INTERNATIONAL TRENDS IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN OCCUPATIONAL HYGIENE

In many countries occupational hygiene has become an indispensable discipline in managing longterm risks to the health of workers. The international collaboration on education and training started with a workshop, in Luxembourg in 1986 (sponsored by the EC and WHO). This meeting provided useful groundwork in defining the scope and function of training and education in occupational hygiene. Subsequent meetings in Geneva in 1989 and 1991 progressed many of the matters raised at the Luxembourg meeting. There is a fair agreement on the educational prerequisites for the professional occupational hygienist. Academic qualifications are regarded as essential since problem-solving; in contrast to rule-following, is best trained at academic level. For this reason a mandatory research project should be included in the curriculum. The general outline of an educational programme includes basic knowledge of physics, mathematics and chemistry, basic knowledge of supportive disciplines such as toxicology, epidemiology and biostatistics, risk analysis and engineering principles, and core and specialized topics in occupational hygiene such as measurement strategies, design techniques, health risk evaluation, principles of control inclusive ventilation, management and laws and legal requirements. Discussions pertains to the preferable educational routes, on the balance between methodology and professional practice, and the focus on prevention and engineering rather than exposure assessment. Currently, the International Occupational Hygiene Association has launched a programme for interchangeability and harmonization of the different certification schemes for professional occupational hygienists. International cooperation among educational resource centres should be strongly encouraged by exchange of students and faculty, as well as educational materials and information.