Industrial Hygiene and Environmental Health Programs

Department of the Navy
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery

A crucial role for the shipboard medical officer is advisor to the commanding officer on conditions that adversely affect the health of command personnel / crew. The medical officer is responsible for recommending changes and/or implementing programs to correct adverse conditions, ensure adequate sanitation and implement preventive medicine measures. These programs include the inspection of mess attendants, certification of collection and holding tanks (CHT), pest control, investigating foodborne disease outbreaks, sexually transmitted disease (STDs) tracking, and monitoring the effects of stack gas on engineering watch standers. It is truly a challenge to learn and remain current on all the subjects involved in Industrial Hygiene (IH) and Environmental Health (EH).

This broad field includes inspection of food service spaces, maintenance of a Sanitation Bill, compliance with quarantine regulations, performing physicals on personnel capable of becoming infected or transmitting infectious disease (e.g., food service workers), monitoring the water supply, sewage systems and habitability of living quarters, insect and rodent control, monitoring communicable diseases (malaria, hepatitis, STD, tuberculosis). and safety inspections following established reporting guidelines.

This discipline involves the identification, evaluation, and control of physical and chemical hazards in the workplace. Once potential health hazards are identified, industrial hygiene techniques are used to quantify exposures and determine if they pose genuine hazards. Such techniques include a wide variety of sampling procedures for assessing chemical exposures; personal noise dosimetry to assess average noise exposures, sound level meters, and heat stress monitoring. The key is to accurately identify and evaluate hazards so that control recommendations are both effective and necessary. The third major element of IH includes developing mechanisms to control potential hazards. Controls may include engineering controls such as specialized ventilation systems, personal protective equipment, such as respirators, or administrative actions, such as limiting the amount of time an individual can work in a hot environment. By Dec 2000, all ships will have a comprehensive baseline industrial hygiene survey identifying hazards associated with each work area and the controls necessary to protect workers from these hazards, including which medical surveillance programs are needed. This is an absolutely critical tool for GMOs to use in overseeing a ship’s occupational health program. Industrial Hygiene Officers (IHOs) are available for assistance in every homeport at the military treatment (MTF) or navy environmental preventive unit (NEPMU), on all aircraft carriers and tenders, and on all type commander staffs.

From the diversity of this non-inclusive list, it should be obvious that GMOs will sometimes need help in the areas of IH and EH. The preventive medicine technician (PMT), if available, is knowledgeable in the implementation and maintenance of these programs. In the absence of the PMT, the independent duty corpsman (IDC) is capable of providing general advice regarding these subjects. Industrial Hygiene officers (IHOs) are assigned to all aircraft carriers and tenders, and can provide guidance to ships within the battle group. The Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine Units (NEPMUs) are specifically chartered to support fleet and other operational units. They provide formal training classes and technical advice on most aspects of the IH and EH programs. The NEPMUs also conduct onsite technical assist visits (TAVs). All MTFs will also have environmental health officers (EHOs) and IHOs who are available to provide assistance in these areas.