ABSTRACT
Industrial hygiene (IH) involves the prevention of disease and injury in the work environment. Traditionally, industrial hygienists worked in heavy and construction industries, but as these settings have changed, so has the role of IH. Diseases and injury in the health-care industry have become of greater concern, especially in light of increasing workmen’s compensation rates and a rise in resistant pathogens (microbes). Today, other hazards are emerging as a concern for health-care workers, such as mercury, sharps, shift work, and antineoplastic agents. Few health-care workers have an understanding of IH and its role in disease prevention.
