OHS Exam 1

Definition of industrial hygiene

Science and art devoted to the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of environmental factors or stresses arising in or from the workplace that may cause sickness, impaired health and well-being, or significant discomfort among workers or citizens.

Hippocrates

First recorded mention of occupational diseases

Pliny the Elder

Described the use of an animal bladder as filtering medium in masks

Agricola

Diseases in mining, smelting, and refining

Ramazzini

First complete book on occupational diseases or father of industrial medicine

Thackrah and McCready

Modern literature on occupational medicine

Dr. Alice Hamilton

Founder of industrial medicine who worked on diagnosis and treatment coupled with prevention and control

Early education opportunities for IH

• First course in IH taught at MIT

• First academic program at Harvard (1922)

• NIOSH Educational Resource Centers (ERC) (1977)

• Graduate and bachelor's level programs by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)

Early sampling methods

• Color-indicating tubes for air sampling

• Midget impingers for dust particles

• Membrane filters for mass determination

• Charcoal tubes for gases and vapors

• Palmes’ method for nitrogen dioxide

IH Organizations

AIHA (American Industrial Hygiene Association)

ACGIH (American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists)

ABIH (American Board of Industrial Hygiene)

NIOSH (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health)

Related terms

TLV (Threshold Limit Values)

ERCs (Educational Resource Centers)

CIH (Certified Industrial Hygienist)

Code of Ethics

Canon 1- To protect health and well-being of people

Canon 2- To counsel affected parties

Canon 3- To keep confidential personal and business information

Canon 4- To avoid conflict of interest

Canon 5- To perform services only in the area of competency

Canon 6- To act responsibly