What Is Occupational Hygiene?

Occupational hygiene is the science and art dedicated to the Anticipation, Recognition, Evaluation, Communication and Control of environmental stressors in, or arising from, the workplace that may result in injury, illness, impairment, or affect the well being of workers and members of the community.

These stressors are divided into the categories Biological, Chemical, physical, Ergonomic and Psychosocial. The Workplace Health and Safety legislation require the Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU) to identify hazards associated with the work environment, assess the health and safety risks to exposed persons and eliminate, or if not possible to eliminate, control those risks by minimise them to an acceptable level. If deemed likely that persons associated with workplace activities can potentially become exposed to those hazards at levels effecting their wellbeing, PCBUs (employers and persons in control of the workplace) are required to engage a competent person (usually referred to in the industry as qualified, appropriately trained and experienced occupational hygienist or certified occupational hygienist (COH)) to undertake the process described above. Once the process is completed for the hazard or a range of hazards in the occupational environment the PCBU will obtain the evidence demonstrating compliance with the legislation with the aim of protecting their people at the workplace.