How many industrial hygienists are there in the United States?
In the U.S. there are approximately 6,000-7,000 certified industrial hygienists. They’re practicing professionals similar to PE’’s or PG’s. We have to go through rigorous training, certification, and certification maintenance on a regular basis. We also have to attend conferences and professional development courses in order to keep ourselves abreast of what is happening in the industry. So you’re basically a full-time student as well? Exactly, it’s an ongoing thing. As technology changes, new physical, chemical, and biological hazards are introduced into the work place everyday. One has to stay on top of new research and changing regulations. So yes, it’s an ongoing process and it should be. When would a company need your services? I do expert work which is mostly after-the-fact. Someone has been exposed to a certain chemical or physical agent, has been adversely affected by it, and it becomes a litigation matter. Retrospectively, you look at what the work environment was like, the ch
