SYMC C-04

Document SOECB C-04Adopted by the board of SAOEH April 28th, 2003

Objectives

The guidelines are to ensure that the theoretical basis for certification is uniform and consistent. The guidelines describe the extent to which the occupational and hygiene subjects are to be included in the criteria for certification. Each of the obligatory and optional subjects (SOECB YÄ01 - 15) is described in the subject specifications in this document.

Definitions

Credit point — the unit describing the extent of a course in terms of the norm used at universities in Sweden. 20 credit points correspond to 1 semester (or 20 weeks) of full-time study, according to the old system and 30 credit point according to the new ones. In these documents the new system is used.

Occupational and environmental hygiene subjects

To comply with the requirements for certification applicants must provide documentary evidence of knowledge in the occupational and environmental hygiene subjects.

Alternative 1

Occupational and environmental hygiene subjects corresponding to 60 credit points from universities with no fewer than 30 credit points in the obligatory subjects. Optional subjects must cover at least three different subject areas. Each subject may be studied as one complete course or can be divided up into shorter courses for each of its aspects. Besides 30 activity points (30 AP) during the last 4 years if the courses in occupational and environmental hygiene lay more than 4 years back in time.

Alternative 2

Occupational and environmental hygiene subjects corresponding to 30 credit points from universities with at least 15 credit points in an obligatory subject. Optional courses must cover at least three different subject areas. Each subject may be studied as one complete course or can be divided up into shorter courses for each of its aspects. In addition 50 activity points (AP) during the previous 10 years.

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Subject no.

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Occupational and environmental hygiene subjects

Obligatory subjects

1 / General occupational hygiene
2 / Chemical hazards
3
4 / Physical hazards
Risks to the external environment/Environmental risks

Optional subjects1

5 / Biological hazards
6 / Occupational and environmental medicine
7 / Toxicology
8 / Epidemiology and biostatistics
9 / Ventilation and elimination technology
10 / Production and the external environment
11 / Statistics
12 / Indoor climates
13 / Work organisation and communication
14 / Systematic work environment management and quality assurance
15
16 / Aerosol techniques
Measurement methods, measurement strategies, analytical methodology
17 / REACH and CLP

1Additional optional subjects may be included after assessment.

Subject specifications

SOECB YÄ01 General occupational hygiene

Qualifications – skills
Applicants shall be aware of significant development stages in the history of occupational hygiene and the importance of the subject area in society today, nationally and internationally. In addition they should be aware of the representatives of the labour market and its organisations and able to communicate at all levels. Applicants should have an overview of the national regulations, national and international standards and national and international organisations active in the field.
Subject content

General occupational hygiene

The development of occupational hygiene
National/international developments in the area of occupational hygiene
Basic concepts in occupational hygiene
Identifying, determining, evaluating, measures; preventing illness and disease
Introduction to occupational and environmental medicine
Medical terminology and also workplace and environmentally related illness
Epidemiology- general orientation
Basics and definitions
Workplace environment regulations.
Laws and statutes, public authorities involved, standardisation agencies, sectoral and trade organisations and stakeholders
The role of occupational and environmental hygienists in workplace environment work
Three-party cooperation, quality assurance, Systematic work environment management, riskcommunication, collaboration with companies, institutions and public authorities
Ethics of occupational and environmental hygiene
SAOEH’s ethical regulations
Sources of information
Databases, reference literature, reference works, journals, library services

SOECB YÄ02 Chemical hazards

Qualifications -- skills
The applicant shall have sufficient knowledge to be able to independently carry out qualified occupational and environmental hygiene surveys, interpret, evaluate, document and summarise the findings of these surveys and propose preventive measures.
Subject content

I. Occupational and environmental hygiene survey methods

Identifying air pollution and sources of emission
Preliminary assessment, identification of potential exposure and relevant workplace factors
Measurement strategies
Choice of measurement methods, equipment and sampling sites
Measurement equipment for gases, vapours and aerosols
Instruments for direct indication, active and passive sampling equipment, calibration, restrictions

Principles of relevant analytical methods

Gravimetrics, light microscopes, SEM, AAS, ICP, GC-MS, IR etc. quality assurance, standardisation, inter-calibration

Alternative methods of investigation

Activity/process analysis, questionnaires, interviews/discussions with staff concerned, biological sampling

Processing, assessing and presenting measurement findings

With reference to regulations, standards, toxicological data, symptoms, activity/process data, overall uncertainty etc.

