AIRM April 2011 Seminar Risk Manager
Occupational Hygiene
Paul Foran, former Health and Safety Authority Inspector and Managing Director of OHSS, headlined our April seminar. The seminar dealt with the specialist
chemical exceeds the Occupational
play in assisting the risk manager in
the results are credible and accurate, the
role that Occupational Hygienist’s
Exposure Level Value (OELV)*. To ensure
determining a worker’s exposure to
Occupational Hygienist utilises various
hazardous chemicals and the efficacy of
industry accepted standards such as
existing risk control measures.
the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). This
The seminar discussed the criteria
entails the affected worker wearing a
for determining hazardous chemicals
specifically configured personal sampling
(such as carcinogens), addressed their
device used to detect the chemical,
physical and chemical characteristics and
positioned within the worker’s breathing
underlined what legislative requirements
zone (within 15cm of his mouth). To
manufacturers, distributors and end
obtain an accurate and credible result
users must comply
it is also imperative that the services of a laboratory accredited to ISO/IEC with. Paul highlighted the need for end users to consider not only the active
ingredients used in the manufacturing process but also consider the
handling, storage, usage, disposal of intermediate, finished goods and waste products.
Attendees were also given a
17025: “General requirements for the
competence of testing and calibration laboratories” by the Irish National
Accreditation Board (INAB) are employed to conduct the analysis.
Members can download the presentation from the website at http://www.airm.ie/ downloads
unique insight into how an
Occupational Hygienist works in the field when the speaker described the intricacies of
using a personal sampling air
monitoring programme to aid the risk assessment process.
An air monitoring programme
determines whether the level of exposure to a hazardous
52
* OEL is defined as the concentration of a substance in air below which it is believed the majority of workers may be exposed for eight hours each day without suffering adverse health effects.