the final aim to effectively transfer them to employers and workers.

The development of a globally acceptable national model for occupational hygiene in Turkey: a modified Delphi study

BackgroundAlthough various organizations working in developed countries established the standards and approaches used in occupational hygiene, occupational hygiene professional interests and needs continue to develop in a global context. There is thus an urgent need for expanded occupational hygiene models. For successful field implementation, these models should be based on several sets of criteria, including those related to international standards, various national requirements, and multidisciplinary approaches. This is particularly important for countries in which no occupational hygiene model has been developed. This study thus examined the consensus on occupational hygiene standards among stakeholders in Turkey regarding the development of a national model. A modified Delphi study was conducted among key occupational health experts in Turkey who could aid in the relevant implementation, policy-making, and educational processes for such a model. Participants were selected from various governmental institutions, non-governmental organizations, trade unions, universities, and occupational health practices.ResultsThe first-round findings were obtained from open-ended questions. The results revealed several requirements, including the adoption of an international hygiene definition, the official recognition of professional and practical areas in Turkish occupational hygiene, hygienist training methods, priorities, and competent institutions. Second-round findings indicated a consensus rate of over 80% regarding the need for implementation standards, training and education standards, requirements and priorities, and competent institutions for professionals working in the field of occupational hygiene. A third-round and SWOT analysis was also conducted among the group to confirm the consensus issues.ConclusionsThe search for solutions and developmental expectations increases when awareness of internationalization and the need for common global standards increase. This developmental process may provide the basis for an appropriate model in developing countries.

Throwing the Baby Out with the Bath Water? Occupational Hygienists’ Views on the Revised Dutch System for Occupational Exposure Limits

In 2007, the Dutch Working Conditions Act was revised with the goal to decrease the regulatory burden, and to open up for company-specific solutions of establishing a safe and healthy work environment. One tool geared towards company-specific solutions is the compilation of the Arbocatalogs, which are company or sector-level collections of safe working methods and guidelines developed both by employers and employees. The revision also introduced a new occupational exposure limit (OEL) system in the Netherlands. This system encompasses two kinds of OELs: private and public. Private OELs are to be derived by the industry, while public OELs are issued by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment. With this change, the majority of the previously set Dutch OELs were removed, as the substances in question now are falling under the private realm. The motivations, expectations, and practical impacts of these revisions have been investigated through interviews with stakeholder organizations and a questionnaire study targeted at occupational hygienists. The questionnaire results show that although the Arbocatalogs seem to be relatively well received, a majority of the Dutch occupational hygienists are still relatively negative to the changes. There is a fear that private OELs will be less scientifically robust than public OELs and that the lack of robustness will have a negative impact on the field of occupational hygiene as a whole.

Interlaboratory evaluation of trace element determination in workplace air filter samples by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is becoming more widely used for trace elemental analysis in the occupational hygiene field, and consequently new ICP-MS international standard procedures have been promulgated by ASTM International and ISO. However, there is a dearth of interlaboratory performance data for this analytical methodology. In an effort to fill this data void, an interlaboratory evaluation of ICP-MS for determining trace elements in workplace air samples was conducted, towards fulfillment of method validation requirements for international voluntary consensus standard test methods. The study was performed in accordance with applicable statistical procedures for investigating interlaboratory precision. The evaluation was carried out using certified 37-mm diameter mixed-cellulose ester (MCE) filters that were fortified with 21 elements of concern in occupational hygiene. Elements were spiked at levels ranging from 0.025 to 10 μg filter(-1), with three different filter loadings denoted "Low", "Medium" and "High". Participating laboratories were recruited from a pool of over fifty invitees; ultimately twenty laboratories from Europe, North America and Asia submitted results. Triplicates of each certified filter with elemental contents at three different levels, plus media blanks spiked with reagent, were conveyed to each volunteer laboratory. Each participant was also provided a copy of the test method which each participant was asked to follow; spiking levels were unknown to the participants. The laboratories were requested to prepare the filters by one of three sample preparation procedures, i.e., hotplate digestion, microwave digestion or hot block extraction, which were described in the test method. Participants were then asked to analyze aliquots of the prepared samples by ICP-MS, and to report their data in units of μg filter(-1). Most interlaboratory precision estimates were acceptable for medium- and high-level spikes (RSD <25%), but generally yielded greater uncertainties than were anticipated at the outset of the study.

