Applied scientists or engineers who specialize in keeping workers, their families, and the community safe and healthy typically fill industrial hygienist jobs. Industrial hygienist jobs are available in both government and private industry. Industrial hygienist jobs vary depending on the type of workplace and industry on which the hygienist is focused, but they play an important role in assessing and monitoring workplace safety. An industrial hygienist’s typical responsibilities include looking for potential hazards and threats in the workplace, conducting research on chemicals in the workplace, and making recommendations to improve worker and community safety.
Industrial hygienist jobs are primarily scientific in nature, with the goal of reducing or eliminating workplace hazards. The scientists and engineers who fill these positions are usually given additional industrial hygiene training. Simultaneously, they will frequently employ applied scientific research methods to determine what hazards or potential hazards may exist in the workplace.
A work-site analysis is one of the most common tasks that an industrial hygienist may perform. This is a comprehensive examination of a workplace to determine which jobs, work processes, and areas are most likely to cause problems. An industrial hygienist will look for environmental stressors and possibly measure chemicals and particles in the area to see if there are any potential hazards for workers in the area. Furthermore, the hygienist may examine work procedures and processes in order to identify potential hazards. An industrial hygienist would conduct a full work-site analysis to include all jobs, tasks, and potential work activities at the specific work site.
Investigating potentially hazardous situations on the job and devising strategies to reduce or eliminate them may also be part of an industrial hygienist’s job description. In addition, industrial hygienists may conduct training for workers, their families, and the general public on how to recognize a dangerous or harmful situation at work or at home, as well as what to do if one arises. An industrial hygienist works to make the work site safer through a systematic process of inspection, research, and analysis. An industrial hygienist may recommend appropriate corrective actions if a situation is deemed hazardous or potentially dangerous to health or safety.
In addition to these hands-on jobs, an industrial hygienist may advise managers and the government on how to make workplaces safer. An industrial hygienist may also be responsible for coordinating a company’s response to various emergency situations, as well as ensuring safe interior air quality, reducing environmental lead exposure, and determining how to handle any other potential workplace hazards. In the end, an industrial hygienist, like any other hygienist, is responsible for keeping something clean, safe, and healthy — in this case, a company or, possibly, an entire industry.