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Part II. : Evaluation of

Health Hazards / Work
Environment
Measurement

At the end of the lecture, the participants

would be able to:

Discuss the fundamental

01 concepts of Work
Environment Measurement

Identify the purpose of

02 WEM

Identify the specific rules

03 form OSHS about WEM and
Evaluation of Hazards

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Part II. : Evaluation of Health Hazards / Work

Environment Measurement

 What is WEM?
Refers to the determination of
environmental stresses and their
hazardous effects on worker’s
health through direct
measurement of the working
environment using IH equipment.

Part II. : Evaluation of Health Hazards / Work

Environment Measurement

Rule 1070 – Occupational Health

and Environmental Control of the
OSHS, prescribed that “The
working environment
measurement shall be performed
periodically as may be necessary
but not longer than annually”.

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The WEM shall be performed by the safety and medical personnel who have
taken adequate training and experience in WEM (internal monitoring)

Note: Internal WEM also requires calibrated industrial hygiene equipment

In the event of inability to perform the WEM, the employer shall commission
the Bureau / OSHC / Regional Office concerned and other institutions
accredited or recognized by the Bureau, to perform the measurement.

DO 160-16 Guidelines on the Accreditation of

Consulting Organizations to Provide WEM Services

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WEM Accreditation

Department Order No. 160

Guidelines on the Accreditation of Consulting
organizations to provide Work Environment
Measurement (WEM) Services.

WEM Provider Category

Category IA: Measurement of Physical Hazards

ex. Noise, Vibration, Heat, Illumination and etc.
Category IB: Measurement of Chemicals
ex. Dust, OS, Heavy Metals, Gasses and etc.
Category IC: Measurement of Ventilation
ex. General and Local Exhaust Ventilation

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WEM Provider Category

Category 2: Occupational Hygiene Laboratory

Category 3: Sampling and Occupational Hygiene
Measurement

Part II. : Evaluation of Health Hazards / Work

Environment Measurement

Purposes of WEM
Work Environment Measurement

 To monitor worker’s exposure to harmful

substances;
 To evaluate the effectiveness of
environmental control measures adopted to
improve the workplace; and
 To maintain favorable environment
conditions.

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Part II. : Evaluation of Health Hazards / Work

Environment Measurement

Types of Environmental Monitoring

 Area/Environmental Sampling
 Personal Sampling
 Biological Monitoring

Part II. : Evaluation of Health Hazards / Work

Environment Measurement

Area/Environmental Sampling
Filter Holder

Elutriator

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The WetBulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) is a measure

of the heat stress in direct sunlight, which takes into
account: temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle
and cloud cover (solar radiation). This differs from the heat
index, which takes into consideration temperature and
humidity and is calculated for shady areas

Acclimatization

 Isa gradual physiological adaptation that

improves an individual’s ability to tolerate
heat stress. The process whereby the body
adapts to the temperature varations of the
area.

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Screening Criteria for ACGIH TLV and Action Limit for Heat Stress Exposure
Table 1. Threshold Limit Values

% Work Workload
Light Moderate Heavy* Very Heavy*

75 to 100% 31.0°C 28.0°C N/A N/A

(Continuous)

50 to 75% 31.0°C 29.0°C 27.5°C N/A

25 to 50% 32.0°C 30.0°C 29.0°C 28.0°C

0 to 25% 32.5°C 31.5°C 30.5°C 30.0°C

Table 2. Action Levels

% Work Workload
Light Moderate Heavy* Very Heavy*

75 to 100% 28.0°C 25.0°C N/A N/A

(Continuous)

50 to 75% 28.5°C 26.0°C 24.0°C N/A

25 to 50% 29.5°C 27.0°C 25.5°C 24.5°C

0 to 25% 30.0°C 29.0°C 28.0°C 27.0°C

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Examples of Workload

 Rest - sitting (quietly or with moderate arm movements).

 Light work - sitting or standing to control machines; performing light
hand or arm work (e.g. using a table saw); occasional walking;
driving
 Moderate work - walking about with moderate lifting and pushing
or pulling; walking at moderate pace; e.g. scrubbing in a standing
position
 Heavy work - pick and shovel work, digging, carrying,
pushing/pulling heavy loads; walking at fast pace; e.g. carpenter
sawing by hand
 Very Heavy - very intense activity at fast to maximum pace; e.g.
shovelling wet sand

Part II. : Evaluation of Health Hazards / Work

Environment Measurement

Actual Personal Air Sampling Equipment

Set-up
 Sampling Pump
Low Flow – 50- 350 mL/min -
High Flow - 1 - 5 L/min
Sampling Media
Filter Cassettes
Sorbent Tubes
Impinger
Sample Bags

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Part II :Evaluation of health Hazards / Work

Environment Measurement
Result of Work Environment Measurement (WEM):
Upon comparing the result of WEM to the prescribed standard
and the results failed to meet the safe level and is already
posing great risk and threat to workers health (

The company has to do some intervention in order to protect

their workers from sustaining adverse health effect. The
company or particular industry has to do some intervention to
further reduce the health hazard to acceptable by applying
control measures.

This is where prioritization of controls should be applied using

various control measure technique this is also known as the
Hierarchy of control measures.

