Information For Students

Occupational hygiene is the discipline of anticipating, recognizing, evaluating and controlling health hazards in the working environment with the objective of protecting worker health and well-being and safeguarding the community at large. Occupational hygiene is considered a "science"; but it is also an art that involves judgment, creativity and human interaction.
The field of Occupational Hygiene today has also expanded to included Environment, Health and Safety.Occupational hygiene has a long history and a bright future as a potential career.

Occupational hygienists are scientists and engineers committed to protecting the health and safety of people in the workplace and the community. Traditionally occupational hygienists worked primarily in factories and other industrial settings but as our society has changed, so has the definition of occupational hygiene. Today, Occupational hygienists can be found in almost every type of work setting

There is no difference. The term Industrial Hygiene originated in the USA while in other parts of the world the discipline is known as Occupational Hygiene. In some ways, Occupational is a better descriptor because health risks occur in all places that people work, including offices, shops, banks, hospitals and farms, not just in those workplaces that one thinks of as industrial.

The goal of the occupational hygienist is to keep workers, their families, and the community healthy and safe. They play a vital part in ensuring that federal, provincial/territorial, and local laws and regulations are followed in the work environment

Occupational Hygienists may be found working to prevent ergonomic injuries in the office; measuring noise levels at an airport; supervising the safe removal of lead, mold or asbestos; and in thousands of other settings. Occupational
hygienists may sample air, soil or water to determine if there are harmful substances present. They may fit test a respirator to ensure that a worker is breathing cleaner air.

Typical roles of the occupational hygienist include:

• Investigating and examining the workplace for hazards and potential dangers
• Making recommendations on improving the safety of workers and the surrounding community
• Conducting scientific research to provide data on possible harmful conditions in the workplace
• Developing techniques to anticipate and control potentially dangerous situations in the workplace and the community
  
• Training and educating the community about job-related risks
• Advising government officials and participating in the development of regulations to ensure the health and safety of workers and their families
• Ensuring that workers are properly following health and safety procedures

Educational Institutions with Occupational Hygiene Programs

Postgraduate programs in Occupational Hygiene are available at the following institutions:

In addition, a variety of certificate and diploma programs in OSH are also available from colleges and universities across Canada. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) provides a summary of these programs in Canada, available at http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/information/courses.html.

1.

Dick Martin Scholarship Award - Contact CCOHS for more information. http://www.ccohs.ca/headlines/DMSA_overview.pdf

The following links connect to examples of scholarships offered by three Canadian universities for the study of occupational hygiene/health. Prospective students are advised to contact their respective schools for a complete listing of financial awards and aid available to them.