This Course Guide has been taken from the most recent presentation of the course. It would be useful for reference purposes but please note that there may be updates for the following presentation.
ENVR S411
Environmental Health and Safety
Welcome to ENVR S411 Environmental Health and Safety!
This Course Guide tells you briefly what the course is about and how you can work your way through the course material. It also tells you how much time you will probably need to spend in order to successfully complete the course. Finally, it provides you with a general guide for assignments. After this introduction, which gives a general overview of the course and lists its aims and objectives, there are sections on:
While much of the content of this Course Guide is similar to that of other HKMU courses, some information is specific to ENVR S411 Environmental Health and Safety. Please read it carefully.
About the course
ENVR S411 Environmental Health and Safety is a ten-credit, higher-level undergraduate course. This course is an optional course for students pursuing the BSc/BSc (Hons) in Applied Science (Biology and Chemistry).
ENVR S411 is divided into ten study units, and is intended to take you about 40 weeks to complete. Students taking this course are assumed to have finished a major portion of middle-level and higher-level courses from the BSc general degree in Applied Science (Biology and Chemistry). ENVR S411 is a stand-alone course. However, the course has links with other HKMU courses such as ENVR S341 Green
Management: Sustainable Product Life Cycle, Environmental Management Systems and Regulations and ENVR S320 Environmental Impact Assessment.
The field of environmental health and safety (EHS) and the associated management has been evolving in the past several decades in Hong Kong, China, and internationally. EHS applies to manufacturing, construction and many other industries, as well as to the service sector. ENVR S411 provides foundational, comprehensive coverage of the basic sciences of EHS and EHS management. It covers the origins and development of EHS management, the principles and practices in each of EHS's health, safety and environmental aspects, and the various skills and management practices necessary to prepare students for the EHS field.
This Course Guide provides a detailed course plan for ENVR S411 Environmental Health and Safety. It begins with a general description of the course, including its aims, objectives and structure. An outline and itemized descriptions of each of the ten units are then given to summarize the content of the course. Finally, the logistics of course delivery, including study and assignment schedules, marks allocation, printed and non-printed materials related to the course, and tutorial support are detailed.
The course's ten units introduce you to the concepts of environmental health and safety management and the fundamental principles of EHS, and to practical knowledge in how the various aspects of EHS are managed by government, industries and the service sector. The course first provides an overview, history and development of environmental health and safety in contemporary society. It then outlines the various health and safety hazards and risks in the work environment, and discusses governments and industries' responses in handling EHS risks and challenges. Concepts related to occupational health and hygiene and safety practices in the workplace are then discussed. Various tools and methodologies for the evaluation and assessment of EHS risks, as well as methods of controls and technology, are then provided.
Although the core part of the course will focus on the work-related health and safety management, environmental risks in relation to the overall EHS management will also be reviewed to provide a holistic picture. In addition, actual EHS management systems and practices in industries will be discussed. The course will be concluded with a forward-looking unit that suggests future developments in EHS and prospects in its various sectors, and that considers how these concepts are being integrated into the emerging arenas of business sustainability and corporate social responsibility.
The study units will employ case studies to help you apply the learning from the course to real life examples. Some of these case studies reflect classic EHS issues in the industry, and some will be developed based on the course developers' experience.
Course aims
ENVR S411 Environmental Health and Safety aims to:
Course learning outcomes
After studying ENVR S411, you should be able to:
Course organization
The following chart gives you a brief overview of the course structure.
| Unit | Title | Study time (weeks) | Assignment |
| 1 | Overview of environmental health and safety | 1 |
|
| 2 | Health and safety hazards | 3 |
|
| 3 | Government and industry responses to EHS challenges | 3 |
|
| 4 | Occupational health and hygiene: Theory and practice | 3 |
|
| 5 | Safety practices in the workplace | 3 | Assignment 1 |
| 6 | Evaluation and assessment of EHS risks | 3 |
|
| 7 | Health and safety control measures and technology | 3 |
|
| 8 | Management of environmental risks | 3 |
|
| 9 | EHS management systems | 3 |
|
| 10 | EHS development, prospects and integration in business sustainability | 2 | Assignment 2 |
| Revision | 1 |
| |
| Total | 28 |
| |
This course does not have a set textbook. Instead, you will be supplied with materials from a wide range of sources. A list of reference readings are also provided so you can also acquire additional knowledge relevant to your study.
