Industrial hygiene is defined as a science that studies and identifies the risks within a work environment and determines the actions necessary to ensure workers’ health.
Thanks to this science, companies, and industries can identify the risk factors that can cause real problems in the health and life of their employees and change the situation to preserve their health through cleanliness, hygiene, and conscious actions that safeguard the wellbeing of employees.
When industrial hygiene is applied, it is possible to avoid lost time due to work-related accidents and create a safe and desirable work environment for trained personnel.
In other words, this occupational hygiene focuses on the health of each individual within the industrial operation, the identification of risks focuses on practices, contamination, and environments harmful to the health of individuals that cause short and long term illnesses.
How is this science applied in a company?
Contents
Prevention:
Taking into account the industry sector, an occupational hygiene guide can be designed to minimize risks in the first instance and ensure the health of the operation members.
For example, in the pharmaceutical and food industry it is important to have a hygienic work design, designed according to the individual processes of each company, to guarantee the quality and safety of the products made and at the same time reduce the exposure of employees to chemicals or toxic environments.
This prevention is done automatically in most companies and, in some sense, helps the operation to run smoothly. Still, an expert should evaluate it to ensure that risks, often invisible, are being avoided.
Identification:
This is where the expert comes in; a professional in the field can perceive biological and toxicological hazards that may be invisible to the human eye.
Some industries are confronted with microorganisms that can cause serious illnesses, and if the operation is not treated correctly, employees can suffer serious consequences.
Action plan:
This action plan mostly includes cleaning and disinfection processes that ensure the elimination of hazards. Visit
This plan achieves an appropriate balance between the hygiene process and the company’s operations, ensures a safe environment, reduces sick leave and ill health, and allows for constant verification of the process.
Dissemination of information:
For the plan to work, it is important to prepare and inform the work team about the risks and prevention measures found, explain the action plan step by step, the cleaning process, and the individual responsibility that each person has to take care of the defined risks.
Workshops, internship programs, and knowledge tests can be given to check that the information has reached each collaborator; it is important to find a way to motivate them to stay safe.
Where is it important to maintain this hygienic control?
These hygiene tools can be helpful in any industry but are most commonly seen in the pharmaceutical, chemical, and food industries; however, they can be applied in mining, petroleum, construction, etc.
It is easier to apply the recommended hygiene and cleaning changes in research centers, laboratories, and food and beverage production lines to meet efficient standards.
The facilities lend themselves to comply with the parameters of toxic agent elimination, the machinery also and the individual elements for each collaborator can increase this safety.
Considerations to be taken into account to maintain a hygienic environment
Although it is recommended that each company has an expert in the area of industrial health and safety to provide an occupational hygiene plan, we can recommend certain basic requirements to ensure health.
Quality personal protective equipment:
A uniform with everything necessary to protect the well-being of each individual, each area requires different equipment; for example, in laboratories with biological risks, a resistant material must be used to protect the skin and even the air that is breathed.
Smooth work surfaces and floors:
Irregular or textured surfaces are difficult to clean and are prone to accumulate microorganisms that can pose a risk to work equipment and to the operation and production of the company.
Disassembled equipment:
It is necessary to obtain working equipment that can be easily disassembled for cleaning.
Specific cleaning products:
Each company must obtain the cleaning products that best suit its business. Since, according to each pollutant, a specific chemical is required to eliminate it.
All these recommendations are provided by a professional who analyzes each industrial process individually, so it is important to contact one before taking action.
