Occupational Hygiene – FAQs

What is the difference between occupational health and hygiene?

Occupational health is concerned with the direct physical and mental effects of work on a person and looks to limit the impact.

Examples include MSDs such as a sore back from lifting objects too often or incorrectly.  In this case an occupational health solution could include Manual Handling training.  Or stress brought on by included pressure.  A solution to this course be Mental Wellbeing training.

Occupational hygiene looks at longer term environmental factors which may cause ill health, for example hazardous gases, asbestos, or extreme temperatures. This also encompasses aspects of the office environment, for example incorrect use of display screen equipment can cause damage to eyesight, posture and mental health.

Occupational hygiene is preventative and therefore almost always the preferred approach. Focusing on controlling risk factors before they cause damage to people.

Who is responsible for employee health?

Every year over 170 million days are lost to sickness absence. Staff who proactively look after their health are likely to be happier, more productive and suffer less absenteeism. Therefore, while employers do not have responsibility for aspects of health such as lifestyle and diet, reputable employers who positively influence their staff with regards their health and wellbeing have many benefits to reap.

Employers are responsible however, where the health effect is caused or aggravated by work. Typically, this means risks arising from chemical, physical or biological agents which the employee is exposed to as part of their work.

What is my responsibility regarding risk factors?

There is an expectation that you will carry out an occupational hygiene programme as part of your management system in most cases where your risk assessments show there is a substantial health risk from a given agent.

Should I invest in Occupational Hygiene for staff?

Weigh up the alternatives and consider the cost of causing injury to staff. There are long term financial benefits to a well-planned and directed occupational hygiene study.

What standards should I be applying?

There are a range of standards applying to both the measurement techniques and the measuring equipment.

Depending on the situation, sometimes a quick study with low cost equipment is sufficient. Alternatively, there will be cases where higher quality equipment and a more detailed study are required. Careful consideration should be given during the planning stage to the correct standards to be applied to ensure your occupational hygiene programme is effective and efficient.

The Chartered Society for Worker Health Protection (BOHS) provides further guidance for employers on occupational hygiene.