Fundamentals of Occupational Hygiene
EX 1111 is offered this fall and winter:
Occupational Hygiene is the science devoted to the recognition, evaluation and control of workplace hazards that may result in illness or injury. This introductory course is designed to provide a basic understanding of some of the key concepts in Occupational Hygiene, including routes of entry of contaminants into the body, classification of hazards, occupational exposure limits, and methods of controlling workplace exposures. In addition, the student will be introduced to methods of evaluation including the development of sampling strategies.
Course at a glance
- Offered fully online learning - asynchronous or synchronous format.
- Aimed at entry-level and practicing health and safety coordinators, professionals, officers, technicians, supervisors, trainers, management, and administrators.
What you will learn
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
- Describe the fundamental elements associated with the practice of occupational hygiene, the components of an effective occupational hygiene program, and the role of the occupational hygienist.
- Describe how the Occupational Health and Safety legislation in Alberta pertains to occupational hygiene, particularly in regards to biological, chemical, ergonomic, and physical hazards.
- Identify various chemical, physical, biological, and ergonomic hazards found in the workplace.
- Describe the use of engineering controls to mitigate worker exposure to worksite hazards.
- Discuss indoor air quality issues and the differences in assessing them versus traditional worker exposure issues.
Offered:
Take note:
- This course is offered several times throughout the year; each specific offering is called a “course section.”
- When selecting the dates and the section you want to enrol in, look for the note that indicates the delivery format of that specific section—and make sure you have chosen a section that’s offered in your desired format (asynchronous or synchronous).
- The online components of this course are facilitated through eClass, the University of Alberta’s eLearning management tool.
- Required reading materials: Alberta Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act, Regulation and Code, Alberta King’s Printer (alberta.ca/alberta-kings-printer) and specific pages from the TLV and BEIs (Threshold limit values (TLVs) and biological exposure indices (BEIs), American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), 2020.
- The required pages for the TLV and BEIs (Threshold limit values (TLVs) and biological exposure indices (BEIs), American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), 2020) will be available in eclass. You will be required to read, understand, and reference the provided pages throughout the course and for quizzes and exams. Students are not required to purchase the ACGIH; however, they may wish to purchase their own copy. Using the 2022 version is also applicable.
- Scientific calculator (recommended) but a regular calculator will be sufficient. Students will need to have access to a calculator as you will be doing calculations to complete your exercises, quizzes and exams.
Sep 18, 2023Nov 26, 2023
Asynchronous online learning, eClass
39 hours of instruction
In asynchronous online courses, students are expected to move through the course material at the same pace as their peers, but there are no real-time virtual classroom sessions to attend. All components of this type of course are accessible through eClass, the University of Alberta’s eLearning management tool. format details

Your Instructor
Greg HodgsonID: greg-hodgson
Greg Hodgson is currently employed as the Occupational Hygienist for the University of Alberta, where he is a subject matter expert to the university community on the recognition, assessment, evaluation, and control of health hazards in the workplace. Greg has a combined background in both health hazard management and safety hazard management. He is a practicing Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) and Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP), and has been appointed for the Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Council with the Alberta Government. Greg enjoys teaching as well as learning about the experience of students. He believes that open discussion between safety professionals really helps further the knowledge of everyone involved.
Textbooks
Required
Alberta Ohs Act, Regulation And Code
Required
Calculator (Scientific Recommend, Not Req'd)
Class info
-
This is an asynchronous online learning course.
-
39 course hours in total
-
Cost assistance: may be eligible for the Canada-Alberta Job Grant, the Canada Training Benefit, and the Skilled Immigrant Micro-Loan.
— view all 28 funding opportunities -
Please be advised that some of our courses fill quickly, early registration is encouraged to secure your spot. See our refunds, withdrawals & transfers policies for detailed information.
Take note:
- This course is offered several times throughout the year; each specific offering is called a “course section.”
- When selecting the dates and the section you want to enrol in, look for the note that indicates the delivery format of that specific section—and make sure you have chosen a section that’s offered in your desired format (asynchronous or synchronous).
- The online components of this course are facilitated through eClass, the University of Alberta’s eLearning management tool.
