Industrial Hygiene (Exposure Recognition & Control)

Industrial Hygiene is the "art and science" devoted to anticipating, identifying, evaluating, and controlling workplace hazards, particularly as these relate to human exposures to chemicals, and physical and biological agents.  These hazards may take the form of gases, vapors, aerosols, dusts mists, fumes, noise, vibration, heat/ cold, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, and biological agents (i.e., molds, bacteria, viruses).  Industrial hygiene aspects are integral to several EHS programs at Penn State; however, personnel exposures to many of these agents may vary across Penn State's operations.  These may range from agent exposures in nanomaterial research and materials engineering, to construction, maintenance, arts, laboratory design/start-up/operation/de-commissioning, and varied clean-up actions.  The industrial hygiene program seeks to identify, assess, and control these varied exposures across the Penn State system.