Development of Occupational Hygiene Practice and Training Opportunities in Hong Kong T.W. TSIN

Transcription

1 Development of Occupational Hygiene Practice and Training Opportunities in Hong Kong T.W. TSIN Occupational Hygiene Division (Development) Labour Department Hong Kong SAR. 1.0 INTRODUCTION Occupational hygiene is the discipline of anticipating, recognising, evaluating and controlling health hazards in the working environment. It aims to protecting the health and well being of employees. The development of occupational hygiene practice and the legislative control has taken for almost 50 years with a relatively slow pace in the early days. Only in the last three years, some higher education institutes have offered postgraduate courses for the local students. This is a positive move in upgrading the standard of occupational hygiene practice in Hong Kong. 2.0 DEVELOPMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL HYGIENE PRACTICE IN HONG KONG The importance of industrial hygiene in workplaces have long been recognised in Hong Kong since the enactment of the first safety and health legislation in 1955 the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance and Regulation. Provisions were given in the control of workplace cleanliness, ventilation to protect workers against inhalation of the dust, fume or other impurity from hazardous work processes, lighting requirement, sufficient spacing for a work area and the like. Dangerous and scheduled trades were specified in the Schedules of the F&IU Ordinance. Such as those involved the use of hazardous substances including arsenic, lead, manganese, mercury, phosphorus, etc., the manufacture of glass from basic raw materials; vermillion manufacture, chromium plating, and the manufacture of hydrochloric acid, nitric acid and sulphuric acid, and industrial undertakings involved the use of X-ray or radioactive substance. The authority had the power to prohibit or control the employment of all persons in the trades. Officials could take samples to verify the situation. When the workplace was found not suitable for the purpose, prohibition notice would be issued. The provisions for industrial hygiene matters remained little change, until the late 1960 s to early 1970 s. Special regulations were enacted to cope with the changing demand of the industries. They were namely the F&IU (Blasting by Abrasive) Regulation in 1969, (Electrolytic Chromium Plating) Regulation in 1972, (Confined Spaces) Regulation in 1973, (Work in Compressed air) Regulation in 1976, (Dry Batteries) Regulation in 1977, and the Construction Sites Safety Regulation in All these were prescriptive regulations. Employers and employees had to follow and comply with the specified provisions. 403

2 For example, the Electrolytic Chromium Plating [9/72] Regulation, it stipulated the requirements for working in chromium plating process to prevent health hazards through inhalation and direct contact by the use of personal protective equipment (such as apron with bibs, rubber gloves and boots) and exhaust ventilation. Housekeeping was also emphasised. Personal hygiene and washing facilities should be provided to the operators. Warning and labelling should be posted in the work area to remind the workers about the dangers. The precautions applied to exposure to chromium oxide, CrO 3, or other compounds of chromium used in metal polishing or finishing process. Employers should observe all the provisions in complying with the law. Likewise, the Compressed air Regulation was introduced in 1973, to specifically deal with the construction of tunnels by compressed air technology for the Mass Transit Railways. The requirements on workplace conditions and supplied air standard were spelled out in details. Another specific regulation, the dry batteries manufacturing, was enacted in It controlled the use of several important chemicals including manganese dioxide, ammonium chloride, and carbon black. Special provisions were given in dust control. Methods by local exhaust ventilation at source and provision of enclosure to prevent contamination of the workroom were prescribed under the various sections. Mechanical ventilation having 5 air changes per hour was also specified in mixing room and dolly pressing room. Details about plant installation, cleanliness, personal hygiene, washing facilities, lockers, and personal protective equipment were enlisted too. In 1977, Labour Department established a permanent professional team, the Industrial Hygiene Unit, to deal with the general industrial hygiene issues. The Unit handled referral cases about occupational hygiene problems in manufacturing industries and construction sites. The hygienists would conduct tests and make exposure assessment to check for the compliance. They acted as advisors to both the Government as well as the industries in the improvement of the working environment through surveys and air monitoring. The development of industrial hygiene in the private sectors was rudimentary by that time. The economy of Hong Kong was changing rapidly through the 1980 s to 1990 s. The Government recognised that the basic health and hygiene services should be extended to occupational rather than only industrial. The term of Occupational Hygiene was first introduced in However, the actual legislative control covering the non-industrial sectors was passed not until During the two decades, there were a number of new regulations issued under the F&IU Ordinance, such as the Asbestos at Work Regulation (8/86) and the Carcinogenic Substances Regulation (11/86), the Dangerous Substances Regulation (12/88) and the Noise at Work Regulation (7/93). Also, there were major amendments in some regulations as well such as the Asbestos at Work (amendment) Regulation later in 1997 and the Confined Spaces (amendment) Regulation in

