Industrial Hygiene

Industrial hygiene is the scientific discipline dedicated to the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of environmental factors or stresses arising in or from the workplace, which may present an unacceptable health risk to workers or those in the nearby community. The stressors may include chemical substances, biologic agents, physical stressors, or radiological elements to which workers or the community may be exposed. The core competencies of ToxStrategies — exposure assessment, toxicology, chemistry, engineering, risk assessment, and risk communication — are critical aspects of industrial hygiene.

ToxStrategies experts have decades of experience in occupational risk assessment and have worked in nearly every industry sector to assist companies in developing and maintaining programs that provide healthy work environments. Our scientists have conducted original research, both retrospectively and prospectively, to characterize the potential for risk to workers and develop solutions for minimizing the risk. ToxStrategies capabilities include:

Chemical Hazard Assessment

  • Extensive experience with United Nation’s Globally Harmonized System (GHS); Amended TSCA; REACH; OSHA HazCom; Classification, Labeling and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures (CLP); and other relevant regulations
  • Systematic reviews of published literature to identify robust studies for hazard assessments
  • Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) and read-across evaluations for substances with insufficient toxicity data sets
  • Occupational exposure level (OEL) evaluation and development

Risk Management

  • Evaluation of strategies to control exposures, including elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative measures, and personal protective equipment (PPE)
  • Assessment of PPE programs
  • Evaluation of ventilation controls
  • Assessment and development of occupational health monitoring programs
  • Employee training

Risk Communication

  • Preparation of employee letters to present exposure monitoring results
  • Employee and community meetings to discuss risk assessment findings
  • Safety Data Sheet (SDS) review and warnings assessments
  • Regulatory compliance, including OSHA, Amended TSCA, and California Proposition 65

Exposure Assessment

  • Comprehensive exposure assessment programs using qualitative and quantitative approaches
  • Development of similar exposure groups to maximize value of data measurements
  • Sampling to assess inhalation and dermal exposure to chemicals and biological substances
  • Quantitative mathematical modeling and statistical analysis to predict or retrospectively assess chemical exposures
  • Development of sampling and analytical techniques to reach lower limits of detection
  • Biomonitoring to characterize cumulative exposures
  • Critical analysis of existing data sets to characterize worker exposure and support risk assessments
  • Description and evaluation of various exposure scenarios to prioritize risk assessments
  • Indoor air quality assessment to evaluate impacts from the built environment to building occupants in non-industrial settings
  • Simulation studies to assess critical factors exposure potential
  • Observational studies of workers to derive exposure factors