Companies everywhere must ensure that the air the employees breathe is safe. Airborne contaminants can be present in the workplace and present significant risks to the employees if they inhale it. Air monitoring can help you identify and quantify what contaminants are there through air sampling and measurements. An occupational hygienist usually performs the process. He or she can review the products you use at your site, the process or methods you use, and assess the operating areas to determine what contaminants are in the air. They can also work up a sampling strategy to identify what contaminants are present and the quantity.
Air monitoring is necessary for a variety of needs. For example, you may want to hire an occupational hygienist for help if you’re choosing new respiratory protective equipment or personal protective equipment. That way, you get the right products to ensure that your employees are safe. Along with such, you may need to monitor the air if you think you need medical surveillance, think there is exposure to any airborne contaminants, and to ensure that you’re not exceeding the WES (workplace exposure standards).
Safety & Environmental Services Australia has professional occupational hygienists on staff to help you with your air monitoring needs. They use two different approaches, including onsite direct-read instruments and data logging, as well as the collection of air samples using various media, such as sample bags, filters, and sorbent tubes. With this approach, they send the samples to the laboratory for analysis. There are also two types of monitoring available. Personal exposure monitoring samples any airborne contaminants in the breathing zone of your operators to determine actual exposure. Area monitoring is also available and measures the concentration of airborne pollutants in the area to determine if current control measures are working and if any other controls are necessary.
