Young Hygienist Award

Alex, who has been employed by Tata Steel for ten years, won the award following his entry into the 1,500 word essay competition, with this year’s brief being ‘Hygiene Works’.

The Young Hygienist Award, sponsored by diversified technology company 3M, aims to recognise talent and stimulate professional development in young occupational hygienists. 

As well as winning the award, Alex won an all-expenses paid trip to the American Industrial Hygiene AIHce Conference in San Antonio, Texas, USA. He also received one year’s BOHS membership and entry to the BOHS Annual Conference in Nottingham.

Alex holds a certificate in Operational Competence in Operational Hygiene and is currently working towards a Diploma in Occupational Hygiene. He believes that occupational hygiene is undervalued in the workplace and wants to raise more awareness about its importance: "Occupational hygiene is greatly overlooked because of the other aspects of health and safety.

"The principles of occupational hygiene introduce the controls to either eliminate or control exposure to serious hazards that could have a long lasting impact on employee health. This not only benefits the employee but has a positive impact on the company too."