AIHce: Green Design and IH: Mutually Exclusive?

May 14, 2003
At an interesting roundtable session at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo in Dallas, several scientists discussed integrating green design and industrial hygiene practices. Is it possible to simultaneously reduce risks to the environment and workers, they wondered.

Yes, they concluded, but care must be taken that new, stiffer environmental regulations don't protect the environment while ignoring workers.

"Decisions made by industrial hygienists often have direct impact on the environment," said Jennifer Sahmel, EPA, Washington. "Exhaust [hazards] away from the work environment and outside the facility. The opposite can be true; regulations to protect the environment can certainly impact the workplace and the workforce."

Rafeal Moure-Eraso, Ph.D., CIH, of the University of Massachusetts in Lowell, said all EHS professionals "are public health officials, with a focus on workers in the workplace."

As such, he added, "our target population is the workforce, and their health is inherently attached to the health of the environment."

The traditional approach to resource management includes taking economic factors, community aspirations and environmental management into consideration, with economic management carrying the most weight. Resource management that is focused on the human impact also includes economic factors, community aspirations and environmental management, but all carry equal weight.

"To make changes [that do not adversely impact workers or the environment], we must integrate occupational hygiene into plant processes. We must become involved in management and strive to make occupational hygiene a line function in management," Moure-Eraso said. "Simple management tools are not enough to succeed. We need to be an essential part of the production process."

Sponsored Recommendations

3 Essential Elements for a Strong Safety Culture

March 13, 2024
Organizations globally have increased their attention on safety culture: trying to figure out what it really is and the aspects that are necessary to develop and sustain it. And...

Making the Case for Occupational Health Software

March 13, 2024
Deciding to invest in Occupational Health (OH) software can be a challenging leap for many organizations. This article will equip businesses with insightful strategies for effectively...

Fighting the Flu: Solutions for the Workplace

March 13, 2024
Seasonal flu continues to wreak considerable havoc both on individual wellness, as well as on our business continuity and productivity. Explore these solutions for protecting ...

Preventing SIFs with Digitization: Reduce Serious Injuries and Fatalities with Technology

March 13, 2024
This eBook discusses the origins of SIF prevention, outlines principles, models and tools available to EHS leaders to better detect and address SIF potential in their business...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of EHS Today, create an account today!