Basics of Preventive Medicine for Engineers

Course guarantor:

Ariana Lajčíková

Lecturer:

Anna Horňáková

Tutor:

Anna Horňáková

Supervisor:

Department of Dosimetry and Application of Ionizing Radiation

Synopsis:

The course provides a basic overview of general and community hygiene of the environment and occupational hygiene, focusing on the impact of environmental and workplace factors on human health. Students will become familiar with air, water, soil and waste hygiene, settlement hygiene, as well as the assessment of microclimate, noise, vibration, radiation, and chemical and biological hazards in the working environment. The course also covers the fundamentals of epidemiology history of the discipline, key figures, methodology of epidemiological research, and types of epidemiological studies and their application in disease prevention and health protection.

Requirements:

The course is completed with a credit-

Conditions for obtaining the credit:

- Active participation in at least 80% of seminars.

- Absences must be excused in advance, or as soon as possible after an unexpected event occurs.

- Successful completion of the credit test with a result of at least 80%.

- The credit test will take place during the last seminar and will be held electronically (via Moodle or another chosen platform).

Syllabus of lectures:

1. Hygiene in theory and practice. Organization of hygiene supervision, history of the discipline.

2. Fundamentals of epidemiology: definition, history of the field, key figures.

3. Epidemiological methods and types of epidemiological studies.

4. Environmental hygiene: bioindicators and biomarkers of pollution.

5. Basic hygiene requirements for the working environment: physical, chemical, and biological factors.

6. Lighting and microclimate of the workplace.

7. Chemical hazards in the working environment.

8. Workplace safety and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

9. Aerosols in the air, indoor dust pollution.

10. Measures for disease prevention. Health protection responsibilities: work categorization and declaration of hazardous work.

For all factors, the course will provide a brief overview of methods of measurement and evaluation, limit values, health effects, and relevant legislative requirements.

Syllabus of tutorials:

Study Objective:

Knowledge:

- basic knowledge of general and community hygiene of the environment (air, water, soil, waste, and settlements),

- hygiene requirements for the working environment and the effects of physical, chemical, and biological factors on human health,

- fundamentals of epidemiology, including methods and types of epidemiological studies.

Skills and competences:

- to understand and apply the main hygiene requirements for the workplace, including the assessment of physical, chemical, and biological factors,

- to define basic rules of prevention and health protection at work (including activities involving ionizing radiation),

- to apply epidemiological reasoning when assessing the relationship between environment and human health.

Study materials:

Key references:

[1] Bencko, V. a kol. : Hygiene - instructional texts for seminars and practical exercises, Prague, Karolinum, 2002

Recommended references:

[2] Fuchs A., Harmful and hazardous factors of working process, Prague 1988. (in Czech)

[3] Zothová Jirina, Hygiene work in basic industries, textbook, I. Part, Hygiene work in basic industries, textbook, II. Part, Brno, The Institute for Further Education in Health, 1995. (in Czech)

[4] Hlina Jiri, The risk of noise in living and working environment, Brno, IDV SZP, 1991. (in Czech)

[5] Lener Jaroslav, Medical hygiene, Praha, Karolinum, 1997. (in Czech)

Note:

Time-table for winter semester 2025/2026:

Time-table is not available yet

Time-table for summer semester 2025/2026:

Time-table is not available yet

The course is a part of the following study plans:

• Radiologická technika (compulsory course in the program)