The course materials consist of this Course Guide and ten study units. The study units are:
Unit 1 Overview of environmental health and safety
Unit 2 Health and safety hazards
Unit 3 Government and industry responses to EHS challenges
Unit 4 Occupational health and hygiene: Theory and practice
Unit 5 Safety practices in the workplace
Unit 6 Evaluation and assessment of EHS risks
Unit 7 Health and safety control measures and technology
Unit 8 Management of environmental risks
Unit 9 EHS management systems
Unit 10 EHS development, prospects and integration in business sustainability
In each study unit, you may be asked to refer to supporting readings including excerpts from journals, newspapers, government reports, reference books, websites or articles downloaded from the Internet.
The following references are recommended throughout the study of this course to enhance your knowledge in occupational health and safety or environmental science. Some of these references are available in HKMU Library:
ACGIH (2001) Air Sampling Instrumentation for Evaluation of Atmospheric Contaminants, 9th edn, ACGIH.
ACGIH (2010) Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances and Physical Agents and Biological Exposure Indices, ACGIH.
Agardy, F J (2009) Environmental Engineering (Sixth Edition): Environmental Health and Safety for Municipal Infrastructure, Land Use and Planning, and Industry, John Wiley & Sons.
Anthony, V (2010) Safety, Health and Environment, 1st edn, Prentice Hall.
Burgess, W A (1995) Recognition of Health Hazards in Industry: A Review of Materials and Processes, 2nd edn, John Wiley & Sons.
BOHS Technical Committee (1993) Sampling Strategies for Airborne Contaminants in the Workplace, BOHS Technical Guide No.11, Leeds: H and H Sci Consultants.
Dickert, T G and Domeny, K R (eds) (1974) Environmental Impact Assessment: Guidelines and Commentary, Berkeley: The Regents of the University of California.
DiNardi, S R (ed.) (2003) The Occupational Environment: Its Evaluation, Control and Management, 2nd edn, AIHA
Five Steps to Risk Assessment. OSHC. (Source: Occupational Safety and Health Council Library)
Grantham, D (2001) Simplified Monitoring Strategies: A Guidebook on How to Apply NOHSC's Exposure Standards for Atmospheric Contaminants in the Occupational Environment, Tullamarine: AIOH.
Hansen, D J (1991) The Work Environment, Vol. 1, Occupational Health Fundamentals, Lewis Publishers.
Health and Safety Executive (1989) Quantified Risk Assessment: Its Input to Decision Making, HMSO Publications C40 7/89. (Source: Occupational Safety and Health Council Library)
Health and Safety Executive (2005) Monitoring Strategies for Toxic Substances, HSG173, 2nd edn, HSE Books.
ILO (1983) Occupational Safety and Health in the Iron and Steel Industry, 1st edn, ILO Codes of Practice. (Source: Occupational Safety and Health Council Library)
ILO (1994) Protection of Workers from Power Frequency Electric and Magnetic Fields, Occupational Safety and Health Series No. 69, International Labour Organization.
ILO (2005) Encyclopedia of Occupational Safety and Health, 4th edn, Safework book shelf, ILO.
CoVan, J (1995) Safety Engineering, A Wiley-Interscience Publication. (Source: Library of City University of Hong Kong)
Labour Department, HKSAR (2002) Code of Practice on Control of Air Impurities (Chemical Substances) in the Workplace.
Labor Occupational Health Program (1996) Health and Safety Training Kits: Protecting Workers from Job Hazards; How Chemicals Affect the Body, UC Berkeley and the Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice.
Harms-Ringdahl, L (1993) Safety Analysis Principles and Practice in Occupational Safety, Elsevier Applied Science Publishers. (Source: Library of City University of Hong Kong)
Management Extra: Managing Health, Safety and Working Environment (2009), Elsevier Science and Tehnology Books.
Mohan, D and Tiwari, G (2000) Injury Prevention and Control, Taylor & Francis. (Source: Library of the University of Hong Kong)
National Safety Council, Occupational Safety and Health Series: Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene, Monitoring for Health Hazards at Work, NSC.
Ness, S (1991) Air Monitoring for Toxic Exposure — an integrated approach, New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
Richardson, M L (ed.) (1986) Toxic Hazard Assessment of Chemicals, Kent: Royal Society of Chemistry.
Richardson, M R (1997) Managing Worker Safety and Health for Excellence, Van Nostrand Reinhold, A Division of International Thomson Publishing. (Source: Library of City University of Hong Kong)
Stellman, J and Henifin, M S (1983) Office Work Can Be Dangerous to Your Health, 1st edn, New York: Pantheon Books. (Source: Library of Department of Community Medicine, CUHK)
The Building Employers Confederation, UK (1994) Construction Safety, vols 1 and 2.
Tsin, T W (1994) 'Chemical hazard and information management in Hong Kong', Journal of the Hong Kong Medical Association, 46(1): 37-41.
Tsin, T W (2006) 'The development and implementation of occupational exposure limits in Hong Kong', Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, 46(March): 114-19.
