How Assessment by Certified Industrial Hygienists Can Protect the Manufacturing Workplace
Few workplace safety measures are as cost-effective in the manufacturing environment as an industrial hygiene assessment.
A high-quality industrial hygiene assessment leaves you secure in the knowledge that any potentially hazardous exposure to your workers will be identified and addressed, with a complete and cost-effective plan for mitigating hazards and preventing health risks to exposed workers.
These assessments can include a comprehensive array of tools, including visual inspection, air quality and hazardous material testing, as well as personal sampling to determine individual exposure levels and risks. Additionally, a review of existing health and safety programs can be a valuable component of an industrial hygiene assessment in a manufacturing facility to identify weaknesses in safety measures and regulatory compliance at the facility.
Preventive industrial hygiene measures are an effective way to maintain the ongoing safety of the workplace and reduce your exposure to costly workers’ compensation claims as well as the risk of fines and shutdowns associated with violations of regulatory bodies like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Cal-OSHA.
Manufacturing workers can be exposed to many physical or chemical hazards which may result in both acute and chronic health effects. A properly conducted IH assessment can address a wide range of workplace safety issues including:
- To identify or to rule out a source of specific health complaints
- To establish the best processes and procedures when a new chemical or process is introduced
- To determine workers’ exposure to a potentially hazardous agent on site
- To identify and eliminate unsafe working conditions or unhealthy exposure to harmful substances, excess noise and light, unsafe ergonomic conditions, and more
- To determine the most effective hazard control protocols at a given site
- To provide documentation of workplace safety compliance
- To establish proper administrative and/or engineering controls to reduce or eliminate potential exposures
In most cases, an industrial hygiene assessment can be completed over the course of one work day. The resulting report will include guidance around any additional measures needed to ensure worker safety. These measures may include engineering controls like additional ventilation and exhaust equipment, administrative controls like adjustments to work schedules to limit exposure duration, and the use of personal protective equipment like respirators, eye protection, gloves and coveralls.
Exposure Monitoring for a Comprehensive Range of Manufacturing Hazards
At Omega, our assessment methodologies are developed by experts that include Certified Industrial Hygienists and PhD level Toxicologists and microbial experts. Using state-of-the-art monitoring and sampling equipment, we can provide sensitive measurements and analysis for a wide variety of potential hazards, including:
- IAQ assessment for aerosolized particulates
- Personal exposure monitoring for VOCs, dust, airborne metals, asbestos fibers, oils, mists, and more
- Light and noise exposure assessment
- Heat stress & confined spaces
- Ergonomic and work-station assessments
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) Assessment, including respirator fit testing
The Advantages of Working with An Experienced Environmental Partner
The experts at Omega Environmental have decades of experience in exposure monitoring in a variety of manufacturing settings. One aerospace client recently did a preventive assessment by monitoring employees over one shift to determine their exposure levels to different chemicals present in a spray paint booth.
We use multiple independent laboratories that provide fast and reliable analytical data.
Since each manufacturing setting is unique, Omega will identify potential hazards and create a customized plan for mitigation if needed, to ensure the most cost-effective solution. A comprehensive industrial hygiene assessment ensures that manufacturing and production facilities maintain a safe workplace and compliance with federal, state, and local regulations and standards.
Reliable and professional, we are a full-service environmental engineering firm with a deep roster of highly-trained experts and decades of experience in helping manufacturers and other business owners eliminate workplace safety concerns.
Give us a call or click on the link below to learn how we can help you.
