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21.1.4 Research and Teaching
The universities, colleges and research organizations provide the last major employment area for hygienists. They may:
carry out research into health hazards, measurement techniques or control methods
teach undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and lecture to doctors, nurses, safety officers, engineers etc, as a subsidiary subject.
conduct occupational hygiene investigations within the organisation and sometimes externally as consultants.
The career structure of lecturer, senior lecturer and professor is common to other university functions and does not necessarily relate to occupational
hygiene qualifications.
21.2 Implications for hygienists
These differing characteristics of the various types of occupational hygiene services have a profound effect on what they are like to work in. The
objectives, management and funding of the organisations all impose constraints on how they operate. We can consider a number of aspects:
21.2.1 Service Provision
An organisation might be able, in theory, to provide a wide range of services such as policy preparation and auditing, field surveys and investigations,
laboratory analysis, training and information, research etc. In practice, the services actually delivered will depend on the underlying constraints.
21.2.2 Staffing
The quality of a service is dependent on the calibre of its staff, but professional occupational hygienists and competent technicians are in short
supply. Recruitment, training, payment and retention are influenced by the status, image, resources and policies of the organisation.
199 Competition for staff between different types of services can be good for
professional development but may also be damaging for the continuity of the organisations work and the viability of its operation.
Some services may need to be multidisciplinary, employing engineers, doctors, safety officers etc as well as hygienists. The degree to which
specialist expertise is developed will depend on the range of services provided and the back-up available.
21.2.3 Facilities
The standard of facilities and instrumentation provided will depend on the amount of capital funding available, the basis of funding decisions and the
services to be offered. So, for instance, a research institute may have specialised equipment that a
consultancy could never justify.
21.2.4 Quality assurance
Maintenance of quality in testing and advice is crucial to any effective service. Different types of organization will have different approaches to quality
assurance. Quality systems may be formal or informal, and will be influenced by
the size and status of the organization. the management structure and culture.
the calibre of staff employed. the services offered.
Consultancies will often hold formal independent quality accreditations, perhaps through a national accreditation service. These schemes demand
considerable resource to maintain the standard of quality expected, but consultancies have to prove their quality to their clients and so can justify the
cost. Few in-house laboratories or universities hold these accreditations. Quality control in universities tends to rely heavily on the calibre of the
individuals concerned and is often very informal.
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21.3 The Hygienist as a Manager