Thomas, C E (2007) Process Technology: Safety, Health and Environment for Process Technicians, 2nd edn, Thomson Delmar Learning.
von Holst, H, Nygren, A and Thord, R (1997) Transportation, Traffic Safety and Health, The New Mobility Springer-Verlag Berlin. (Source: Library of the University of Hong Kong)
Willis, N (1988) Hazards at Work, TUC Guide to Health and Safety.
Woodside, G (1997) Environmental, Safety and Health Engineering, John Wiley & Sons.
Supplementary readings
Excerpts from the following sources will be integrated into the ENVR S411 course materials as core readings:
Bassett, W (2003) Clay's Handbook of Environmental Health, London: E&F Spon.
Brauer, R L (2006) Safety and Health for Engineers, John Wiley & Sons.
Ericson, C A (2005) Hazard Analysis Techniques for System Safety, John Wiley & Sons.
Gustin, J F (2008) Safety Management: A Guide for Facility Managers, Fairmont Press.
Jeynes, J (2007) Managing Health and Safety: Learning Made Simple, Elsevier Science and Technology Books.
Smoley, C K (1999) Dictionary and Thesaurus of Environment, Health and Safety, Lewis Pub.
Sterner, O (1999) Chemistry, Health, and Environment, Wiley.
Yu, M H (2005) Environmental Toxicology: Biological and Health Effects of Pollutants, Boca Raton: CRC Press.
Electronic references
The course materials will encourage you to seek out and use information contained in various important websites. Ideally, you should have access to a modern IT system giving full access to the Internet and the World Wide Web. The HKMU Computer Laboratory offers you this access.
The following webpages are useful for learning more about occupational health and safety and environmental management:
Hong Kong Law: https://www.elegislation.gov.hk/
ILO: International Programme Chemical Safety: International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs): http://www.ilo.org/safework/lang--en/index.htm
Hong Kong SAR Government, Labour Department publications: http://www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/index.htm
WHO (2004) Guidelines on the Prevention of Toxic Exposures: Education and Public Awareness Activities: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9241546115
SKC Inc., for air sampling instruments and methods: www.skcinc.com
http://www.labour.gov.hk/eng/legislat/content4.htm
http://www.labour.gov.hk/eng/legislat/contentB3.htm
http://www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/content2_8.htm
http://www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/index.htm
http://www.dsal.gov.mo/zh_tw/standard/health_download_printed_matter_materials.html
The formal assessment for this course includes two assignments and one final examination. The informal assessment includes self-assessed activities and self-tests stipulated in each unit.
Assignments
There will be two assignments for this course. The first assignment will cover Units 1 to 5, and the second assignment will cover Units 6 to 10. Each assignment will count for 25% of the overall course score.
Examination
The final examination will be of two hours' duration and will account for 50% of the overall course score. The examination will consist of questions which reflect activities and assignment problems that you have encountered.
The following table summarizes the course assessment for ENVR S411.
Assessment | Course area covered | Weighting |
Assignment 1 | Units 1–5 | 25% |
Assignment 2 | Units 6–10 | 25% |
Examination | Units 1–10 | 50% |
Total | 100% | |
There are two different methods of providing support to you during the course of studying ENVR S411. These include direct personal contact in tutorials, surgeries and day schools, and support through electronic means such as the Online Learning Environment (OLE). Where applicable, field studies will be conducted to enhance your learning of EHS in practice.
Tutors
Your HKMU tutor provides formal tutorials and is also available for telephone discussion, support and tutorial guidance. He or she will also provide extensive feedback on assignments.
Tutorials
Two-hour tutorials will be provided in ENVR S411 Environmental Health and Safety. Tutorials are designed to encourage discussion of the units and the readings, to answer questions that you have about the course, and to expose you to other students' perspectives on the key issues of the course.
Day schools
There will be one to two day schools arranged throughout the course. You must attend at least one of the day schools to fulfil the academic requirements of the course.
For some of the day school activities, you will participate in interactive activities or field visits led by EHS practitioners, academics or consultants. The sessions will aim to extend and inspire you, and features may include workshops, surveys, experiments, experience sharing, case analysis, and question and answer segments.
For details of tutorial and day school dates, please refer to the Presentation Schedule which is available on the OLE.
