Faculty of Science and Technology
Deakin University
Deakin’s postgraduate courses in Occupational Hygiene comprise an articulated program of units at the graduate certificate and graduate diploma levels.
Occupational hygiene is concerned with the recognition, evaluation and control of workplace factors that may result in illness, impaired health and wellbeing, or significant discomfort and inefficiency amongst workers. These factors include toxic chemicals, ionising and non-ionising radiation, noise and vibration, heat and cold stress, as well as ergonomic and psychological factors.
An occupational hygienist is someone who can recognise occupational factors that cause illness or inefficiency and understand their effect on human beings; evaluate the magnitude of these factors and of the response of individuals exposed to them; and prescribe methods to eliminate, control or reduce the influence of the adverse factors.
Qualifications required to become a professional occupational hygienist are normally a university degree in science or engineering combined with relevant practical experience and further training. The Deakin courses have been developed in consultation with the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists (AIOH) and aim to enable students to develop specialist skills in all aspects of occupational hygiene, including the legislative and regulatory framework, the science and the practice of the profession. The Graduate Diploma is accredited by the AIOH.
Occupational hygienists create safer workplaces, using their expertise to control environmental workplace factors associated with illness, impaired wellbeing or significant discomfort and inefficiency among workers.
Deakin graduates in the field enjoy challenging careers in major companies in manufacturing, mining, petrochemical and telecommunications, consulting firms and government organisations.
The Graduate Certificate is designed to provide a theoretical occupational hygiene science knowledge base for graduates in science or engineering that will equip them for a role as an assistant occupational hygienist or technician.
The Graduate Diploma of Occupational Hygiene provides the training and skills development for occupational hygienists to become eligible for AIOH membership, opening the door to specialised career opportunities.
Deakin University’s postgraduate Occupational Hygiene program has been developed with input from employers to ensure the courses are relevant and up-todate with workplace demand. Continual consultation with our partners in industry and the profession ensures our program meets future industry and professional requirements.
Industry-based occupational hygiene projects provide hands-on experience to our Graduate Diploma students, enabling us to train and develop graduates who are job ready.
The postgraduate Occupational Hygiene courses are taught through flexible delivery allowing you to fit your studies in with your workplace and personal commitments.
Study materials are mailed through the post and are supported by on-line technologies using ‘Deakin Studies Online’ (DSO), Deakin University’s online teaching and learning environment.
Students in the Occupational Hygiene program have regular access to the teaching staff as well as student chat groups and text and multimedia resources. The University has also produced its own ‘Deakin Learning Toolkit’ software to support online communication. All units also offer a dedicated discussion site on Deakin Studies Online.
At Deakin we pride ourselves on providing quality postgraduate courses. Lecturers have international experience in their respective fields and our library service has set the standard for Australian universities. Regardless of where you live, resources can be posted to off-campus students or accessed from our comprehensive on-line collection.The Graduate Certificate of Occupational Hygiene is fully off-campus, requiring no attendance at Deakin. Examinations are held in a large number of sites around Australia and the World.
The Graduate Diploma of Occupational Hygiene requires attendance at a twoweek on-campus intensive study period at the Geelong Campus at Waurn Ponds; otherwise it is fully off-campus.
GRADUATE CERTIFICATE
The Graduate Certificate of Occupational
Hygiene consists of four units: Chemical
Hazards, Toxicology and Biohazards,
Physical Hazards and Human Factors.
Chemical Hazards
This unit aims to develop skills in the recognition and evaluation and control of chemical hazards in the working environment. It also covers the legislative and regulatory framework as well as exposure standards and their interpretation.
Toxicology and Biohazards
Aims to provide a basic understanding of the science of industrial toxicology and an understanding of the evaluation and control of important toxic and biological agents encountered in the occupational setting.
Physical Hazards
This unit aims to provide an understanding of ionising and non-ionising radiation, noise and vibration, their biological effects, exposures in the occupational setting, standards, legislation and control.
Human Factors
The unit aims to develop skills in the recognition, evaluation and control of human factors in the working environment including psychology and physiological/ anatomical factors, thermal stress and lighting. These factors are presented with attention to the underlying physics, physiological and medical effects, and methods of monitoring, exposure standards and regulations. This unit also covers general methods of control including engineering, personal protective clothing and equipment and administrative controls.
GRADUATE DIPLOMA
The Graduate Diploma of Occupational Hygiene consists of the four Graduate Certificate units, plus four other units: Occupational Hygiene Practice, Risk Assessment and Control and a single workplace project spread over two units: Project A and Project B.
Occupational Hygiene Practice
The practice unit exposes students to areas of advanced occupational hygiene practice and commences with a two-week period of attendance at the Geelong Campus at Waurn Ponds. This unit is designed to develop practical and problem-solving skills across the range of occupational hygiene areas.
Risk Assessment and Control
This unit is designed to develop investigative occupational hygiene skills by undertaking a simulated survey of a workplace solving a series of problems, making recommendations and preparing a report.
Project A and Project B
These units are a pair. Together, they cover a single project designed to provide experience and develop skills in all aspects of conducting occupational hygiene surveys, involving a substantial workplace investigation of a chemical, physical or biological hazard.
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Postgraduate courses in Occupational Hygiene
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For complete information on course structures and prerequisites refer to the Deakin course search website.
Graduate Diploma of Occupational Hygiene |
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