Meet our Occupational Hygienists

Occupational hygiene attracts people from a wide range of backgrounds, and our team is a great example of that. We asked ten of our occupational hygienists three questions: what led them to this career, what kind of work they enjoy most, and what's stood out so far. Here's what they said.

Sriram Prasath

Occupational Hygienist

PhD Occupational Hygiene, RIH(SG), MNZOHS

I fell into occupational hygiene by accident, the lucky kind. As a young graduate, I wanted meaningful work and a chance to see the world. One job offer stood out: travel across Asia, measuring exposures in mines and factories. I took it without really knowing the field, but the work got under my skin. I kept asking more questions, which led to more questions, and before I knew it, I had completed a PhD in the very field I had stumbled into.

I love to work on projects with rich historical data. I love seeing the trends, for example, watching a control measure drive exposure down over the years, or finally spotting the pattern that explains a persistent problem. I enjoy analysing patterns and differentiating signal from noise. My favourite projects are the ones where I turn that signal into a clear story about what works.

A career highlight was training a group of operators and supervisors across APAC with zero occupational hygiene experience. After months (years, really) of hands-on coaching and remote support, they were running their own monitoring programs. One technician loved it so much he became an occupational hygiene technician and is still upskilling today. Watching someone go from "what's a sampling pump?" to managing their site's program - that's the best outcome I can imagine.

Juliette Lyons

Occupational Hygiene Technician

BSc (Hons), TNZOHS

I fell into occupational hygiene after completing my honours degree in geography. It was a completely new field to me and took a lot of learning to build up my knowledge base and skills, but it has been an amazing experience so far.

I love to work on qualitative and initial stage assessments where you get into the nitty-gritty of understanding the workplace processes and meeting workers from all different backgrounds.

So far, the highlight of my career has been working on such a diverse range of projects from penguin enclosures, pie factories, abattoirs, and tunnel work, to name a few. I think it's the opportunity we get as hygienists to help improve worker health across a wide range of New Zealand businesses

Byron Frankish

Occupational Hygienist (ROH – SAIOH)

PGDip (OH), MNZOHS, ROH (SAIOH), NEBOSH IGC, MAIOH

I was drawn to the industry by chance, but stayed because of the ability to problem-solve workplace issues and help people. My favourite types of projects are those requiring an investigation into what the problem is, what is causing it, and what can be done to solve it.

I have been fortunate to perform this work across three continents and seven countries. The highlight is always seeing the gratitude from customers wanting to protect their workers, and us providing the means for them to do that.

Johnny Fernandez

Occupational Hygienist

Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH - AIHA)

BSc, GradCertOccHyg, CIH, MNZOHS

My pathway into occupational hygiene was strongly influenced by my own experience working as a plant operator in an aluminium smelting plant. In that role, I saw firsthand how workers can be exposed to a range of airborne health hazards during everyday tasks. This motivated me to become part of the solution by helping to identify, recognise, evaluate and control workplace exposures. and ensure that controls were working effectively, to protect workers’ long-term health.

My favourite type of project to work on is industrial facilities, such as galvanising plants, where a combination of engineering and practical solutions is needed to manage workplace health risks, and improve workers' working conditions.

The highlight of my career was earning the Certified Industrial Hygiene (CIH) Certification and winning the CEO Award as the Best Presenter in 2023.

George Farmer

Occupational Hygienist (ROH – SAIOH)

BSc, BSc (Hons) (OH), ROH (SAIOH), MNZOHS

By trade, originally, I was a physical/exercise physiologist, caring for the health and wellbeing of others. That has naturally led me to the field of occupational hygiene, where worker health is protected, which I furthered my studies in.

My favourite projects to work on are those that require outside-the-square thinking, where things are not always done in a conventional way. I call these trailblazers.

I still get a real buzz from successfully delivering large-scale or intricate projects; it’s where skill, project management, patience, and a good dose of coffee all come together.

Karla Anderson

Occupational Hygiene Technician

BSc, MSc, GradDipEnvHlth, NEBOSH IGC, TNZOHS

My career has always been science-focused, and I stumbled upon Occupational Hygiene during my time in the Defence Force, where we dabbled with keeping soldiers, sailors and aviators safe. Once I realised there was a whole career dedicated to this kind of 'preventative' medicine, I was hooked and wanted more. So, I left my long history in Defence to do this work 100% of the time. I have great personal satisfaction in using science to help people have healthier working environments.

My favourite projects are local exhaust ventilation assessments, and the reason for that is the impact it can make. Revisiting a site and seeing recommendations implemented is what stands out most in my career. At one workplace, I felt such relief seeing that a worker had been provided with a respirator: knowing he could have a long life with his family, rather than being exposed to a known carcinogen every working day.

Michael Tate

Occupational Hygienist

BSc (Hons), MNZOHS, ICertOH, MAIOH

I've always had a propensity for science and a passion to help people, and occupational hygiene turns out to be a pretty good fit for both. My background is in stack testing and environmental science, and somewhere along the way, my focus shifted from public to worker health.

My favourite projects are the out-of-the-box investigations, the ones that challenge you and keep you on your toes, as well as anything to do with the marine industry.

A career highlight, while still at an intermediate level, was achieving my BOHS international certification, a good celebration of the years of study that had gone into it.

Nicholas Browne 

Director

Principal Occupational Hygienist & Senior Air Quality Consultant

BSc, ICertOH, MNZOHS, MAIOH

I've always been drawn to investigating a problem and working out how to resolve it, and that's still what drives the work today, whether it's a complex hygiene assessment or figuring out how to run a better business.

As Principal Occupational Hygienist, I focus on making sure our clients are getting the benefit of current best practice, and that our systems and processes are always improving. The director role adds another layer, financial management, strategy, sustainable growth, but the underlying motivation is the same: getting the right outcome for the people we work with.

The highlight is seeing Air Matters become a trusted partner for so many businesses.

Ruvan Lubbe 

Occupational Hygienist

BSc, MNZOHS, ROHA (SAIOH), ICertOHTA

I came to occupational hygiene through a family connection, and have been building on that start ever since. Since graduating in South Africa in 2018, I've worked on projects across a wide range of industries, including plastic manufacturing, chemicals, foundries, oil refining and minerals, but noise projects are where I'm most in my element.

What stands out most in my career, though, isn't a particular industry or project type. It's that moment where someone ‘gets it’ - where the science of exposure, how it happens and how to control it, clicks for the person in front of me.

Grethe Nel 

Occupational Hygiene Assistant & Project Administrator

My path to occupational hygiene came in two steps. First, through my fiancé, who is a qualified occupational hygienist, and then working with the Air Matters team on an internal project, which is what really changed my trajectory.

I joined Air Matters in 2025, bringing a systems background to the project administration side of the work, and I'm currently training to become an occupational hygienist under the supervision of our qualified team. I've only worked on a handful of projects so far, but my current favourite is an initial health risk assessment at a new production facility. I love peeking behind the curtain across different industries.

If you're looking for support with occupational hygiene in New Zealand, get in touch, and we’ll pair you with the best occupational hygienist for the job.