Trace beryllium determination in polyvinyl alcohol wipes by extraction and fluorescence detection: interlaboratory analysis

In the occupational hygiene field, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based wipe materials are used extensively for beryllium (Be) sample collection and analysis. Hence there is a need for validated methods to determine trace Be in such sampling media. In this work an interlaboratory study was carried out to evaluate the performance of an extraction and fluorescence method for determining trace Be in PVA wipes containing refractory beryllium oxide (BeO). The method entails heated extraction with dilute ammonium bifluoride (NH4HF2), followed by fluorescence measurement of extracted Be in extract aliquots after reaction with the high quantum-yield fluorophore, hydroxybenzoquinoline sulfonate (HBQS). Certified BeO-spiked PVA wipe materials were prepared at six different levels ranging from 0.030 to 5.6 μg Be per wipe. Dry wipe materials and wipes wetted with 0.5 mL of deionized water were spiked as above. Duplicates of these materials, plus media blanks, were distributed to eight participating laboratories; spiking levels were unknown to the volunteers. Each participant was requested to carry out extraction and fluorescence measurement in accordance with an ASTM International standard test method, ASTM D7202, and to report their results in units of μg Be per wipe sample. Interlaboratory precision, as estimated by percent relative standard deviations (RSDs), ranged between 4.5% and 16%. Estimated percent Be recoveries were 90–99% for dry wipes and between 87 and 93% for wetted wipe materials after volume correction for water content.

Development and Evaluation of an Exposure Control Efficacy Library (ECEL)

This paper describes the development and evaluation of an evidence database on the effectiveness of risk management measures (RMMs) to control inhalation exposure. This database is referred to as Exposure Control Efficacy Library (ECEL). A comprehensive review of scientific journals in the occupational hygiene field was undertaken. Efficacy values for RMMs in conjunction with contextual information on study design, sampling strategy and measurement type (among other parameters) were stored in an MS Access database. In total, 433 efficacy values for six RMM groups (i.e. enclosure, local exhaust ventilation, specialized ventilation, general ventilation, suppression techniques and separation of the worker) were collected from 90 peer-reviewed publications. These RMM categories were subdivided into more specific categories. Estimated average efficacy values ranged from 87% for specialized ventilation to 43% for general ventilation. Substantial variation in efficacy values was observed within RMM categories based on differences in selected covariables within each study (i.e. study design, sampling strategy, measurement type and others). More contrast in efficacy values was observed when evaluating more detailed subcategories. It is envisaged that ECEL will contribute to exposure modelling, but should be supplemented with expert opinion, preferably in a formal expert elicitation procedure. The work presented here should be considered as a first attempt to collate and analyse RMM efficacy values and inclusion of additional (unpublished) exposure data is highly warranted.

A Associação Brasileira de Medicina do Trabalho: locus do processo de constituição da especialidade medicina do trabalho no Brasil na década de 1940

This article analyzes the Brazilian Association of Workers' Medicine, created in the end of 1944 as a space for consolidating occupational health as a medical specialty in Brazil. The Association was founded by the first group of specialists in the field of occupational hygiene and medicine with seat at the facilities of the proper Ministry of Work, Industry and Commerce, where the founders were working. Counting on an initial core group of 35 physicians and five engineers, all of them coming from the Ministry, the main objective of the Association was to study, discuss and promote the issues related to workers' medicine. Among the most relevant activities promoted by the Association were the monthly scientific meetings (with lectures held by invited physicians and physicians and engineers of the Ministry itself), the organization of scientific events and the publication of a specialized periodical. In 1945, only one year after its foundation, the Association passed to make part of the International Bureau of Safety at Work, with seat in Montreal, Canada, and the International Bureau of Work of the International Labor Organization. In December 1945, on occasion of the election of the new board of directors, the Association created the Journal of Workers' Medicine, whose first issue was published in 1946.

