subject: What Is An Industrial Hygienist? [print this page] Hi, I'm Steve Sleeper for AMI Environmental, where we make environmental problems go away. I'm here today with Doug Marshall who's an Industrial Hygienist with AMI Environmental and Doug the first obvious question is what is an industrial hygienist?
[Doug] Well, Steve, an industrial hygienist comes in and helps a company or an owner find out what the health hazards are in their work environment; whether its chemical or a physical health hazard. We come in and help identify hazards and provide solutions, not only for OSHA compliance but also for employee safety.
[Steve] I think sometimes when people think of industrial hygiene, they may be thinking of hazardous chemicals but that's not necessarily what we're talking about. It could be something as simple as the work environment in a call center, ergonomics and air quality and things like that.
[Doug] Its all of those things yes. We come in whether the hazard is physical or chemical. It could be an ergonomic hazard or a noise hazard. Were looking to help our clients prioritize those risks in the workplace and look at it not only from a cost effective standpoint but also a risk management standpoint. What are the largest risk liabilities they have in their workplace in regard to hazards and helping their workplace become and stay more productive.
[Steve] Doug, give me an idea, what could some of those risks be in your typical workplace?
[Doug] Well, on a daily basis we consult for clients that do manufacturing so we have industrial hazards such as welding fumes, dust and noise exposures. When we go into more places like banks or call centers, we look mainly at ergonomic hazards and indoor air quality concerns.
We look at indoor air quality and infection prevention is a big issue. We help the infection control staff at hospitals and we help construction managers manage how air flows are going inside healthcare facilities during construction projects. We monitor for particulate flow, and make sure that air flows are correct.
[Steve] Thanks Doug, for a free consultation call 402-397-5001 and ask for Doug Marshall.
