About BOHS

What is the aim of BOHS?

Every year in Britain alone, more than two million people experience symptoms of ill-health believed to have been caused or made worse by work and the latest figures published by the Health & Safety Executive show that an estimated 30 million working days are lost annually due to work-related ill-health (compared to nine million due to workplace injury).

Established since 1953, BOHS’s aim is simple: to help to reduce work-related ill-health. We do this by promoting public and professional awareness, good practice and standards, and by researching and advancing education in the science of occupational health and hygiene.

What is occupational hygiene?

‘Hygiene’ is defined as the science behind health, or the conditions or practices conducive to health. But in common usage it has taken on a much narrower definition linking it to cleanliness, frequently leading to the misunderstanding of the term ‘occupational hygiene’: it’s NOT about washing your hands or handling food properly at work, it’s about minimising the risks of ill-health caused by the working environment.

Workplaces have many visible and hidden hazards. These can be chemical (dusts, vapours), physical (heat, light, noise, radiation), ergonomic (posture, motion), biological (bacteria, viruses), or psychosocial (stress, violence, bullying). Occupational hygienists understand how such hazards may affect the health of those who work there. They measure how significant the effects may be. And more importantly, they specialise in controlling the risks to health in practical and cost-effective ways.

Professional and international cooperation    

           BOHS is a founding member of the International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA) which provides an international voice for the occupational hygiene profession.  We are also an integral member of the Professional Organisations in Occupational Safety and Health (POOSH) group, which works towards common aims through joint initiatives and mutual support.