Industrial Hygiene
I
ndustrial Hygiene (IH) is a combination of science and art devoted to the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of environmental factors or stressors arising in the workplace. These factors may cause acute or chronic sickness, impaired health and well-being, and significant discomfort among workers or community citizens. The field of industrial hygiene (IH) and safety is expanding and changing rapidly in response to increasing regulatory agency involvement in worker safety and environmental protection. SCS Engineers’ industrial hygiene and safety services help clients stay abreast of this rapidly changing regulatory environment.
Injury and illness in the workplace contribute to an employer’s liability, decreased profits and production, increased insurance premiums based on the experience modification rate (EMR), and unforeseen costs related to interviewing, hiring, training and staffing positions from injured workers. The cost to society in 2017, for work injuries, was 161.5 billion dollars, according to the National Safety Council.
SCS is dedicated to ensuring project success through a team-based approach to managing risk and protecting the health and safety of employees and the community. SCS’s Certified Industrial Hygienists (CIHs) and Certified Safety Professionals (CSPs) are occupational health and safety specialists who:
- Anticipate hazards in the workplace for clients based on the type of operations and their industry
- Recognize hazards, which exist in the varying types of facilities occupied by our clients
- Evaluate the magnitude of the identified hazards by conducting real-time monitoring and sampling of areas and personnel potentially affected by the hazards
- Control the hazards with engineering controls including product or process substitution, work practice controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment
- Prevent hazards in the first place with the evaluation of construction plans, new process design, and expansion or the purchase of new equipment.
- Apply in-depth knowledge of regulations, science, and policy to provide compliance advice and management.
- Provide expert assistance and testimony in support of Industrial Hygiene assessment, sampling, analysis, management programs, and corrective design.
SCS Engineers’ industrial hygienists give full, individual attention to each client’s unique situation, and they develop the most cost-effective solutions to a wide variety of IH-related issues, including property inspections and abatement.
SCS’s Comprehensive Industrial Hygiene Services
- Biological (fungi/mold, bacteria, venomous insects/reptiles)
- Chemical (inhalation, ingestion, absorption)
- Environmental (dusts, mists, fumes, aerosols, fibers, gases, vapors)
- Ergonomic (repetitive motion, bending, lifting, pushing, walking, reaching)
- Organizational (workplace violence, harassment, stress, workload)
- Physical (radiation, noise, temperature, illumination)
Specific Industrial Hygiene Services we offer:
- Asbestos and Lead Sampling, Abatement Oversight, and Clearance Sampling
- Baseline IH Surveys
- Confined Space Identification, Entry Training, and Permit Programs
- Construction Safety (including trench, crane, and heavy equipment)
- Crystalline Silica Controls
- Electrical and Arc Flash Safety Programs
- Environmental Health & Safety Management Programs and Policy Development
- Ergonomic Evaluations
- Exposure Sampling (Area and Personnel)
- Facility Audits and OSHA Compliance
- Hazard Communication Programs
- Hearing Conservation Programs and Noise Measurements
- Indoor Air Quality
- Job Safety Analysis (JSA)
- Laboratory Health and Safety
- Legionnaires Disease and Pontiac Fever (Legionella bacteria) Testing
- Lock-out / Tag-out Programs
- Mold Sampling, Abatement Oversight, and Air Clearance Sampling
- Odor Investigation and Control
- OSHA Voluntary Participation Program Development
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Qualitative Fit Testing
- Personnel training and Training Program Development
- Radon Testing and Radon Reduction
- Risk Assessments
- Safety Data Sheet Compliance and Chemical Inventory
- Ventilation System Evaluation
- Working at Heights and Fall Protection Programs
