These can be divided into

• biological (bacteria, viruses)
• chemical (dusts, vapours)
• ergonomic (posture, motion)
• physical (temperature and humidity, noise, light, vibration)

Our services can help you with:

• Atmospheric Monitoring
• Biological Monitoring
• Dust
• Hazardous Substances
• Noise
• Vibration
• Health Surveillance

Occupational Hygiene presents an understanding of how such hazards may affect the health of those who work within these workplaces. Salus Occupational Hygienists can measure how significant the effects are. Measurement can help companies in controlling these risks, in practical and cost-effective ways

Salus Occupational Hygienists can help you comply:

• by providing a comprehensive assessment of the workplace environmental conditions.
• by providing a comprehensive assessment of HAVS (vibration)
• by providing a comprehensive assessment of your Dust Problem.
• by providing a comprehensive assessment of the dust produced by a Woodwork process
• with your duties under Noise Legislation.
• with your duties under COSHH (Chemicals).

Help to minimise the hazards to your staff by contacting Salus.

Atmospheric Monitoring

Guidance on environmental conditions such as:

• dimensions
• lighting
• thermal comfort
• ventilation

is provided in the Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare legislation.

Atmospheric monitoring involves the use of suitable techniques to derive a quantitative estimate of the exposure of employees to hazardous substances or conditions. This involves the periodic and/or continuous sampling of workplace atmospheres to derive a quantitative measure of exposure to hazardous substances / conditions.

All employers have duties to carry out risk assessments to ensure staff are not unduly exposed to hazardous conditions.

Salus Occupational Hygienists can help by providing a comprehensive assessment of the conditions within a workplace. We can offer advice on how you can best comply with the relevant Workplace legislation.

Contact Salus to minimise the hazards to your people and comply with legislation.

Hazardous Substances

Chemicals and other hazardous substances could cause adverse health effects on your employees. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) place specific duties on employers to ensure that their employees are not unduly exposed to these substances. Salus Occupational Hygienists can help you comply with your duties under COSHH

The employers’ duties under these regulations include:

• carry out an assessment of the potential risk to health associated with each operation being carried out;
• to provide control measures which are capable of preventing or at least controlling the potential risk to health;
• to ensure that the control measures provided are properly used;
• to maintain control measures in efficient working order and have them regularly inspected;
• and to carry out routine atmospheric monitoring where required in order to demonstrate that control measures are working.

Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs) are the limits set by Government which are considered safe for your employees. Workplace Exposure Limits replaced the old Maximum Exposure Limits (MELs) and Occupational Exposure Standards (OESs). The legal requirement for substances with an WEL is to control exposure as far below the limit as was reasonably practicable.

Salus Occupational Hygienists can provide a comprehensive assessment of the concentrations of hazardous substances produced by a work process. We can offer you help on how best to comply with COSHH legislation.

Contact Salus to minimise the health effects to your people and comply with legislation.

Dust

Dust can be a problem in almost any industry or workforce sector. The hazards of dusts like asbestos, silica and cotton are well recognised, but there are many more substances which generate dusts which are hazardous to health. Also, different forms of the same substance may present different hazards, e.g. a large piece of a solid may present a negligible hazard, but when ground to a fine dust it may become hazardous. These Dusts can described as Respirable or Inhalable Dusts, depending on the size of the dust particles.

Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs) are the limits set by Government which are considered safe for your employees. Workplace Exposure Limits replaced the old Maximum Exposure Limits (MELs) and Occupational Exposure Standards (OESs). The legal requirement for substances with an WEL is to control exposure as far below the limit as was reasonably practicable.

Operations in your workplace, which generate dust, might include:

• cleaning and maintenance work
• crushing and grading
• grinding
• milling
• sanding down or other similar operations

Salus Occupational Hygienists can provide a comprehensive assessment of the concentrations of harmful dust produced by a work process. We can offer advice on how best to comply with COSHH legislation.

Contact Salus to minimise the hazards to your people and comply with legislation.

Wood Dust

Both hardwood and softwood dust may be produced by any Woodwork process. Both hardwood and softwood dust are classed as hazardous substances and are covered by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations.

Workplace Exposure Limits replaced the old Maximum Exposure Limits (MELs) and Occupational Exposure Standards (OESs). The legal requirement for substances with an WEL is to control exposure as far below the limit as was reasonably practicable.

Salus Occupational Hygienists can provide a comprehensive assessment of the dust produced by a Woodwork process. We can offer you advice on how best to comply with COSHH legislation. Contact Salus to minimise the hazards to your people and comply with legislation.

Noise

Noise is often defined as ‘unwanted sound.’ In addition to causing annoyance, Noise may interfere with working efficiency by inducing stress and disturbing concentration, especially where the work is difficult or highly skilled. Noise can also hinder communications and by masking warning signals may be the cause of some accidents.

Particularly, noise can damage the hearing of persons exposed to it. This damage can be of a temporary nature lasting from a few minutes to a few days. Regular exposure to excessive noise can cause the destruction of certain inner ear structures, which results in a loss of hearing, which is permanent and irreversible. When this occurs due to work it is called Occupational Deafness.

Salus Occupational Hygienists can provide a comprehensive assessment of the noise produced by a work process. We can offer you advice on how best to comply with Noise legislation.

Contact Salus to minimise the risk to your people and comply with legislation.

Vibration

Regular and frequent exposure to Vibration can lead to permanent health defects. This is most likely to occur when an employee is in contact with a vibrating tool or work process. The most common of this range of conditions is hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS), which is often caused by the use of:

• hand-held power tools
• lawnmowers
• other equipment
• road drills

or by holding material being processed by machines or pedestal grinders.

The Vibration at Work Regulations requires employers to assess the vibration risk to their employers. Employers have to decide if they are likely to be exposed above the daily exposure action level. They then have to introduce a programme of control measures to eliminate the risk or reduce it to the lowest reasonably practicable level.

Salus Occupational Hygienists can provide a comprehensive assessment of the vibration produced by a HAVS work process. We can offer you advice on how best to comply with Vibration legislation.

Contact Salus to minimise the risk to your people and comply with legislation.

Health Surveillance

For information on Health Surveillance please visit the Occupational Health page of this Website.