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Details

Inhaling hazardous chemicals can have wide-ranging health effects, from respiratory irritation to death. Hazardous chemicals can be found in many work environments, e.g. sawdust in a carpenter's workshop, welding fume in a fabricator's workshop, solvents in the manufacturing of paints or adhesives, exhaust gases in a garage, as well as in the chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing industries

Chemical Agents Regulations
The Safety Health and Welfare at Work (Chemical Agents) Regulations, 2001, require employees to reduce the risk to workers from hazardous chemicals. The 2002 Code of Practice for the Chemical Agents Regulations lists occupational exposure limit values (OELv) for many hazardous chemicals. 

Employers must ensure that workers are not exposed to airborne concentrations of a chemical above the OELv, and should aim for the exposure to be as far below this limit as reasonably practicable.

The frequency of the monitoring will depend on the nature of the hazardous chemical and the typical exposure concentrations. If the exposure concentration is significantly lower than the OELv then repeat monitoring every two years will be adequate. 

If the exposure concentration is equivalent to more than 50% of the OELv then repeat monitoring within 3 months would be advisable.

Assessment Process
Once the chemical agents to be monitored have been identified, one of Nifast's Occupational Hygienists will visit your premises to measure worker exposures. Monitoring using personal sampling pumps (or other recognised technique) will be performed using internationally validated procedures (e.g. MDHS, NIOSH or equivalent). The collected samples will be analysed by an accredited laboratory.

Report
A detailed assessment report will be issued. The report will provide the results of the monitoring and observations made during the visit. 

The measured exposure concentrations will be compared to the occupational exposure limit values. Practical recommendations on how to reduce exposure will be included.

Do you need an Exposure Monitoring Survey completed for your company?

• Are chemicals used or produced by the work activities in your premises?
• Have you changed the way that chemicals are handled or used in your process?
• Is it more than two years since your last exposure monitoring survey?