Presentation techniques

II. Basic occupational toxicology

Basic toxicological concepts

Uptake, distribution, metabolism, elimination, dose-effect, dose-response, mixed exposure, biomarkers, critical effect.

Toxicological information

The bases for threshold values, labelling regulations and occupational and environmental hygiene fact sheets, reference works, databases

III. Risk management

Investigations and risk assessment
Estimation, judgement, methods of risk assessment, barriers, calculated risks of occupational injury

IV. Technical measures

Elimination, substitution of chemical substances and products

Ventilation techniques

The components of ventilation systems, construction and functional principles for ventilation, the requirements for different environments, workplace ventilation, testing the condition and operation of ventilation systems

Process engineering

Encapsulation, enclosure, automation

Personal protective equipment

Functions, limitations, regulations

Remediation methods

Elimination or treatment of polluted material

V. Regulations

Statutes and regulations

Labelling regulations, limit values for the external environment, REACH, serious chemical accidents-Seveso

Standards

Standards for measurements, equipment and analysis of air pollution

SOECB YÄ03 Physical hazards

Qualifications -- skills
Applicants shall be aware of current physical workplace environment factors, capable of undertaking surveys of exposure using recognised equipment and methodologies and also able to evaluate health risks. In addition, Applicants shall be aware of the principles for the prevention of health risks and able to evaluate the effect of proposed solutions.
Subject content

I. Noise

Basic concepts and definitions

Health impact of noise

The existence and extent of hearing impairment, disturbing noise

Measuring noise

Identification of sources of noise, measurements strategies – selection of methods, measuring instruments, their applicability, limitations, calibration, measurement errors, sources of error.

Analysing, assessing and presenting measurement data

With reference to regulations, standards and measurement uncertainties

Preventive measures

Noise control, reduction at source, noise reduction

Personal protective equipment — hearing protectors

Guidelines for the selection, type approval, noise reduction effect of hearing protectors

Regulations

Provisions, national and international standards

II. Vibration

Basic concepts and definitions

Health impact and monitoring

Muscular/skeletal problems, white finger, numbness, balance problems etc.

Whole body and hand-arm vibration

Measurement strategies

Selection of measurement methods, measuring instruments, applicability, limitations, calibration, measurement errors, sources of error.

Processing, assessing and presenting measurement data

With reference to regulations, standards and measurement uncertainty

Preventive measures

Reduction of vibration and its transmission

Regulations

Provisions and applicable standards

III. Non-inonising radiation – electro-magnetic fields

Basic concepts and definitions

Optical and microwave radiation, radio frequency and low frequency electro-magnetic fields

Sources of radiation in industry

Electro-magnetic fields (EMF)

Health impact

Mechanisms of health impact, frequency dependence, thermal effects on skin, eyes and other organs, photo-chemical effects, erythema, corneal injuries (“arc eye”), skin cancer, other forms of cancer

Surveying and assessing risk of exposure

Survey strategies, measuring instruments, applicability, limitations, reliability and reporting

Preventive measures

Equipment design, screening, safety equipment, personal protective equipment, skin protection, eye protection

Regulations

Regulations, threshold values, current norms (ACGIH, SSI, etc.)

IV. Ionising radiation

Basic concepts and definitions

Health effects

Acute, sub acute and chronic injuries.

Industrial and medical use of radioactive sources

Radon

Assessment of exposure to ionised radiation

Guidelines, applicability, limitations, measurement error and reporting results

Preventive measures

Screening of radiation sources, distance, periods of exposure etc.

Regulations

Provisions, radiation protection regulations, SSI

V. Lightning

Basic concepts and definitions

Impact on health linked to inadequate lighting

Age-related needs, physiological impact, physical impact

Lighting needs

Workplace needs, illumination and comfort. Light sources, types, illumination levels, dispersion, glare

Surveying and assessing lightning conditions

Measurement strategies, measuring instruments, applicability, limitations, measurement error and reporting results

Preventive measures

Designing good lightning, maintenance, technical solutions, and alternative light sources.