Part II. : Evaluation of Health Hazards / Work

Environment Measurement
 Threshold Limit Value
Occupational Safety and Health Standards
(OSHS,DOLE)
Rule 1072.01
Threshold Limit Value (TLV)
TLV refer to time weighted concentrations for an 8-
hour workday and a total of forty eight (48 ) hours
work of exposure per week

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Exposure Standards and Guidelines

Standards
• Values adopted and prescribed by the legislation
• Legally acceptable exposure levels

Guidelines
• Recommended maximum exposure which are
voluntary and not legally enforceable
• May be developed by regulatory and non-
regulatory agencies or by professional societies

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Part II. : Evaluation of Health Hazards / Work

Environment Measurement

HygieneStandards for
Occupational Exposure Limits.
 They are not an index of toxicity
 Theydo not represent a fine demarcation
between good and bad practice
 Ifthere is no hygiene standard set for a chemical
substance, it doesn’t mean that the substance is
safe.

Part II. : Evaluation of Health Hazards / Work

Environment Measurement

 Good occupational hygiene practice is to

keep airborne contaminants to as low as
possible, not just below the relevant hygiene
standard(s).

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Part II. : Evaluation of Health Hazards / Work

Environment Measurement

 Threshold Limit Value(TLV) – exposure guidelines

established for airborne concentration of many
chemical compounds.
 Categories:
– TLV/TWA - Time Weighted Average
– TLV/STEL - Short Term Exposure Limit
– TLV/C - Ceiling

Part II :Evaluation of health Hazards / Work Environment Measurement

Categories of TLV

Time-weighted Average –is the time-weighted average

concentration for a normal 8-hour workday or 40-hour
workweek to which nearly all workers may be repeatedly
exposed, day after day, without adverse health effects.

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Part II :Evaluation of health Hazards / Work Environment Measurement

Ceiling – is the concentration that should not be

exceeded during any part of the working exposure;
otherwise, the exposed workers might be vulnerable to
serious risks.

Categories of TLV

Ceiling – An employee’s exposure to any material in Table 8 of

OSH standard book, the name which is preceded by a “C”.

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Categories of TLV

STEL
Is the maximum concentration to which workers can be
exposed continuously for 15 minutes without suffering from
any of the following:
Irritation
Chronic or irreversible tissue damage
Narcosis of sufficient degree to increase the likelihood of
accidental injury,
impair self-rescue or materially reduce work efficiency.

Categories of TLV
STEL
The concentration to which it is believed workers can be
exposed continuously FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME
without suffering from adverse health effects and provided
that the daily TLV-TWA is not exceeded
Exposures should not be longer than 15 minutes, not occur
more than four times per day and should be at least 60
minutes between successive exposures.

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Threshold Limit Value Example

Chemical TLV-TWA TLV-STEL TLV – C

(Time- (Short Term (Ceiling)
Weighted Exposure
Average) Level)
Toluene 200ppm 500ppm 300ppm
(10 min peak
per 8-hour)

Permissible Exposure Limits

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

PEL’s – is OSHA’s enforceable

occupational exposure standards for
airborne contaminants

PEL : Primarily 8-hr TWA’s

Action LEVELS

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PEL for chemical

Action Levels
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Defined as ONE-HALF the value of the Permissible Exposure

Limit (PELs)

Early Warning Systems to proceed with the following

I Employee Notification
II Employee Monitoring
III Employee Training
IV Medical Surveillance

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Action Levels for Chemicals

Substance OSHA PEL Action Level

Acetaldehyde 200 ppm 100 ppm

Acetic Acid 10 ppm 5 ppm

ACTION LEVELS FOR CHEMICAL

 Action levels are not defined for all

compounds. There are OSHA standards for a
variety of chemical substances such as
asbestos, benzene and lead. There are even
OSHA action levels for noise exposure

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 Action levels
Defined as one-half the value of
the Permissible Exposure Limit

The Philippine PNEL uses the 5-dB

exchange rate that requires noise
exposure time be halved

Action limit for noise

- Action Level of 85 decibels - OSHA provides an Action

Level when exposure to something, in this case noise, is
nearing the dangerous level,

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Part II. : Evaluation of Health Hazards / Work

Environment Measurement

Recommended Illumination Levels

 A minimum of 50 lux – passageway, corridor, warehouse
 A minimum of 100 lux – engine and boiler rooms; toilets and
washrooms
 A minimum of 200 lux – canning and preserving; planing of
lumber and veneering
 A minimum of 300 lux – medium inspection; office deskwork with
intermittent reading and writing for filing and mail sorting.

Source: 1075.04: Intensity

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Department Order No. 154-16

Safety and Health Standards on
the use and management of asbestos in the workplace.

Section 4. Occupational Exposure Limits. – DOLE Memorandum Circular No.

02 S. 1998, classified the manufacture or handling of asbestos and other
similar products as hazardous processes. Workers shall have as close to zero
occupational exposure limits as reasonably practicable but in no case shall
exceed the TLV for asbestos of 0.1 fiber per cubic centimeter of air in an 8-
hour work period.

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Clear point

Measured values in action level or has exceeded the TLVs

should be appropriately controlled. Other references or
guidelines that are not specified in the OSHS may be used
to evaluate health hazards in the workplace.
E.g.
TLV ACGIH
PEL OSHA
NIOSH

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Questions?

Thank you

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