Good recordkeeping is essential in various industries and occupations, allowing for structured work and a smooth flow of operations. This process is crucial for public safety and healthcare regulations jobs. Even a slight miscalculation or mistake might cause significant complications within these industries and result in human or financial losses. From these considerations, good recordkeeping helps manage risks and avoid contingency situations. Furthermore, recordkeeping is vital for employers to establish health safety regulations and avoid confrontation with legal entities (Scott, 2018). Ultimately, good recordkeeping is an essential practice beneficial for both employees and employers.
Compliance and Litigation
Compliance and litigation are two terms that refer to the legal side of documentation, and good recordkeeping allows to mitigate problems in these areas. Compliance and environmental compliance concern the predetermined set of health safety guidelines regulated by the government (“What is environmental compliance”, 2020). In this sense, it is a legal process, and recordkeeping of any potential operations that might hurt the environment and people is necessary to avoid further complications (“What is environmental compliance”, 2020). Consequently, litigation is a legal dispute, which frequently occurs if the recordkeeping is done poorly and does not correspond to compliance regulations (Friend & Kohn, 2018). The process might result in extensive penalties and compensations, reaching up to millions of dollars depending on the emergency level (Friend & Kohn, 2018). From these considerations, good recordkeeping is vital to ensure that all the safety regulations adhere to compliance and there is no immediate danger of litigation processes.
Recordkeeping in Industrial Hygiene
While good recordkeeping cannot be overestimated, it is particularly significant in industrial hygiene. Industrial or occupational hygiene generally refers to the process of recognition and evaluation of any potential environmental risks at the workspace (Scott, 2018). Therefore, an industrial hygienist is responsible for identifying and eliminating all the potential hazards and stressors resulting in human or environmental damages (Scott, 2018). Due to the peculiarities of the work, there is a high chance of encountering life-threatening hazardous materials and gases; therefore, the hygienist should be comprehensively instructed about the risks (Scott, 2018). In this sense, a good knowledge of recordkeeping allows the expert to correctly evaluate the contingency and carry out complete documentation.
Documentation during Sampling
Lastly, it is essential to discuss why comprehensive documentation is necessary during sampling. In general, sampling refers to analyzing or evaluating a specific entity or process, which could be a hazardous material, gas, or even behavior (Friend & Kohn, 2018). Therefore, recordkeeping during the operation refers to taking comprehensive notes about the contingency and the potential outcomes. There is a large variety of sampling procedures, including grab, integrated, general air, and diffusional sampling (Scott, 2018). Nevertheless, comprehensive documentation of the hazardous material and contingency allows the hygienist to carry out a better analysis regardless of the approach.
Furthermore, comprehensive documentation is particularly significant for on-site sampling and analysis. An on-site evaluation is generally associated with higher chances of mistakes and equipment failure, which might hinder the overall assessment of the hazardous entity (Scott, 2018). From these considerations, comprehensive documentation of all features and peculiarities is necessary for correct evaluation (Scott, 2018). For instance, air sampling via detector tubes might be limited by the presence of certain chemicals in the air and require sequential measurements (Scott, 2018). In such cases, it is vital to document the impact of external factors on the result and estimate other alternatives as well. Ultimately, comprehensive documentation is essential during the sampling process to mitigate inaccurate evaluations and miscalculations. In turn, a more detailed process might identify additional hazards and save people’s lives.
References
Friend, M. A., & Kohn, J. P. (2018). Fundamentals of occupational safety and health. Rowman & Littlefield.
Scott, R. M. (2018). Basic concepts of industrial hygiene. CRC Press.
What is environmental compliance and why is it so important?(2020). Environmental Monitoring Solutions.