Environmental Health and Safety

VIII Environmental Health Hazards

• Evaluation of the Work Environment.

Adequate measures are provided for the control of stress-producing hazards such as:

• Chemical - liquids, dusts, fumes, mists, vapors, or gases.  The three routes of entry into the body being inhalation, ingestion, and absorption;
• Physical - non-ionizing radiation, noise, pressure, vibration, illumination and temperature extremes;
• Biological - viruses, bacteria, fungi, and insects.

Evaluation of the Work Environment

To ensure that controls are effective, employees= exposures must be monitored. The monitored results will determine if additional controls are needed.  OSHA requires that exposures be monitored whenever there is reason to suspect a permissible exposure limit may be exceeded.  These records are to be useful not only to the physician who examines the employee, but also when Workers= Compensation cases are filed.

The means of sampling will either be direct (i.e., noise, flammable gases, oxygen deficiencies) or indirect (i.e., dust, fumes, mists, which require a laboratory analysis).  Sample results found to be within a questionable range may indicate the need for more accurate surveys by a certified industrial hygiene laboratory.