scope:

Overview.

Effectively anticipating, identifying and assessing Occupational and Environmental Health (OEH) threats enables the identification and implementation of controls necessary to eliminate or mitigate threats from hazardous OEH exposures. When determining OEH threat control options, it is imperative to follow the OEH health risk assessment guidelines outlined in AFMANs 48- 153, Health Risk Assessment and 48-154, Occupational and Environmental Health Site Assessment. Figure 1.1 outlines the Health Risk Assessment (HRA) and Health Risk Management (HRM) relationship. This manual focuses on the control portion of HRA/HRM.

A health threat, as defined in AFMAN 48-153, is a potential or actual condition that can cause short or long-term injury, illness, or death to personnel. Routine and special assessments are conducted in accordance with AFI 48-145, Air Force Occupational and Environmental Health Program, to identify and assess OEH threats.

A health risk is the combination of an identified health threat and the vulnerability of exposure route completion to the population at risk. Health risks associated with chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and physical threat exposure(s) may be long-term (chronic) or short-term (acute) and may be reversible or irreversible. Identifying the extent to which individual factors contribute to an OEH threat exposure is critical in the determination of exposure controls. The primary factors that can affect the intensity of an OEH exposure are:

Threat source (e.g. hazardous material used in an industrial process, emissions from an open burn pit, etc.)

Route of exposure (inhalation, ingestion, absorption, contact, whole body exposure)

Work patterns/practices

Concentration

Frequency and duration of exposure