How Occupational Hygiene Assessments Separate Real Hazards from False Alarms
Occupational hygiene assessment can uncover details about a workplace that are difficult to detect. This picture shows a discoloured filter from air sampling performed in a worker’s breathing zone which surprisingly revealed no overexposure. Source: WorkBright.
According to the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada, more workplace fatalities occur because of exposure to health hazards that cause long-term illnesses as opposed to acute hazards that cause traumatic injuries.
In this article, we’ll break down why occupational hygiene assessments are needed and some ways to manage tricky airborne chemical hazards.
Schedule an occupational hygiene consultation.
Waiting doesn’t work. Why proactive occupational hygiene assessments are crucial
Many companies only perform occupational hygiene assessments, such as air sampling when there is a problem such as a worker complaint or an enforcement order by the Ministry of Labour.
This is risky. If occupational hygiene hazards go unnoticed, they could result in:
- Risk to the health of workers,
- Employee dissatisfaction and high turnover,
- Workers’ compensation claims.
Protect workers from health hazards
In 2023, about 60% of workplace fatalities were caused by diseases such as cancers from chemical exposure. Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada
Looks can be deceiving. Why you shouldn’t only rely on your senses to identify overexposure.
In our experience, we have performed occupational hygiene assessments in workplaces where the environment looked clean, but our sampling showed chemical(s) exposure that exceeded the legal Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs).
In other workplaces, when we have been called in after a Ministry of Labour visit, we have been surprised to find no exceedance of the OELs despite visible fumes, strong odours and significantly discoloured sampling filter.
We decided to conduct an air sampling assessment and we chose WorkBright™ for the job. Their team’s professionalism, expertise, and thoroughness were outstanding. They provided detailed insights and recommendations that significantly enhanced our understanding of the air quality at our site.
Maryam Ahmadi, Environment & Safety Advisor
Cooper Equipment Rentals
Top 3 airborne chemical hazards that are tricky to detect without occupational hygiene assessments
Manganese in Welding Fumes
Welding fumes contain numerous metals, ranging from iron oxide to manganese. In our experience manganese has often exceeded the OEL even when welding was performed for short durations.
Breathing in manganese for long periods of time can lead to disease called “manganism”, characterized by uncontrollable tremors and balance problems.
Occupational hygiene assessments help workplaces select effective controls such as fume extractors and proper respiratory protection. Read more about Welding fumes.
Silica
Silica dust can sometimes be underestimated as nuisance dust. The silica particles are invisible to the naked eye and are so fine that they can reach deep areas of the lungs which can cause lung cancer and silicosis.
Cutting, grinding, chipping, crushing of concrete, artificial stone countertops and refractory brick can result in high exposures.
Occupational hygiene assessments can be used to improve a workplace’s understanding of control measures such as wet cutting, enclosures and cleanup protocols. Read more about crystalline silica – quartz.
Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is often associated with poor Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in office settings, but in some cases could lead to workers’ overexposure. Even though formaldehyde has a strong odour, it is not a good indicator of overexposure.
Some newly installed office furniture as well as embalming and specimen preservation fluids used in pathology labs could emit high levels of formaldehyde which causes nasal cancer and potentially leukemia.
Occupational hygiene assessments help workplaces ensure that formaldehyde does not compromise IAQ or turn into an occupational exposure risk.
Schedule a free 30-minute consultation with a Registered Occupational Hygienist.
Conclusion
Occupational hygiene assessment is the ideal way to reliably determine if airborne hazards are problematic for workers. It ensures that hazards do not go unnoticed, reduces workers’ exposure and avoids unnecessary costs.
Expert occupational hygiene for workplaces
Don’t leave your workplace guessing. WorkBright provides expert occupational hygiene for workplaces. Our experts have helped hundreds of workplaces comply with health and safety laws, and ultimately protect workers rom harm. Contact us today.
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