What does Industrial Hygiene Monitoring really mean? If you work in an industrial industry then you have heard this term before but it’s probably written as IH monitoring. The goal of IH monitoring is to monitor the hygiene of an industrial process. Why is that important? It’s important to ensure the safety of the employees that work in that plant. An Industrial Hygienist or Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), can examine the different processes in the plant or factory where you work and determine if they might be dangerous or need personal protection equipment.
What does Industrial Hygiene Monitoring really mean? If you work in an industrial industry then you have heard this term before but it’s probably written as IH monitoring. The goal of IH monitoring is to monitor the hygiene of an industrial process. Why is that important? It’s important to ensure the safety of the employees that work in that plant. An Industrial Hygienist or Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), can examine the different processes in the plant or factory where you work and determine if they might be dangerous or need personal protection equipment.
If there is a paint booth or a welding booth anywhere then there is cause for concern. A CIH could determine if the paint booth had proper ventilation and if a mask was necessary when painting inside the paint booth. There is a method used to determine if a mask or better ventilation is needed, it is called air quality monitoring. A person who regularly utilizes the booth would wear a device on their person and this device is like a personal air monitoring device. It takes in air and all the particles in the air that that employee is being subjected.
The employee typically wears it for a full shift and at the end of the day it is collected and the sample is sent off to a lab for analysis. The lab analyzes the filters inside the sample to determine what types of particles are trapped in the filters. If they are harmful then it might be determined that the employee needs to wear a mask while working. If respirators are necessary a respirator program is required and respirator training is also necessary.
If the plant is loud then noise monitoring might also be necessary. It is quite similar to the air monitoring test, but instead of wearing an air monitor employees would wear dosimeters to monitor the noise levels they experience on day to day activities. These tests aren’t designed to make your job more difficult but instead to protect employees from working conditions that can seriously harm them. Without IH monitoring, workers would be exposed to hazards from air to noise to working conditions. IH monitoring can help make working environments a safer place with fewer recordable accidents.
If you have a paint booth or welding booth or even just a simple manufacturing plant click here to find an industrial hygienist near you that can perform tests to determine if you need any IH programs.
Occupational Health Overcomes Everyday Hazards
Many workers face different types of hazards on a daily basis. Each company has a responsibility to proactively protect their employees from hazards encountered in the workplace. Accidents or injuries can bring production to a halt, reduce the workforce while the employee is recovering and lead to costly worker compensation claims. A Certified Industrial Hygienist can help your company improve the Occupational Health present at your facility.
The Risk from Asbestos
Asbestos poses a major health risk in many office buildings and homes due to the wide adoption and usage of asbestos as an insulator in the construction process. Asbestos can be found in the glue beneath vinyl flooring or in material applied to concrete to regulate the temperature between floors in an office building. These buildings and homes are being remodeled and modernized as an update to the space, but the demolition process can be hazardous if asbestos is present. Test for asbestos prior to starting your next remodeling project to ensure workers are safe.
Communicating the Dangers with HazCom
Hazard Communication focuses on explaining the dangers present at the workplace. The employees have a right to understand the hazards present and how to remain safe on the jobsite. A Certified Industrial Hygienist can work with your company to fulfill the HazCom requirement set forth by OSHA.
