MEASUREMENTS OF HAZARDOUS AGENTS

Title: APPLICABLE TO MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES

George Scroubelos
Executive Vice President, ACRM, Greece

Speaker: Margarita Vatista

Measurements Manager, ACRM, Greece

Makis Thanassias
Occupational Health Doctor, ACRM, Greece
 Working environment

Anything outside our “self” can be considered

our environment; the “outside” in a workplace
is the “working environment”.
This “outside” entails risks that must be
recognized and included in the Risk
Assessment Study (RAS) as there is a
growing concern that they severely affect our
health condition.
 Working environment

Factors comprising a working environment in spite

of the fact that categorization is difficult.
 Working environment

In order to assess some of the risks

measurements must be conducted; this
workshop deals with the exposure to physical,
chemical (but not biological) agents that may
have adverse effects on human health.
Working environment
 Physical agents

• Noise
• Vibration
• Low/ high temperatures
• Humidity
• Radiation
• Lighting
• Air flow
 Chemical agents

• Particulates
• Fibers (asbestos, silica etc.)
• Inorganic compounds (e.g. carbon dioxide, carbon
monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, ammonia,
sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide, hydrogen sulfide)
• Organic compounds (e.g. toluene, formaldehyde,
acetone, xylene),
• Heavy metals (e.g. copper, lead, chromium)
• Nanomaterials ???
 Biological agents

• Bacteria
• Fungi
• Viruses
 Sources of hazards during
maintenance operations (*)
• Noise
• Vibration
• UV
• Radio frequency
• Working environment
conditions (temperature,
humidity)
• Chemicals
Measurements
 Reliability of measurements

• Equipment
– Maintained
– Calibrated with valid certificate
– Adjusted to fit the application
• Analysis

accredited by ISO 17025: 2005 laboratories

 Reliability of measurements

• Method
– Approved
– Suitable

• Especially for Chemicals

– Specific for the chemical/ category
– Avoid/ attenuate Interferences
– Manage the Lower Detection Limit
– Ensure Sample Stability
 Reliability of measurements

• Duration
– Short term
– Long term

• Environmental conditions effects

– Temperature
– Humidity
– Sound
– Chemicals
 Reliability of measurements

• Placing the sensors

– Worker
– Workplace
– Worst case of exposure
 Physical agents

• Automated instruments 
– Direct reading
– Continuous recording
– Single agent 
– More agents/ calculate indices
 Physical agents

• Portable area heat stress monitor

– Computes the WBGT (Wet-bulb Globe
Temperature)

• Dry bulb temperature

• Wet bulb temperature
• Globe temperature
 Physical agents

• Sound level meters

• Simultaneous measurement of
parameters (e.g.Leq, Lmax)
• Frequency weighting (A, C)
• Time weighting
 Physical agents

• Sound exposure meters

Measure the noise dose

 Physical agents

• Sound calibrator
 Physical agents

• Elecromagnetic field
– Low frequency (e.g. electric power transmission
network)
– High frequency (e.g. radio, TV, wireless
communication, mobile telephony, radar,
microwave, welding)

Parameters
• Electric Field Intensity E (V/ m)
• Magnetic Field Intensity H (A/ m)
• Magnetic induction B (T or G)
 Chemical agents

• Direct measurement
– Direct reading
– Continuous recording
 Chemical agents

Sensors
– Particulates: infrared scattering detector
– Volatile organic compounds: photoionization
detector
– Carbon dioxide: infrared detector
– Toxic gases: electrochemical sensor
– Flammable gases: catalytic sensor
 Chemical agents

• Direct measurement
– Color reaction tubes

Active method Passive method

 Chemical agents

• Analytical technique
– Sampling
• pump

• filters

• adsorbent

– Analysis (chromatography, spectrometry, X-ray

spectroscopy, polarography, etc.)
 Chemical agents

• Advantages/ disadvantages
Direct reading Color reaction Analytical
measurement tubes technique
Direct results/ immediate action   X
Fluctuation of concentration  X X
Leakage detection   X
Accuracy X X 
Interferences   X
Cost High Low High
 Biological agents

• Analysis of liquid or powder samples

• Air sampling

• Surface sampling
Measurements