Occupational Hygiene Sampling

Estimating or measuring a chemical, physical or biological health hazard in the workplace.

Ensure all Health Risks in the Workplace are Identified & Controlled

Employers are required to ensure that all health risks in the workplace are identified and controlled. Exposure assessments include estimating or measuring a chemical, physical or biological health hazard in the workplace.

We can provide exposure assessment services for hazards including:

All chemicals including designated substances (i.e. benzene, toluene, formaldehyde, crystalline silica, isocyanates, welding fumes, etc.)
Asbestos abatement sampling
Lead abatement sampling
Noise mapping and sound surveys
Lighting surveys
Indoor air quality testing
Radiological hazards (NORM, man-made, non-ionizing radiation)
Facility turnaround/maintenance contaminants
Fungal and mould hazards
Biological pathogens

After Completing a Survey

After completing a survey at your worksite with our sampling equipment, we will be able to analyze the data. The data will allow us to:

Recommend effective control measures to mitigate risks via engineering, administrative, or personal protective equipment methods
Communicate risks and control methods to affected parties including workers, unions, management, clients and/or communities
Provide education and training about risks and control measures
Develop, implement and audit occupational hygiene and related programs
Provide expert advice in legal and regulatory matters relating to occupational hygiene

FAQs

Occupational hygiene sampling measures workplace health hazards to assess workers’ potential exposure. It may include air sampling, surface sampling, or measurements of physical hazards such as noise and vibration. Results will help you understand exposure levels, evaluate existing controls, and identify measures needed to protect workers.

Occupational hygiene sampling should be considered when you think your workers are at risk of exposure to a hazardous substance, and particularly when the level of exposure is unknown or there is reason to believe an overexposure may occur.

Under WorkSafeBC’s OHS Regulation, employers must conduct a walkthrough assessment when a worker is or may be exposed to a hazardous substance. Air sampling is required if that survey identifies a potential for overexposure to an airborne contaminant. Additional monitoring is required where the assessment indicates exposure may exceed 50% of the applicable exposure limit, or measurement at that level is not possible.

If you aren’t sure, it is always best to have sampling done for worker safety and to reduce your overall liability.

We assess airborne contaminants such as respirable crystalline silica, wood dust, welding fumes, asbestos fibres, diesel particulate matter, solvent vapours, and specific gases. Surface sampling can also help assess contamination from substances such as lead and hazardous drugs.

Our services include indoor air quality and mould assessments, as well as measurements of noise, vibration, heat stress, lighting, and radiation, depending on the project scope. We select assessment and sampling methods based on the hazard and the questions that need to be answered.

Personal air sampling collects air close to a worker’s nose and mouth, known as the breathing zone. The worker wears the sampling equipment while performing their duties, allowing us to assess exposure during the sampling period.

Area air sampling measures contaminant levels at a fixed location. It can help investigate sources, assess conditions in a work area, or evaluate controls, but generally does not replace personal sampling when assessing worker exposure.

We can provide both methods and select the approach that suits the assessment.

We begin by reviewing your work activities, materials, existing controls, and potential exposure routes. We then develop a sampling strategy that identifies what to measure, which workers or locations to assess, and when to sample.

Depending on the hazards, we collect samples for laboratory analysis, take measurements using field instruments, or use both approaches. We interpret the results against applicable exposure limits or other relevant assessment criteria and provide practical recommendations.

The time required for occupational hygiene sampling depends on the hazards, work activities, and sampling methods we’re using. Some measurements take only a short time, while personal exposure sampling may run for most or all of a work shift. We may also need to assess multiple workers, shifts, or days to account for differences in exposure.

Get in touch with us, and once we understand your workplace and project scope, we can prove an estimate.

We review the results alongside the work activities and conditions observed during sampling. We then explain the findings, assess the effectiveness of existing controls, and identify where improvements or further monitoring are needed.

Recommendations may include eliminating or substituting hazardous materials, improving ventilation or work practices, and selecting appropriate personal protective equipment.

Occupational hygiene sampling can help determine whether your workers’ exposure to hazardous substances is within occupational exposure limits, but they are only one component of overall workplace health and safety.

We provide occupational hygiene sampling results in a report document that explains the sampling tests we used, the results we found, the applicable exposure limits we compared them against, and our interpretation of the findings, including any recommended control measures.

We treat client information as confidential, subject to applicable disclosure requirements. Employers must also make workplace exposure monitoring results, or a summary, available to workers as required.

Yes. Exposure Control Consulting develops monitoring programs tailored to your workplace’s hazards, work activities, and regulatory requirements. We help identify priority exposures, select workers and tasks for sampling, establish monitoring schedules, and determine when reassessment is needed.

Some of our services that you may find helpful include

Yes, occupational hygiene sampling and exposure monitoring can be extremely helpful for satisfying WorkSafeBC requirements for assessing and monitoring workplace exposure. We use recognized occupational hygiene methods to evaluate exposure, interpret results, and recommend controls and follow-up actions.

The studies are precise, and the results are confidential.

Whether it be fulfilling compliance or program-based exposure assessment, Exposure Control Consulting has the experience, and can develop an occupational hygiene monitoring plan customized to our clients’ needs.