Biological Monitoring of Exposure: Trends and Key Developments

The concept of biological monitoring (BM) has gained the special interest of individual scientists and international organizations. Today, when analytical problems have almost ceased due to new laboratory techniques and quality assurance systems, the methods for interpretation of results have become the most important issue. There are important discrepancies regarding the role of biological monitoring of occupational exposure between Europe and the United States. BM has been an important tool of medical health surveillance in the European countries. In the United States it belongs rather to the field of occupational hygiene. It seems that both the approaches can be accepted. More attention should be paid to the development of the truly health-based biomarkers of exposure based on the dose-effect and dose-response relationships. New areas of application of BM of occupational exposure include determination of DNA and protein adducts, unchanged volatile organic compounds in urine, monitoring of exposure to pesticides, antineoplastic drugs, hard metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In the general environment BM is the most valuable tool for acquiring knowledge of current levels of internal exposure to xenobiotics, identifying the hot spots and developments in trends of exposure. BM can provide policy makers with more accurate information on the control measures undertaken. At present, the main areas include heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants and pesticides. BM of chemical exposure has become increasingly important in the assessment of the health risk in occupational and environmental medicine. Therefore it would be worthwhile to include BM in the curricula for the training of occupational hygienists.

Principal Component Analysis is a Powerful Instrument in Occupational Hygiene Inquiries

Several investigators have successfully used principal component analysis (PCA) in interpreting occupational hygiene data. However, traditional textbooks in occupational hygiene provide no guidance for the application and interpretation of PCA. In this article I briefly review the basics of PCA (for those not statistically inclined), provide some guidelines for performing PCA (and designing studies that use the power of PCA), illustrate its application in understanding exposure to mixtures and the characterization of 'peak exposure', and highlight other benefits that occupational hygienists stand to gain by including PCA in their 'statistical toolkit'. I hope that this article will promote greater use and understanding of a data analysis approach that has long been helping investigators outside the field of occupational hygiene to unravel the structure behind the complex relationships among multiple correlated variables.

Knowledge management in occupational hygiene: the United States example.

Knowledge management is an emerging field focusing on assessing the creation, transfer, and utilization of knowledge to address specific challenges. Generally, knowledge management has described efforts within and between companies to consider knowledge as a manageable asset. In this paper, we suggest that occupational hygiene knowledge can be considered a manageable asset by businesses and that the entire field of occupational hygiene in the USA can be appraised in terms of knowledge management. The knowledge cycle creates a foundation for knowledge management. Knowledge creation (research, recognition and evaluation), transfer (distribution, dissemination and diffusion), and utilization (risk management and control) make up the key elements of the knowledge cycle. Defining and understanding the roles of knowledge cycle elements facilitate the application of knowledge management to problems, systems, and situations in individual companies and in the field of occupational hygiene in general. Examples of current, effective knowledge management practices within occupational hygiene in the USA are described, and recommendations for further utilization of knowledge management principles are also presented.

An optimized sampling and GC–MS analysis method for benzene in exhaled breath, as a biomarker for occupational exposure

Benzene is known to be toxic and carcinogenic: therefore, in case of exposure to benzene vapours, a reliable biological monitoring procedure is needed, particularly in the field of occupational hygiene. The determination of the concentration of benzene in the exhaled air 8 h after the exposure has been demonstrated to be a significant biomarker, even for low concentrations of airborne benzene vapours. This work presents a sampling and analysis method that optimizes previously described procedures: in the sampling phase, a double-step sample collection in Tedlar bags is used, in order to remove the breath moisture and to standardise the sample volumes. The analytical phase uses a cryogenic trap for the concentration of the air samples to be injected in the GC–MS, without the need for trapping materials, significantly reducing time and costs of the analysis and improving sensitivity. The presented method has been successfully applied to the biological monitoring of a mixed population (occupationally exposed and not exposed subjects, smokers and non-smokers), with a lower detection limit of 1.5 ng of benzene per litre of exhaled air, that is 1/200 of the biological exposure index recommended by the American Conference of Governmental Hygienists.

Issues concerning the measurement of borate in occupational environments.

