Health and Hygiene

This is an attendance based, continuously assessed module and begins with the history and significance of occupational health and hygiene.  The Health & Hygiene module (CEWM08001) looks at the systemic approach related to anatomy, physiology, pathology and an outline of the human anatomical system. 

Application of ergonomic principles including workstation, tool and appliance design as well as the effects of heat and cold on the human body and the threats of a working environment hostile to homeostasis are covered.  Manifestation of and controls for hypothermia, heat stroke and exhaustion along with health risks associated with confined spaces, identified through case law and prosecutions. 

The links between occupational, environmental and public health are identified and discussed.  The module will also look at health surveillance and the use of Occupational Health and Occupational Therapy within the workplace, examining their role in the prevention of illness and ensuring timeous return to work through rehabilitation, phased returns to work, workplace and workstation adjustments and determining what work an employee is fit to do rather than just designating them as “too sick to work”.

• Toxicology is the study of the effects of a toxicant on living organisms this is vital as there is no such thing as absolute safety when using chemicals.
• Epidemiology is the study of the distribution of disease in populations and the factors that affect this distribution, emphasis is given here to pathogens of biomedical and environmental importance and to their epidemiological characteristics.
• Application of ergonomic principles including workstation, tool and appliance design are looked at and the impacts of poorly adjusted equipment on the human body.
• Exposure limits are investigated to identify any areas of concern within the workplace and the monitoring techniques available for specific contaminant.

On successful completion of this module the student will be able to:

• Demonstrate a limited understanding of the structure and function of the human body
• Gain limited knowledge in health surveillance, sampling and exposure limits
• Apply a broad knowledge in dealing with the relationship between occupational, environmental and public health issues within the workplace
• Analyse and interpret basic data sets using simple descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, standard error, confidence limits, t-tests) and epidemiological approaches in the fields of Biomedical and Environmental Health

This is an SCQF Level 8 module and upon successful completion, participants will be awarded 20 credits.

 

Delivery 

This module will run for 11 weeks. Lectures are held online every Monday from 1 PM to 5 PM. A class test will be held at Lanarkshire Campus on Monday 24th March 2025.

 

Course presenter

This module will be delivered by Professor Moira Lewitt ( to be confirmed).

 

Funding

This course may be available on a fully funded basis to some delegates.  Further details, including regarding eligibility, are available under Funding Support.

If you have any questions, please contact us at cpd@uws.ac.uk. 

 

NOTE: This is a university module and upon approval of your application, you will be invited to register and then supported to complete enrolment. To enrol on the university system, the first step involves security set-up using the Microsoft Authenticator app; you will need to ensure that you have a compatible smartphone.

Further information is available at the Student Information Portal.

To access this module via the CPD route, individuals should be ordinarily resident in Scotland.  If you do not meet this criteria, please enquire here.