Lam Wan Choi has over 20 years experience in the field of Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Management. He is currently the Regional Head for Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) (Director of Safety and Operational Risk) of BP Asia Limited, has been leading the HSE management efforts for the company's various global, regional and local business operations since 2000. Prior to this, he was the Asia Regional EHS Manager for General Electric (GE) and a Principal Consultant of ERM Hong Kong. Over the years, Mr Lam has managed environmental health and safety issues for various local and multinational companies in different geographical locations, including Hong Kong, China and many Asian, European and American countries (Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Philippines, India, Belgium, UK, USA and Brazil). He has in-depth knowledge of EHS compliance and assurance programs, and has assisted many companies in managing their EHS risks and challenges. Mr Lam has held various leadership positions, and was the Global Health, Safety and Environmental Manager for BP's Purified Terephthelic Acid (PTA) operations in the period from 2004-2007. Mr Lam is familiar with many international environmental, health and safety standards and management practices in the USA, EU, Asian countries, Hong Kong and the Greater China region.
Mr Lam holds a master's degree in Civil Engineering and a bachelor's degree in Environmental Sciences with major in Occupational Hygiene from the United Kingdom. He also holds a Diploma in Chemical Technology, and is a Registered Safety Officer in Hong Kong. Mr Lam has a wide range of experience in different industries and the public sector. He is a current an Advisory Board Director for the Association of International Chemical Manufacturers (AICM), a key organization promoting the Responsible Care initiative on EHS best practices for the Chemical Industry in China. In addition, Mr Lam is a Member of the American Conference of Governmental Industry Hygienists (ACGIH), a founding member of the Shanghai Multinational EHS Association (1995) and is the Chairman of the South China Environmental and Safety Management Association (SCESMA) (2008). He is currently the Vice President of the Hong Kong Institute of Carbon Reductions and Energy Management (ICEREM) and a Corporate Member of the Hong Kong Institute for Environmental Impact Assessment (HKIEIA). Since 1992, Mr Lam has been a visiting lecturer and tutor teaching environmental and EHS courses at Hong Kong Metropolitan University, City University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Tsin Tai-wa was a Senior Occupational Hygienist working for the Hong Kong SAR government who retired from Government services in November 2009. Mr Tsin is a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) under the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH), a Registered Safety Officer (RSO) and a Registered Safety Auditor (RSA) in Hong Kong. He has been a fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, and is currently the President of the Association. Mr Tsin holds a Medal of Honour (MH) which recognizes his contribution in the field of occupational and environmental hygiene in Hong Kong and with the HKSAR government. He has worked for government services for 39 years, of which 28 years was with the Labour Department.
In addition to his government and professional occupational hygiene services, Mr Tsin has been active in the academic arena and other public services. Since 1986, he has been a part-time professor for various tertiary institutions in Hong Kong, including the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses in occupational safety, health and hygiene. He has been auditor of the Hong Kong Accreditation Service (HKAS) for Asbestos Analytical Laboratories for over 18 years. He has published a number of research papers and other publications in relation to occupational and environmental health and hygiene since the 1980s. Mr Tsin holds a Master of Science degree in Occupational Hygiene from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Botany from the University of London. Since the 1980s, Mr Tsin has been a Chartered Chemist and a Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK.
Mr Danny Sham Wai Man holds a Master of Science degree in Occupational Hygiene and a Professional Diploma in Health Education. He is currently the Managing Director and a principal consultant of EnviroSafe Professional Consultancy Limited. Mr Sham is a Registered Safety Officer and a Registered Safety Auditor with around 23 years of safety, health, hygiene, environmental and security experience in logistics and civil construction industries. His experience ranges across the development of management systems, site monitoring, safety promotion and training course and curriculum development. Having headed the safety and security department of The Sea-Land Terminals Ltd. and the safety, health and environmental (EHS) Section of the Mak Hang Kei (HK) Construction Ltd., he has had direct hands-on experience in EHS and security issues taking the required multi-disciplines corporate management approach.
Mr Sham has held a number of additional professional appointments, including serving as a member of the Course Advisory Committee on Assistant Safety Officer for the Construction Industry Training Authority, the Steering Committee for the Construction Industry of Hong Kong Workers' Health Centre, Former Vice President of the Institute of Crisis and Risk Management, Chairman of Professional Managers Association. In addition, he has been a part-time lecturer and tutor in the Construction Industry Training Authority, the Occupational Safety and Health Council, the Hong Kong College of Technology, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, the Centre for Health Education and Health Promotion of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Productivity Council, Macau Productivity and Technology Transfer Center, Macao Water, CLP Power and EnviroSafe Professional Consultancy Ltd. etc. These academic pursuits have allowed him to continue to stay on top developments in the local Safety, Health and Environmental scene.
This Course Guide has given you information about the aims, study schedule, course materials, assessment and tutor support for ENVR S411 Environmental Health and Safety. ENVR S411 aims to help you develop the knowledge and foundations needed to address the multi-disciplinary issues of environmental health and safety management. We hope that you enjoy studying this course, and that you will be inspired by the scale of EHS challenges around us and the need for EHS professionals to help manage these issues.
Let's go and start studying!
