Occupational Health and Hygiene Course

Lesson 1 • Legal and Regulatory Framework

Explains employer duties, worker rights, and regulatory enforcement mechanisms without referencing specific codes. Connects compliance obligations to practical workplace programs.

Lesson 2 • Occupational Disease and Injury Concepts

Distinguishes acute injuries from chronic occupational diseases and explains causation pathways. Prepares students to recognize work-relatedness when assessing health outcomes.

Lesson 3 • Defining Occupational Health and Hygiene

Introduces the scope and purpose of occupational health and industrial hygiene as disciplines. Provides the conceptual baseline for all subsequent hazard and control topics.

Lesson 4 • Hazard Categories and Classification

Covers the five primary workplace hazard categories: chemical, physical, biological, ergonomic, and psychosocial. Builds the classification vocabulary used throughout the course.

Lesson 1 • Hazard Documentation and Reporting

Establishes standards for recording identified hazards in registers, incident logs, and inspection reports. Accurate documentation supports the risk assessment process introduced in the next chapter.

Lesson 2 • Recognizing Physical Hazards

Covers recognition of noise, vibration, radiation, temperature extremes, and illumination deficiencies. Provides sensory and instrument-based cues for initial identification.

Lesson 3 • Recognizing Chemical Hazards

Teaches identification of chemical hazards through safety data sheets, labeling systems, and process review. Builds chemical literacy needed before exposure assessment in later chapters.

Lesson 4 • Hazard Identification Methods

Introduces structured techniques—walkthroughs, job safety analysis, and checklists—for finding hazards. Anchors recognition as the first step of the anticipate-recognize-evaluate-control model.

Lesson 1 • Exposure Assessment Framework

Introduces the anticipate-recognize-evaluate-control model with emphasis on the evaluate phase. Defines similar exposure groups and the role of professional judgment in assessment design.

Lesson 2 • Physical Agent Measurement

Addresses dosimetry and direct-reading instruments for noise, vibration, heat stress, and radiation. Calibration and quality assurance procedures are emphasized for reliable data.

Lesson 3 • Air Sampling Strategies and Methods

Covers personal, area, and source sampling approaches along with sampler selection criteria. Connects sampling design decisions to statistical validity and regulatory acceptability.

Lesson 4 • Occupational Exposure Limits

Explains time-weighted averages, short-term exposure limits, and ceiling values and their derivation basis. Students learn to select the correct limit type for a given exposure scenario.

Lesson 1 • Risk Prioritization Techniques

Introduces ranking tools including risk matrices, Pareto analysis, and weighted scoring to sequence control actions. Prioritization links exposure data to resource allocation decisions.

Lesson 2 • Risk Assessment Fundamentals

Defines risk as the product of likelihood and consequence and distinguishes it from hazard. Establishes the risk assessment cycle as the decision-making backbone of occupational hygiene programs.

Lesson 3 • Quantitative Risk Assessment Methods

Covers exposure-based risk characterization using toxicological data, cancer slope factors, and non-cancer hazard quotients. Prepares students to communicate numerical risk estimates to management.

Lesson 4 • Risk Register Development

Guides students through building a structured risk register that captures hazard, exposure, risk level, and control status. The register becomes the management tool used in subsequent control chapters.

Lesson 1 • Personal Protective Equipment Selection

Guides selection, fit-testing, maintenance, and limitations of respiratory, hearing, skin, and eye protection. Emphasizes that PPE protects only the wearer and requires a formal program to be effective.

Lesson 2 • Engineering Controls Design

Covers local exhaust ventilation, enclosure, isolation, and process modification as primary engineering solutions. Ventilation design principles and performance verification are included.

Lesson 3 • Control Effectiveness Verification

Teaches post-implementation exposure reassessment, visual inspection, and worker feedback as verification tools. Confirms that selected controls achieve the intended exposure reduction before closing risk register items.

Lesson 4 • Administrative Controls and Work Practices

Addresses job rotation, exposure time limits, safe work procedures, and housekeeping as administrative tools. Effectiveness depends on consistent worker compliance and supervisory enforcement.

Lesson 1 • Respiratory and Audiometric Surveillance

Details spirometry, chest imaging, and audiometry protocols for workers exposed to dusts, fumes, and noise. Interpretation thresholds and referral criteria are specified.

Lesson 2 • Principles of Health Surveillance

Defines health surveillance, its legal basis, and its distinction from general health screening. Establishes the link between identified hazards and the selection of surveillance tests.

Lesson 3 • Pre-Placement and Periodic Examinations

Covers baseline and periodic medical examinations, fitness-for-work assessments, and their documentation. Periodic exams detect trends that single assessments cannot reveal.

Lesson 4 • Biological and Dermatological Surveillance

Addresses blood lead, cholinesterase, and skin condition monitoring for chemical and biological exposures. Connects biological monitoring results to exposure assessment data from Chapter 3.

Lesson 1 • Integration with Management Systems

Explains how occupational hygiene programs align with plan-do-check-act management system frameworks. Integration avoids duplication and embeds hygiene into existing organizational processes.

Lesson 2 • Program Auditing and Continuous Improvement

Teaches internal audit planning, execution, and nonconformance management for hygiene programs. Audit findings close the management system loop and drive measurable program improvement.

Lesson 3 • Training and Competency Management

Addresses training needs analysis, delivery methods, and competency verification for hygiene-related roles. Competent workers and supervisors are the primary defense against exposure exceedances.

Lesson 4 • Program Structure and Policy Development

Covers the elements of a written occupational hygiene program: scope, policy, objectives, and accountabilities. A strong policy statement signals leadership commitment and drives resource allocation.

Lesson 1 • Construction and Mining Sector Cases

Covers silica dust, asbestos, whole-body vibration, and confined space hazards in construction and mining. High-risk sector complexity reinforces advanced control and surveillance decisions.

Lesson 2 • Manufacturing and Industrial Sector Cases

Applies recognition, assessment, and control skills to metalworking, welding, and chemical processing environments. Students produce a full hazard and control report for a simulated facility.

Lesson 3 • Healthcare and Laboratory Sector Cases

Addresses biological, chemical, and ergonomic hazards specific to clinical and research laboratory settings. Infection control and sharps safety are integrated with standard hygiene methodology.

Lesson 4 • Professional Ethics and Communication

Addresses ethical obligations, conflict of interest, and clear communication of risk findings to diverse audiences. Ethical practice and effective communication are essential for professional credibility.