Health And Safety Auditing

Are you familiar with the OSHA or EPA regulations relating to your plant or facility? Airtek environmental provides a wide range of comprehensive industrial hygiene and safety services to customers throughout New York and the metropolitan tri-state area.

The professionals and technicians that make up the Airtek industrial hygiene and safety staff are experienced and devoted to anticipating, recognizing, evaluating, and controlling the biological, chemical, physical, and ergonomic hazards found in occupational industry and residential communities. All Airtek environmental projects and surveys are managed by our industrial hygiene director, who is a certified industrial hygienist (CIH) under the guidelines of the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH).

Components of Health and Safety Auditing

An important component in an audit is industrial hygiene. Airtek uses a NIOSH and OSHA methods to determine risks to workers. Risks might include exposure to gases, particulate matter, radiation, temperature and noise. In the screening, gases such that sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide or nitrogen dioxide or monitored with dosimeter tubes, sorbent tubes, or midget impingers. All of these devices may be fitted directly to the exposed worker during his regular work schedule. Small pumps for personal breathing zone monitoring are fitted on the belt with minimal obstruction of job duties. This ensures a sample representative of normal work conditions. If required, special cyclone assemblies are used with the filter to screen for particulates of a certain size. Personal sampling pumps are also used to collect particulates on a filter which is then weighed or chemically analyzed to determine exposure to dust, fumes, fibers and other airborne chemical hazards in particulate form. Radiation may be detected and monitored with dosimeter badges or tubes that can be read directly after exposure or are sent directly to our laboratory for analysis. A survey meter may also be used to screen several work areas for radiation exposure. Temperature is monitored in trouble spots using wet bulb, dry bulb and globe thermometers, and noise measurements are taken with sound meters over the course of the workday.

Using the above-mentioned tools, the work conditions are reviewed and modified if need be. The OSHA, NIOSH and ACGIH accepted exposure levels are used to isolate problem areas in the facility and appropriate controls are suggested. Protective gear may be used to reduce exposure. This may include half or full face masks, supplied air, or hearing protection. Processes may also be modified to reduce exposure and control equipment such as selective venting at problem areas to reduce exposure. Finally, future testing is performed to monitor movements in accordance with local regulations, or self auditing.