ABSTRACT
Occupational health services anticipate and prevent health problems which are caused by the work which people do. In some circumstances, the work may aggravate a pre-existing medical condition, and stopping this is also the role of occupational health. Health hazards often reveal their effects on the body only after the passage of time; many have cumulative effects, and in some cases, the way this happens is still not fully understood. Because the effects are often not immediately apparent, it can be difficult to understand and persuade others that there is a need for caution and control. Good occupational hygiene practice encompasses the following ideas:
recognition of the hazards or potential hazards
quantification of the extent of the hazard – usually by measuring physical/chemical factors and their duration, and relating them to known or required standards
assessment of risk in the actual conditions of use, storage, transport and disposal
control of exposure to the hazard, through design, engineering, working systems, the use of personal protective equipment and biological monitoring
monitoring change in the hazard by means of audits or other measurement techniques, including periodic re-evaluation of work conditions and systems.
