School: Medical and Health Sciences

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Occupational Hygiene and Toxicology
  • Unit Code

    HST2258
  • Year

    2025
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    2
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
    Online
  • Unit Coordinator

    Prof Jacques OOSTHUIZEN

Description

This unit introduces students to a range of occupational and environmental health related hazards and the basic principles of toxicology. The unit will cover basic scientific sampling and evaluation procedures, for occupational and environmental health hazards.

Non Standard Timetable Requirements

All enrolled students (on-campus and online) are required to participate in a 3-day, on-campus practical workshop.

Prerequisite Rule

Students must have passed either OHS1120 or SCC1123.

Students enrolled in K97 need to have completed MHS1102.

Equivalent Rule

Unit was previously coded HST2252, HST2256.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Explain basic toxicological principles for a range of workplace and environmental pollutants to evaluate and protect worker and community health.
  2. Operate monitoring equipment to measure and evaluate occupational and environmental health hazards.
  3. Apply control measures for occupational and environmental health hazards using the hierarchy of control process.

Unit Content

  1. Introduction to the principles of toxicology.
  2. Chemical, physical and biological occupational and environmental health hazards and associated adverse health impacts.
  3. Evaluation of exposure data in terms of workplace exposure standards (WES).
  4. The basis of occupational and environmental health hazard sampling methods.
  5. Use of air sampling equipment, sound level meters, heat stress monitors and other related instruments.
  6. Control strategies.

Learning Experience

Students will engage in learning experiences via ECU’s LMS as well as additional ECU learning technologies

Additional Learning Experience Information

Students must attend a compulsory 3-day workshop to develop competencies relating to operation of occupational and environmental health monitoring equipment. Students are required to obtain and evaluate quantitative data in order to recommend controls to protect worker and community health.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Due to the professional competency skill development associated with this Unit, student attendance/participation within listed in-class activities and/or online activities including discussion boards is compulsory. Students failing to meet participation standards as outlined in the unit information may be awarded an I Grade (Fail - incomplete). Students who are unable to meet this requirement for medical or other reasons must seek the approval of the unit coordinator.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
AssignmentInvestigation of the toxicological pathways that relate to different adverse health impacts from exposure to occupational and environmental chemical hazards30%
PresentationPeer reviewed presentation aimed at workers30%
Examination ^Assessment of theoretical knowledge and demonstrated practical skills40%
ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
AssignmentInvestigation of the toxicological pathways that relate to different adverse health impacts from exposure to occupational and environmental chemical hazards30%
PresentationPeer reviewed presentation aimed at workers30%
Examination ^Assessment of theoretical knowledge and demonstrated practical skills40%

^ Mandatory to Pass


Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Assessment

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. Informal vivas may be conducted as part of an assessment task, where staff require further information to confirm the learning outcomes have been met. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work as well as any generative artificial intelligence tools that may have been used. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people or generative artificial intelligence tools, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

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