Occupational Hygiene Monitoring

There is a clear and undeniable need for occupational hygiene in our workplaces.  For example, it is estimated that there are 13,000 deaths each year linked to past exposure to dusts and chemicals (Source: HSE statistics 2018). Preventable ill-health from workplace environmental factors is a major cost factor for U.K. businesses.

There is a legal requirement to undertake these checks in certain circumstances. You may need it when:

• your current information is not good enough to make an informed risk assessment
• detecting a failure or deterioration of a control measure which could cause a serious health effect
• making sure exposure limits are not exceeded
• checking on the effectiveness  of controls
• identifying any health surveillance needs

Occupational (or Industrial) hygiene is the science of recognising, assessing and controlling health risks that may arise from workplace exposures to various hazards, such as hazardous substances, noise and vibration.

Our occupational hygiene services provides not just field data collection but also, more importantly, specific recommendations for control measures to reduce the impact of any identified hazards, which may include administrative and/or engineered solutions. Not only can we identify these control measures, but our team can implement these solutions. For example, where ventilation rates are insufficient, our mechanical and electrical engineers can design and manage the system upgrades; where noise levels exceed statutory action values, our acoustic engineers can design and manage the installation of engineering controls and noise attenuation techniques etc.

Exposure monitoring is a way of measuring the extent of e.g. dust or noise levels during a specific task. It has nothing to do with the state of a worker’s health. That is assessed through health surveillance.

Monitoring means measuring workers’ exposures to named substances. Exposure may be by inhalation, by skin contact, or by swallowing.

Personal monitoring assesses a person’s exposure. Other sampling is used to assess the effectiveness of control measures.

Monitoring is appropriate when you need to show :

• compliance with WEL (Workplace Exposure Limit)
• compliance with BMGV ( Biological Monitoring Guidance Value)
• that control equipment or personal protective equipment is working well enough

Monitoring can also indicate the spread of contamination, eg surface wipes.

Screening, eg colorimetric detector tubes, meters, provides indicators of worker exposure only.

Personal air monitoring measures how much of a substance the worker inhales.

(Contains public sector information published by the Health and Safety Executive and licensed under the Open Government Licence).

Occupational Safety and Health Consultants Register – British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS)