People looking to work in healthcare often consider career paths involving traditional treatment. But one of the most typical characteristics of a career in public health is in understanding the root causes of issues -- and then trying to prevent them from occurring.
The same is true for the workplace, where individuals are often much likelier to encounter dangerous situations involving hazardous materials, heavy machinery, and significant distractions than they are at home.
The concept of "industrial hygiene" is aimed at addressing these sorts of challenges head on, so that individuals -- and the companies they work for -- can prevent incidents before they occur (and even improve productivity).
Furthermore, an industrial hygienist can be empowered to protect the health of not just employees, but also people in the neighboring community.
At Tulane University's Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, the vision of our graduate degree program in Industrial Hygiene is to protect the health of communities and workers by training the most competent industrial hygienists in the world.
It's an important part of environmental health sciences -- and in keeping all of us safe and healthy.