Regulations

Regulation, standards

VI. Climate

Basic concepts and definitions

Operational temperatures, air velocity, heat radiation, radiation asymmetry, dew point, draught, thermal comfort, heat balance, clothing, clo-units, work intensity, absolute and relative humidity

Strategies

Selection of survey parameters, selection of measurement methods and instruments, proposal of technical solutions, elimination

Measures

Proposal of technical solutions, elimination, clothing, organisation

Regulations

Regulations, general guidelines

SOECB YÄ04 External environmentrisks

Qualifications -- skills Applicant shall be aware of how man is affected by external environment factors and understand the implications and consequences between the emissions of pollution to air, soil and water and how it will affect man´s health.
Subject content

External environment

Pollutions

Air pollutions, long-distance transported air pollutions, greenhouse gases and climate change, organic compounds, environmental toxins, metals

Health effects

Airway symptoms, deposition in the airways, allergy, and other diseases which will affect the cardiovascular system, uptake in the gastrointestinal tract and skin reactions.
Toxicity, bio-accumulation, persistent, acute-chronic effects

Environment protection

Swedish regulations (environmental code, water regulation), REACH, SEVESO

Measures

Use of guidelines, regulations, laws, standards, documentation

Waste

Categories, declaration, receipt of, treatment (amounts), strategies of waste minimisation.

SOECB YÄ05 Biological hazards

Qualifications -- skills Applicants shall have knowledge of current biological workplace environment factors, be able tosurvey exposure using approved equipment and methods and assess health risks. In addition, applicants shall be aware of the principles for preventive measures and able to evaluate effects of proposed solutions.
Subject content

Biological hazards

Basic concepts and definitions

Bacteria, fungi, virus and proteins, other organisms and parts of organisms

Structure and metabolism

Prevalence, propagation, genetic modification, toxicity of substances

Health effects

Existence and prevalence of infectious diseases, toxic reactions, allergic reactions, other reactions, acute and chronic effects

Prevalence of micro-organisms, toxins and biogenic allergens

Sectors, industrial processes

Measuring of micro-organisms, proteins etc.

Adequate knowledge of measuring methods and their development in order to make the right choice of measuring method, measurement strategy and analysis methods and to carry out measurements.

Processing, assessing and presenting measurement results

With reference to regulations, standards and measurement error.

Alternative forms of survey

Interviews, questionnaires, registration of symptoms

Preventive measure

Elimination, changes in growth conditions, measures relating to the production process, encasement, administrative measures, personal protective equipment

Regulations

Regulations, standards

SOECB YÄ06 Occupational and environmental medicine

Qualifications -- skills Applicants shall have knowledge of the most important concepts and methods in occupational and environmental medicine and the ability to understand the links between ill-health and exposure as well as awareness of preventive measures
Subject content

Occupational and environmental medicine

Work and health

Historical background - Ramazzini on worker’s illnesses
Work-related illnesses – occupational disease, poisoning, reporting, statistics

Occupational and environmental medical practice

Occupational anamnesis, examination methods – diagnosis

General and focuses health examinations

Spirometry, X-ray examination, audiometry, psychological tests, biological sampling, etc.

Investigations in environmental medicine

Investigate exposures (average level, distribution, worst case, uptake routes, all agents/factors) How large is the risk by this exposure, according to the latest literature? Compare the contributions from other sources (e.g. daily uptake) to evaluate a frame of reference. Risk-communication is important in environmental medicine.

Toxicology – general introduction

Toxicokinetics, the toxicological characteristics of substances and groups of substances and work-related specific organ dysfunction, problems related to low-dosage exposure

Epidemiology - general introduction

Basic concepts and definitions, designing studies, ethical aspects, statistical analysis of data

Preventive work

Assessing exposure

Exposure assessment as the basis for assessing links between adverse effects and exposure in the workplace environment and the general environment to enable health monitoring and form basis of occupational threshold values

Organisation

Occupational health care, occupational and environmental medical clinics, Swedish Work Environment Authority