- Required reading materials: Alberta Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act, Regulation and Code, Alberta King’s Printer (alberta.ca/alberta-kings-printer) and specific pages from the TLV and BEIs (Threshold limit values (TLVs) and biological exposure indices (BEIs), American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), 2020.
- The required pages for the TLV and BEIs (Threshold limit values (TLVs) and biological exposure indices (BEIs), American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), 2020) will be available in eclass. You will be required to read, understand, and reference the provided pages throughout the course and for quizzes and exams. Students are not required to purchase the ACGIH; however, they may wish to purchase their own copy. Using the 2022 version is also applicable.
- Scientific calculator (recommended) but a regular calculator will be sufficient. Students will need to have access to a calculator as you will be doing calculations to complete your exercises, quizzes and exams.
Overall Schedule
Mar 11 — pre-class information opens
Students in this course section may have pre-class readings or assessments to complete.
Lecture/Class Schedule
Mar 14Mar 17
8:30 am – 5:00 pm MT
8:30 am – 5:00 pm MT
8:30 am – 5:00 pm MT
8:30 am – 5:00 pm MT
Apr 2 — post-class component closes
Students in this section may have post-class readings or assessments to complete.
Synchronous online learning, eClass
39 hours of instruction
In synchronous online courses, students move through the course material at the same pace as their peers. These courses also provide learners with pre-scheduled online lectures that have the instructor and students interacting at the same time. All components of this type of course are accessible through eClass, the University of Alberta’s eLearning management tool. format details

Your Instructor
Greg HodgsonID: greg-hodgson
Greg Hodgson is currently employed as the Occupational Hygienist for the University of Alberta, where he is a subject matter expert to the university community on the recognition, assessment, evaluation, and control of health hazards in the workplace. Greg has a combined background in both health hazard management and safety hazard management. He is a practicing Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) and Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP), and has been appointed for the Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Council with the Alberta Government. Greg enjoys teaching as well as learning about the experience of students. He believes that open discussion between safety professionals really helps further the knowledge of everyone involved.
Textbooks
Required
Ohs Act, Regulation And Code
Required
Calculator (Scientific Recommend, Not Req'd)
Class info
-
This is a synchronous course. Students will require a computer with both audio input and output (such as a microphone-equipped headset).
-
39 course hours in total
-
Cost assistance: may be eligible for the Canada-Alberta Job Grant, the Canada Training Benefit, and the Skilled Immigrant Micro-Loan.
— view all 28 funding opportunities -
Please be advised that some of our courses fill quickly, early registration is encouraged to secure your spot. See our refunds, withdrawals & transfers policies for detailed information.
This course has no prerequisites
Students from all educational backgrounds welcome. You can register for this course without applying and enrolling in a program.
Take note:
- This course is offered several times throughout the year; each specific offering is called a “course section.”
- When selecting the dates and the section you want to enrol in, look for the note that indicates the delivery format of that specific section—and make sure you have chosen a section that’s offered in your desired format (asynchronous or synchronous).
- The online components of this course are facilitated through eClass, the University of Alberta’s eLearning management tool.
- Required reading materials: Alberta Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act, Regulation and Code, Alberta King’s Printer (alberta.ca/alberta-kings-printer) and specific pages from the TLV and BEIs (Threshold limit values (TLVs) and biological exposure indices (BEIs), American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), 2020.
- The required pages for the TLV and BEIs (Threshold limit values (TLVs) and biological exposure indices (BEIs), American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), 2020) will be available in eclass. You will be required to read, understand, and reference the provided pages throughout the course and for quizzes and exams. Students are not required to purchase the ACGIH; however, they may wish to purchase their own copy. Using the 2022 version is also applicable.
- Scientific calculator (recommended) but a regular calculator will be sufficient. Students will need to have access to a calculator as you will be doing calculations to complete your exercises, quizzes and exams.
Currently counts towards:
-
└ core course
Applicants intending to enrol in a program are encouraged to apply as soon as possible to lock in their course requirements since they are prone to change.
*If you are already enroled in this program, please refer to your specific program requirements as outlined at the time of your admission: Bear Tracks > Academic Advisement.
Looking for different course dates?
New course schedules are released each June and November.