Fundamentals of Occupational Hygiene
- Online delivery
- eClass
- 39 hour course, no prerequisites
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 or through blended (online + in-class) learning.
- 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.
Take note:
- This course is offered several times throughout the year; each specific offering is called a “course section.” Some sections of EXOS 4622 are delivered entirely online; others are taught through a mix of online and in-class instruction (blended).
- 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 (online or blended).
- The online components of this course are facilitated through eClass, the University of Alberta’s eLearning management tool.
- Required reading materials: Threshold limit values (TLVs) and biological exposure indices (BEIs), American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), 2019 (ISBN: 978-1-607261-05-6); Alberta Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act, Regulation and Code, Alberta Queen’s Printer (www.qp.alberta.ca).
This course has no prerequisites
Students from all educational backgrounds welcome. You can register for this course without applying and enrolling in a program.
Offered:
Course duration
Jan 18, 2021Mar 27, 2021
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.
Textbook
Required
Alberta Ohs Act, Regulation And Code
Class info
-
This is an asynchronous course. To start your online learning experience visit www.ext-leo.ca/students
-
39 course hours in total
-
Cost assistance: May be eligible for the Canada-Alberta Job Grant and the Canada Training Benefit. (view all)
Corporate multi-registration packages (groups of 4 or more) are available for most Extension courses. Contact us at corporate.learning@ualberta.ca for preferred pricing. -
Open for registration until January 18, 2021. Register at least one week before the course start date to secure your spot. If space is available you may register until the day the course starts.
Overall Schedule
Jan 26 — pre-class information opens
Students in this course section may have pre-class readings or assessments to complete.
Lecture/Class Schedule
Jan 30Jan 31
8:30 am – 5:00 pm
8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Feb 6Feb 7
8:30 am – 5:00 pm
8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Feb 21 — 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
Erin NawrotID: erin-nawrot
With more than a decade of experience in the Occupational Health and Safety field, Erin Nawrot started her career in the Oil and Gas industry as an Industrial Insulator. After attending the University of Alberta OHS Certificate Program, she entered into the Occupational Hygiene profession with PHH ARC Environmental (now Pinchin) in 2010. Erin is currently an Occupational Hygiene consultant with the City of Edmonton’s Workforce Safety and Employee Health Team. She is a Registered Occupational Hygiene Technologist (ROHT), as well as a Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP).
Textbook
Required
Alberta Ohs Act, Regulation And Code
Alberta Queens Printer: 780.427.4952, www.qp.alberta.ca
Class info
-
This is a synchronous course that features live online activities at predetermined times. This class requires a pre and post-work component to be completed before and after the in-class meeting. This information will be communicated to you via your ualberta email address and the class syllabus within eClass. For the real-time classroom sessions, a computer with both audio input and output (such as a microphone-equipped headset) is required. To start your online learning experience visit www.ext-leo.ca/students
-
39 course hours in total
-
Cost assistance: May be eligible for the Canada-Alberta Job Grant and the Canada Training Benefit. (view all)
Corporate multi-registration packages (groups of 4 or more) are available for most Extension courses. Contact us at corporate.learning@ualberta.ca for preferred pricing. -
Department consent required to register. Please contact us at extnreg@ualberta.ca
Overall Schedule
Jun 10 — pre-class information opens
Students in this course section may have pre-class readings or assessments to complete.
Lecture/Class Schedule
Jun 15Jun 18
8:30 am – 5:00 pm
8:30 am – 5:00 pm
8:30 am – 5:00 pm
8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Jul 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.
Textbook
Required
Alberta Ohs Act, Regulation And Code
Class info
-
39 course hours in total
-
Cost assistance: May be eligible for the Canada-Alberta Job Grant and the Canada Training Benefit. (view all)
Corporate multi-registration packages (groups of 4 or more) are available for most Extension courses. Contact us at corporate.learning@ualberta.ca for preferred pricing. -
Open for registration until June 10, 2021. Register at least one week before the course start date to secure your spot. If space is available you may register until the day the course starts.
Currently counts towards
-
Certificate
in
Occupational Health & Safety
└ core course
* 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.
You can register for and take a course without applying and enrolling into the program.
We recommend that you apply to the program as soon as possible to lock in your course requirements as they are subject to change.
Looking for different course dates?
New course schedules are released each June and November.
- Online delivery
- 39 hour course, no prerequisites
A note about courses during COVID-19: all online
All courses will be delivered online, including many that were previously unavailable in the online format.
If you do see a course or program on our website announced as an in-person or downtown Edmonton offering, please disregard the format – but not the course. There will be no in-person offerings through the Faculty of Extension for the Winter, Spring, and Summer 2021 terms.
Get ready to keep learning! Register for a course and join us online this year.