SOECB YÄ07 Toxicology

Qualifications -- skills
Applicants shall have knowledge of the links between the chemical characteristics of substances and their toxic effects, toxicity measures and the principles for assessing toxicity, biotransformation, carcinogenic chemicals, mutations, inhalation toxicology and behavioural toxicology.
Subject content

Toxicology

Basic concepts and definitions

Toxicokinetics

Uptake, distribution, metabolism, elimination, one and two compartment models, toxicokinetics

Toxicodynamics

Mechanisms of action, receptor interactions, dose-effect, dos-response, mixed exposure

Toxicological testing methods

Allergic reactions

Genotoxicity and chemical carcinogenesis

Reproductive toxicology

Industrial toxicology

Toxicological characteristics of substances and groups of substances, focusing on industrial processes, specific group of chemicals and specific organ injuries

Toxicological information

Reference works, databases
Toxicological information to provide basis for threshold values, labelling regulation and occupational and environmental hygiene data sheets

SOECB YÄO8 Epidemiology and biostatistics

Qualifications -- skills Applicants shall have knowledge of important concepts in epidemiology and relevant methodologies in occupational and environmental epidemiological research, as well as about various measurements of exposure, analytical models.
Subject content

I. Epidemiology and biostatistics

Basic concepts and definitions

Incidence, prevalence, confounding, misclassifications, validity, precision

Designing studies

Cohort studies, case-control studies, “nested” case-control studies and screening studies

Ethical aspects

Statistical analysis of data from epidemiological studies

Selection of methods, statistical calculations, bias

Interpreting/evaluating results from epidemiological studies

Measure of exposure

Job-titles, exposure measurements, assumptions in determining exposure

Job-exposure matrices

Be acquainted with different standard classification of occupations e.g. the International Standard Classifications of Occupations (ISCO-88) and the Swedish Standard Classification of Occupations(SSYK 96) and be aware of the discrepancy in different countries classification of occupations.

Assessing exposure

Qualitative, semi-qualitative and quantitative assessments of exposure, misclassification of exposure

Statistical analysis of exposure data

Statistical inferences

Confidence intervals and p-values

Important methods

Descriptive statistics, stratified and non-stratified analysis, different effect measures, linear regression.

Multivariate models

Incidence figures, cumulative incidence, case-control studies

SOECB YÄ09 Ventilation and elimination techniques

Qualifications -- skills Applicants shall have basicknowledge of air flowprinciples, the possibilities and limitations of general ventilation, controlled ventilation, comfort ventilation, ventilation needs. Applicants shall also have knowledge of monitoring and control methods, maintenance and management as well as of standards and norms.
Subject content

Ventilation and elimination techniques

Basic concepts and definitions

Ventilation techniques

Science of flow , filters, ventilation efficiency, dimensioning air recirculation systems, reading blueprints

Measurement strategies – selection of methods

Measuring air circulation, measuring particles, control of air flow, flow measurements

Measuring instruments

Applicability, limitations, calibration, reliability and sources of error
Processing, assessing and presenting measurement data

Preventive measures

Reducing pollution levels of gases, vapours and particles through tuning processes, encapsulation, enclosure, amending ventilation systems, the position of protective ventilation etc.

Regulations

Official directives on ventilation of workplaces, regulations, standards

SOECB YÄ10 Production and external environment

Qualifications -- skills Applicants shall have knowledge about the impact of production on the external environment, be able to foresee links between and consequences of emissions to the air, ground and water and their influence on ecological systems.
Subject content

Production and external environment

Basic Ecological Concepts

Air pollution
Basic concepts and definitions
Greenhouse gases and climate change
Long-distance air pollution
Acidification of water and environment
Emissions from industry, traffic, domestic heating, urban environments

Health effects

Respiratory problems, deposits in respiratory tract, allergies, other diseases with effect on the heart and vascular system etc.

Emissions to water

Organic substances, environmental toxins
Emissions to the marine environment
Emissions and operational discharges of oil from vessels and handling of petroleum products.
Effects of emissions to water
Toxicity, bioaccumulation risks, persistence, acute and long-term impact, ecological tests
Identifying and assessing emissions to water

Environmental Protection

Measures
Use of guidelines, laws, regulations and standards, documentation requirements
Waste
Categories, accountability, reception, bulk, management, strategies to minimise waste.

SOECB YÄ11 Statistics