HEALTH & SAFETY
DUST MONITORING
ASHTEAD TECHNOLOGY
WHY MONITOR DUST IN THE WORKPLACE?
Almost any place of employment can
present a potential threat to health and
safety from airborne particulates and
aerosols. It is important to note, however,
that dust hazards are not necessarily visible
to the human eye and that the finest
particles can represent the greatest threat
because of their ability to travel deepest into
the lungs. Effective monitoring is therefore
key to the implementation of an effective
risk management strategy.
There are two major reasons for monitoring
dust in the workplace; to enable air
quality management, and for regulatory
compliance. The immediate effects of dust
can be irritation to eyes, headaches, fatigue,
coughing and sneezing.
As such, poor indoor air quality can lower
employee performance and cause increased
absenteeism through sickness. In addition,
particulates are known to create long-term
deleterious effects, contributing to serious
illnesses.
In combination with outdoor exposure (to
pollution form vehicles for example), the
Government has estimated that 29,000
premature deaths occur in the UK every year
as a result of particle pollution. This means
that, particularly in urban areas, natural
ventilation may not necessarily improve
indoor air quality.
In order to evaluate workplace safety,
monitoring data is compared with
Workplace Exposure levels (WELs) which
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PECM Issue 33
prescribe the maximum exposure level to
a hazardous substance over a set period
of time. Failure to comply with COSHH
and WELs can result in financial penalties,
prosecutions and civil claims.
Indoor air quality is affected by both internal
and external factors. Air pollution may arise
from external sources such as neighbouring
factories, building and development
activities, or from vehicles – especially those
with diesel engines. Internally, air quality is
affected by working practices and business
processes.
For example, dust may arise from raw
materials such as powders, or it may be
produced by processes that generate
particulates; including dust, mist, aerosols
and smoke. In all cases, internal and external,
it is important to identify both the source
and the seriousness of the problem, so
that appropriate and effective mitigation
measures can be implemented.
These might include, for example,
ventilation, process dust prevention, the
management of shift patterns, personal
protection equipment (PPE) and alarm
systems.
• For COSHH assessment, to help select
the right controls
• Where there is a serious risk to health
from inhalation
• To check that exposure limits are not
exceeded
• To check the performance of exposure
controls
• To help select the right respiratory
protection equipment
• To check exposure following a change
in a process
• To show any need for health
surveillance; or
• When an inspector issues an
‘Improvement Notice’ requiring
monitoring
For more information on the latest
instruments and on the range of
parameters that can be measured, visit
the Environmental, Health & Safety
section of www.ashtead-technology.com.
Focused on service excellence,
Ashtead Technology provides fully
integrated equipment solutions
including rental equipment,
equipment sales, calibration, repair
and maintenance, offshore personnel
and bespoke engineered solutions.
Serving the subsea and onshore
environmental monitoring and
inspection sectors, Ashtead
Technology provides global reach
and local service from its facilities
in Aberdeen, London, Houston and
Singapore and via agents in Abu
Dhabi, Perth and Stavanger.