Borates are susceptible to weight change due to uptake or loss of water and this hydration instability can lead to gravimetric and interpretation errors in occupational hygiene field sampling of dust. The hydration stability for inhalable borate dust particles (mean diameter 7-22 microns) was characterized over a range of ambient temperature and relative humidity conditions simulating field sampling. Borax 10 mol (Na2O.2B2O3.10H2O), a fully hydrated borate, has a relatively high vapor pressure to water that led to rapid dehydration with significant weight change. Low hydrate borates, Neobor borax 5 mol (Na2O.2B2O3.5H2O), anhydrous boric acid (B2O3), and anhydrous borax (Na2O.2B2O3) were found to hydrate rapidly with an increase in weight. In contrast, boric acid (B[OH]3) and borax 5 mol were found to be stable to dehydration under all conditions. Boron can be measured with high analytical accuracy, but because the specific borate species or borate compounds collected in a 37-mm dust sampler cannot be accurately identified, it is argued that occupational exposure values should be revised to reflect exposure to boron and exposure values for these borates should be the same based on equivalent boron content.

Polish system of workers’ protection against noise

In Poland, like in other industrial countries, the protection of workers’ health against hazards of occupational environment is a subject of many regulations. The basic act is the Code of Labor. Executive regulations connected with the Code are edited by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. The Ministry of Health controls the organization of occupational health services, e.g., requirements for persons performing health examinations, principles of hearing examination, assessment of hearing disability, and the principle of certification of the hearing damage as occupational disease as well as monitoring of noise at workplaces. The Ministry of Labor establishes maximum allowable levels, organizes safety and hygiene services, and sets the principles of education in the field of occupational hygiene. The Ministry of Labor recommends standards for measuring and assessing noise at workplaces. These regulations are the basis for the hearing conservation programs. Polish legislation has been adjusted recently to harmonize with the currently standing legislation in the European Community. The main principles at present are the same as those accepted by the EC, but there are some differences concerning details of legislation and the organization of medical as well as occupational hygiene services.

Certification of contents of aromatic hydrocarbons in charcoal tubes - CRM 562

A Certified Reference Material (CRM) for determination of aromatic hydrocarbons in air was developed. The CRM 562 consists of aromatic hydrocarbons sorbed on charcoal in glass tubes. Initial feasibility studies established that a homogeneous and stable batch could be prepared. Three intercomparisons prior to the certification allowed the identification of various sources of error. Then, a batch of about 3000 tubes was charged and certified on the basis of analyses carried out in 15 European laboratories. The preparation of the reference material and the results of the certification exercise is described. An overview on the analytical techniques used and the quality control guidelines are also presented. The certified values are 15.0 ± 0.4 μg benzene, 147.3 ± 3.8 μg toluene, 96.4 ± 2.5 μg m-xylene and 93.0 ± 2.9 μg o-xylene per tube. This reference material is recommended for quality control of measurements in the field of occupational hygiene.

Static electrification of airborne asbestos: a study of its causes, assessment and effects on deposition in the lungs of rats.

The paper describes a series of experiments carried out in the laboratory to investigate how asbestos fibres might become electrostatically charged during the process of being made airborne, the magnitude and polarity of the charge per fibre, and the effect on lung deposition in rats. Measurements of the penetration of fibres through an electrostatic elutriator enabled the magnitude and distribution of charge in a cloud of fibres to be quantitatively assessed. Thus it was found that a typical fibre of UICC amosite, as dispersed in a typical animal exposure chamber, carried a net charge of magnitude equivalent to about 60 electrons. The distribution of charge was bimodal, suggesting that two charging mechanisms were taking place, the main one producing net negative charge and the lesser one producing net positive charge. These were attributed to materials in the dust dispenser used and with which the fibres came into contact during dispersal. It was found that the magnitude of charge on a typical fibre could be significantly reduced by the introduction of equal numbers of positive and negative gaseous ions from an a.c. corona discharge ioniser. Finally it was found that enhancement by up to 40% of the dust deposited into the slowest clearing part of the respiratory tract of experimental rats was brought about by the electrostatic charge on the airborne fibres. The implications of this finding in the field of occupational hygiene are briefly discussed.

Possible applications of wall jets in controlling air contaminants.

Certain characteristics of isothermal and non-isothennal free jets and wall jets are described. It is considered that wall jets could have many industrial and commercial applications in the field of occupational hygiene. Some examples.