Occupational Hygiene Monitoring & Compliance Strategies – PDF (2019)

This 2014 publication is a guidebook for occupational hygienists on how to interpret exposure measurements in terms of exposure standards for atmospheric contaminants and noise in the Australian occupational environment.

The aim of the document is to provide a methodology outlining the best contemporary approach for analysing scarce data to determine compliance. This guidance does not address all the different sampling and testing methods.

This guidance document provides two sections: the first includes a basic understanding and basic tools for making the conventional assessments of exposure for assessing the level of health risk or tracking trends in exposure; and the second includes a group of tools developed for processes in determining regulatory compliance, which follows the modern approach of comparing the entire exposure profile with a regulatory standard.

Contents
Provides some definitions around monitoring versus sampling, explaining why they may be undertaken and the potential limitations involved.

Detail is provided on the occupational exposure standards and why we use them, including what hazardous substance and noise law wants you to achieve with respect to assessing exposures. It defines the different exposure standards available and how these relate to extended work-shifts including what to do if there are no exposure standards.

The influences on monitoring strategies are addressed and the elements of a strategy provided, including sampling and monitoring methodologies. Similar exposure groups (SEGs) are defined and discussed in the context of ensuring data integrity and sufficient sample numbers.

This document includes:

• the role of occupational hygiene as a whole (e.g. hazard identification, risk assessment and control);
• sources of error that may affect monitoring/sampling;
• hygiene data distributions (such as lognormal);
• understanding dose vs. exposure;
• information on the location of static and personal samples.