Health and Hygiene

This is an attendance based, continuously assessed module and begins with the history and significance of occupational health and hygiene.  It 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.

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

Delivery 

This module will run one day a week over 12 weeks, from 1pm to 5pm. 

Course presenter

This module will be delivered by Jan Miller.

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.