3 In the new regulations, primary preventive measures and risk assessment were strongly recommended such as the design of quiet machinery in noise control, the prohibition of asbestos spraying process and the ban of crocidolite and amosite in industrial processes. Chemicals such as β-naphthylamine, benzidine, 4-aminodiphenyl and 4-nitro-diphenyl are among the prohibition list because of their especially hazardous properties and carcinogenic effect. Other recommendations included substitution, re-design of work process, training of correct work procedure, provision of hazard information to workers. Specific requirements were included for improvement of workplace environment through hazard evaluation and risk assessment. Occupational exposure limits (for examples, exposure to hazardous noise and asbestos) were first listed under the provisions of the specific Regulations: noise controlfirst action level at 85 db(a), second action level at 90 db(a) and peak action level at 140 db were promulgated. In noisy industries, provisions required compulsory assessment of noise exposure and record keeping. In dealing with asbestos hazard, control limits were specified for exposure to Chrysotile f/ ml for 4-hour TWA and 1.5 f/ ml for 10 min TWA; Amphibole f/ ml for 4-hour TWA and 0.6 f/ ml for 10-min TWA. Assessment was also required to evaluating the degree of risk at work, including identification of asbestos - its type or the mixed form. Accurate and meaningful field data obtained from occupational hygiene surveys are essential for decision making, planning and implementing the preventive and control measures. Information, training, instruction and supervision become essential if the employers want to comply with the compliance standards enlisted. The concept of employment of competent persons is advisable in order to properly handle the health and hygiene problems in workplaces. Occupational hygienists would be the most appropriate professionals to deal with air monitoring, risk and exposure assessment of health hazards in workplaces. The enactment of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Ordinance in May 1997 and its main Regulation in 1998 demarcated the new era for legislative control in protecting the safety and health of all employees at work in both industrial and non-industrial. There were four main purposes of setting the Ordinance: - to ensure the safety and health of employees when they are at work; to prescribe measures that will contribute to making the workplaces of employees safer and healthier for them; to improve the safety and health standards applicable to certain hazardous processes, plant and substances used or kept in workplaces; generally to improve the safety and health aspects of working environments of employees. Under the new Ordinance, employers wishing to comply with the compliance requirements need to adopt the proactive approach in dealing with the day to day operations and keep watch the potential health hazards through regular review or maintenance programmes (e.g. the manual handling operations). Prevention and monitoring are equally important, and competent professionals and teamwork are indispensable. 405

