BASIC PRINCIPLES IN OCCUPATIONAL HYGIENE Day 5

22- CAREERS IN OCCUPATIONAL HYGIENE

Education and Training

Organisation of Occupational Hygiene Services The size and resources of the employing organisation. The need for specialist expertise. The availability of outside help.

Role of Occupational Hygienist Know the workplaces, plant, processes, materials, sources of exposure and people involved Know the legal requirements Be well versed in the recognition of potential health hazards and their association with disease or discomfort Understand the derivation of the accepted hygiene standards Design appropriate workplace or biological sampling programmes

Role of Occupational Hygienist Select, purchase, calibrate and maintain appropriate field equipment Carry out surveys of the workplace and be aware of the limitations of such surveys Evaluate the risk to health by using his professional judgment and with reference to reliable hygiene standards Apply statistical treatment to the data obtained Store and retrieve data as necessary Assess control methods by observation and measurement Recommend new or improved control measures to management

Role of Senior Occupational Hygienist Formulating occupational hygiene policies and standards Auditing and monitoring the effectiveness of the policies Risk assessment of new processes, by scrutinising materials, plant designs etc. and anticipating problems Educating and training management and workforce in occupational hygiene Supervision and professional development of hygiene staff Management of an occupational hygiene laboratory Quality assurance of hygiene measurements and programmes

Further Roles of Hygienists Coordinating data for standard setting Serving on national and international committees Liaison with many national scientific, industrial and academic bodies Commissioning or conducting research Producing guidance on the whole spectrum of prevention and control issues Drafting and reviewing legislation

Quality Assurance Quality systems may be formal or informal, and will be influenced by: the size and status of the organization the management structure and culture the calibre of staff employed the services offered

Hygienists as a Manager Managing occupational hygiene programmes - designing programmes, planning their implementation, conducting and monitoring them Managing a hygiene service - either in-house or as a consultancy, with responsibility for staff, budgeting etc. Being part of a company's management team, advising line managers on specialised hygiene matters to meet the needs of the business Changing careers - moving into an area such as marketing or line management on the strength of the abilities acquired through practising as a hygienist

The Effectiveness of a Hygienist It may involve: influencing employees to use the control measures provided properly supervising other hygiene staff to perform optimally influencing managers to make or support decisions

Key Skills Executive & administrative skills such as setting objectives, planning, supervision, problem solving, decision making, time management, delegation, budgeting and auditing People management skills including recruitment interviewing, training and development of staff, counselling, disciplinary interviewing, team building, leadership and motivation Communication skills like report writing, making presentations and public speaking, handling meetings, persuasion (or selling) and negotiation

Join a Society Established occupational hygiene societies in nearly 30 countries Conferences, newsletters, websites Get involved Arrange/attend local meetings Join internet forum Give presentations Find a mentor

Ethics Safeguard health and well-being of the workforce Responsibilities to employer, client, general public Confidentiality of data Conflicts of interest and loyalties Junior staff when senior expected Professional bodies have written Codes of Ethics