Organizations are responsible for ensuring the well-being and safety of their workforce, including those who work in fields, manufacturing units, and warehouses, to managers, administrative staff, and top executives working at their desks. Any health or safety hazard for your employees can adversely affect the entire organization, as work-related injuries, diseases, and hazardous effects of long-term exposure to environmental factors can hamper overall efficiency and productivity and result in legal and financial consequences. 

Implementing and maintaining effective industrial hygiene practices in the workplace can significantly alleviate these challenges. From a business standpoint, it’s not only a moral obligation but also a sensible decision to prioritize industrial hygiene, environmental safety, and employee health, as it directly translates into a significant reduction in healthcare costs, overhead expenses, and legal complications. This article highlights the key aspects of industrial hygiene and how they contribute to ensuring employee health and wellness. 

Industrial Hygiene – What it is and Why it’s Important

Businesses and organizations in the manufacturing or construction industry present constant and significant hazards to their employees. Industrial hygiene focuses on identifying, recognizing, evaluating, and controlling existing and potential workplace hazards that can impact employees’ physical and mental well-being. 

Industrial hygienists typically identify and manage health and safety hazards during the planning phase of a project or workplace or whenever there is a significant change in employees’ environment. This proactive approach toward employee health and safety helps organizations protect their valuable workforce from the physical, environmental, and psychosocial effects of a precarious workplace. 

Major Health and Safety Hazards and the Role of Industrial Hygienists in Eliminating Them

Now that we have described what is industrial hygiene, it’s important to mention some major environmental and safety hazards that employees face in the workplace and the role of industrial hygienists to anticipate, prevent, or eliminate these hazards. 

Chemical Hazards

Manufacturers and companies that require fieldwork or mining are often exposed to hazardous chemicals and toxic substances in the form of gases, vapors, liquids, or solids. Consistent or long-term exposure to these chemicals and toxic substances can pose serious risks to employee health. 

Industrial hygiene focuses on assessing chemical hazards, implementing proper handling and storage procedures, and ensuring appropriate protective gear, such as personal protective equipment (PPE), to minimize exposure to hazardous substances and ensure employee health and wellness.

Physical Hazards

Noise, vibration, radiation, and extreme temperatures are the most common challenges employees in most organizations and manufacturing units face. Long-term noise exposure can cause hearing loss, while extreme temperatures make employees vulnerable to heat stroke and hyperthermia in extremely hot conditions or hypothermia (frostbite) in freezing environments. Moreover, long-term exposure to ionizing and non-ionizing radiation can cause many health issues in workers, including skin problems, sterility, and even cancer. 

Industrial hygienists identify all existing and potential physical hazards in a work environment and control these hazards through measures such as engineering controls (soundproofing, vibration dampening), administrative controls (limiting exposure time), and PPE (earplugs, protective clothing).

Biological Hazards

Biological hazards include all health risks associated with biological agents, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microorganisms. These biological agents can easily enter the body and result in acute and chronic infections. 

Although biological hazards can become prevalent in any work environment, they’re typically found in healthcare settings, laboratories, forensics, or industries dealing with plants, animals, or waste. Industrial hygienists implement strategies like proper ventilation and personal hygiene protocols and make appropriate protective measures mandatory to prevent the spreading of infectious diseases. In some cases, industrial hygienists plan complete isolation to prevent the spread of contagious infections and minimize health risks associated with particular biological hazards. 

Ergonomic Hazards

Poor posture, repetitive movements, manual lifting of heavy equipment or material, forceful exertion, overhead work, and insufficient rest periods can all lead to workplace injuries and musculoskeletal disorders, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, lower back injuries, and tendonitis. 

Industrial hygienists use their knowledge and skills to identify all possible ergonomic risks associated with each employee’s job responsibilities and implement ergonomic solutions, such as ergonomic workstations, training programs, and job rotation, to reduce the risk of ergonomic injuries. Each ergonomic solution is tailored to the specific needs of an employee to ensure their health and wellness in the long term. 

Hazardous Atmospheres

Confined spaces with oxygen-deficient or oxygen-enriched environments, poor indoor air quality, and toxic gases or dust particles can cause serious and life-threatening health outcomes in employees over time. Poor indoor air quality resulting from tools used inside the building or pollution from the surrounding atmosphere can cause various health issues, including respiratory problems, skin infections, gut health issues, and neurological disorders.

Industrial hygienists thoroughly monitor air quality, implement proper ventilation systems to remove air contaminants, and provide training to protect employees from hazardous atmospheres.

Fire and Explosive Hazards

Industrial hygienists identify and control fire and explosive hazards within a workplace to protect their employees from accidental fires and explosions. They assess all flammable materials, electrical systems, and ignition sources and work with safety professionals to develop fire prevention plans, implement safety protocols, and conduct emergency response drills.

Benefits of Maintaining Industrial Hygiene 

Industrial hygiene practices help organizations identify and mitigate environmental risks, promote a safer work environment, and maintain worker safety. Here’re some benefits of prioritizing and implementing excellent industrial hygiene:

• Industrial hygiene protects employees from exposure to harmful substances and conditions and reduces the risk of occupational illnesses.
• Industrial hygiene measures create a safer work environment where employees feel secure and confident.
• Since industrial hygiene help minimizes health issues, organizations observe reduced absenteeism, better employee morale, and increased engagement and performance. A healthy and safe work environment ultimately translates into higher productivity levels.
• Businesses can significantly reduce costs associated with employee healthcare, compensation claims, legal liabilities, and lost productivity due to absenteeism.
• Industrial hygiene practices help organizations comply with applicable health and safety regulations, such as OSHA standards or OSH Act of 1970. 
• Organizations that comply with employee health and safety regulations enjoy a strong reputation within the industry, which ultimately helps them attract and retain talented professionals and build customer trust. 
• Employees who feel that their well-being is genuinely cared for are likely to stay with the organization for long.

Final Thoughts

For any organization, employees are the greatest and most invaluable asset. Health hygiene practices are the key to creating a culture of health and wellness and inspiring your workforce to thrive physically and professionally. No matter which industry your business operates in, hiring an industrial hygienist as part of your team or taking the services of an external consultant to identify potential health and safety issues and effectively implement hygiene solutions can help you create a safer and healthier work environment, maintain credibility, and achieve long-term success.