Why are Occupational Hygiene Assessments so Beneficial?
An initial overview of a business operation highlights its inherent type and level of potential risks and dangers so that a proper, accurate occupation hygiene assessment can be performed with all the essential detail. It sounds simple enough, but is actually a very wide, complex field.
Additionally, legal requirements to ensure workers’ safety are stringent and such evaluations are only recognised when performed by registered professionals who are familiar with all the rules and regulations and have the knowhow to recognise pitfalls.
Depending on the operation, they may include asbestos or lead exposure, chemical or biological agents, vibration, sound/noise, illumination, ventilation, indoor air quality, air, water and soil contamination, pollution, toxicology, thermal extremes to name a few.
All the factors which present themselves must be scientifically tested to determine their severity and the consequence for building occupants. Computer models of air flow must be developed; air, water and soil samples and particulates on surfaces must be collected, analysed and rated according to the degree of risk.
Employees have a right to perform their duties in a safe, non-hazardous environment. Failure of the employer to provide satisfactory working conditions is likely to lead to lots of sick leave days off work, loss of productivity, accidents, loss of profits, possible permanent disability and expensive lawsuits and financial settlements, when damage claims are instituted.
Clearly, an occupational hygiene plan, customised for each operation’s hazards, must be developed and put in place, after which it needs to be monitored and controlled, with a review at least every two years. How does one go about this? Moreover, it may sound really costly.
This is when and why one should get in touch with IOH Solutions, who have successfully been assisting their clients with all aspects of occupational hygiene assessments since the formation of their company in 2003. Their teams of specialists are qualified professional people with all the experience needed to safeguard employees and employers in the workplace – surprisingly competitively priced.