The work can involve assessing risks to service personnel in the field, including exposure to noise, radiation, heat and ergonomic hazards in a variety of extreme situations.

In supporting the front line forces, military services can involve metalworking, electrical trades and a variety of other crafts in activities like shipbuilding and vehicle repair. Personnel in these environments may be exposed to toxic substances, noise, fumes and many other hazards.

Hygienists often work alongside doctors and nurses as part of an occupational health service.

Inspecting standing water levels at a medical site in the Cite Soleil slum in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Lt. Brent Levingston, an industrial hygiene officer for the Continuing Promise 2009 humanitarian assistance mission