4 The newly passed F&IU (Safety Management) Regulation on 24 November 1999 also advocates the importance of self-regulation by the industries. Many of the occupational health and hygiene matters are required to be addressed and they need to be undertaken by the competent persons such as the occupational hygienists on health and hygiene issues. In general, the adverse effects at work are preventable. In a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the common constraints leading to the development of work-related illnesses are: insufficient awareness education and political will shortage of adequate human resources (i.e. occupational hygienists) deficiencies in information/ access to information lack of communication among professionals/ institutions no involvement of workers or key persons in problem solving. Training of personnel in occupational hygiene at both technical and professional levels would be essential. It enables to resolution of the health and hygiene problems through promotion of awareness, supply of information, health risk assessment and recommendation of control measures. 3.0 TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES The first local occupational hygiene-training programme was the Diploma Course in Occupational Hygiene offered by the Department of Community and Family Medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong in This is a post-secondary training course, which includes 120 training hours in 40 sessions covering subjects like toxicology, anatomy and physiology, general health hazards in workplaces, ergonomics, hazard recognition, evaluation and control, basic techniques in field instrumentation and survey method, elementary statistical analysis. It emphases on both theoretical and practical training of occupational hygiene. Students had to submit assignments and reports on field experiments and surveys. From 1985 to 1999, 252 students graduated from the Course. The Chinese University of Hong Kong is also the first University offering the post-graduate programme: the Master of Public Health (MPH). Students can take the occupational hygiene stream. It is a 2-year part-time training programme requiring 120 credit points. Epidemiology and bio-statistics are covered. A module on advanced occupational hygiene practice is included covering topics of in-depth study in health management, air monitoring, dust sampling, radiation, bio-aerosols, indoor air pollution, waste management and regulatory requirement studies and so forth. Written examinations are conducted at the end of each semester. The master degree will be conferred when there are good results together with a satisfactory dissertation on field project work. There were two graduates in At present, there are 9 students taking the occupational hygiene stream. 406

5 The School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPACE) of the Hong Kong University jointly with the University of Greenwich (UK) is running the Master of Science in Occupational Hygiene in Hong Kong as well. The first intake of the MSc programme started in autumn It is a 2-year distant learning programme accredited by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) for admission to memberships too. The course structure necessitates completion of six units with options from the followings: occupational safety practice, risk management, monitoring, analysis & control of toxic substances, industrial toxicology (including occupational health and epidemiology), thermal & acoustic, lighting, non-ionising & ionising radiation, and finally ergonomics & workplace psychology. There are laboratory sessions associated with some core units. Tuition is conducted mainly through correspondence and . There are tutorial sessions in-between the semesters. Students had to submit course work and to conduct a project dissertation. They needed to accumulate 90 credit points and pass in each of the units studied before considering for the award of the degree. The dissertation would be a test on the practical aspects. The third local degree course Programme in Occupational Hygiene co-organised by the Occupational Safety and Health Council, the City University of Hong Kong and the University of Portsmouth (UK) started in May The programme is primarily by distance learning as prepared by the Faculty of the Environmental Open Learning Centre of Portsmouth. Students can communicate by , fax, telephone and post with the University. Tutorial is provided with either local or overseas tutors at intervals. The training materials are specially developed for the programme and based on experience of the British Institute of Occupational Hygiene (BIOH) and the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH). Students will be offered a degree in Master of Science in Occupational Hygiene Management when the candidates have gained 120 credit points in about two to three years part-time study, equivalent a full time study of 18-months in three semesters. There are a number of options on the subjects: quality and the management of risk, occupational hygiene, health and safety, environmental protection, noise, thermal environment, lighting and non-ionising radiation, ionising radiation, statistics and epidemiology, ergonomics and job design, etc. Independent project is required for assessment of result in practical. The first intake started in the summer of There were 35 students registered. The Hong Kong Institute of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (HKIOEH) which is a learnt society will offer the first professional examination in occupational hygiene practice in year The Institute is a member of the International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA) which is an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) by the International Labour Organisation and the World Health Organisation. HKIOEH follows the recommendations from the mother society in upgrading the standard of the occupational hygiene practice locally. The provision of professional examination is the first step in running a certification scheme, which will be a professional maintenance programme for the discipline. It could guarantee the quality of occupational hygiene service so as the workplace environment in the protection of workers health. 407

6 Planned training programme is essential. The increasing number of training and development programmes in occupational hygiene practice permits and supports the move of the government in the promotion of occupational health and hygiene in the recent years. The available human resources in the discipline could help the industries and trades in planning and implementing the occupational health and hygiene management. Hopefully, the private sectors will become self-regulatory and can achieve the purposes of high productivity as well as in protection of employees health at work. 4.0 REFERENCES Hong Kong Laws: Chapter 59 Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance and its subsidiary Regulations. Hong Kong Law: Chapter 509 Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance and its subsidiary Regulations. Executive Summary of the report on PREVENTION and CONTROL EXCHANGE (PACE) PROGRAM meeting of WHO at Geneva, from 19 to 21 September