OCM6 - Exposure monitoring

Health and Safety Executive

OCM Exposure monitoring

Offshore COSHH Control approach 4 essentials Special advice

This information will help offshore What this sheet covers dutyholders (owners, operators and This sheet describes good contractors) to comply with the Control practice for monitoring worker of Substances Hazardous to Health exposure. It includes advice to Regulations 2002 (COSHH), as amended, to test fixed alarms. protect workers’ health. Monitoring This guidance consolidates good control 3 Monitoring means measuring practice and reinforces existing knowledge workers’ exposures to named with additional information. substances. Exposure may be by inhalation, by skin contact, or It will help you carry out COSHH by swallowing. assessments, review existing 3 Personal monitoring assesses assessments, deliver training and in a person’s exposure. Other supervising activities involving substances sampling is used to assess the hazardous to health. effectiveness of control measures. 3 Ask consultants tendering for work for evidence of their competence, and It is aimed at staff whose responsibilities of any laboratories they use for analysing samples. include the management of substances 3 Provide past results of monitoring, so the consultant can put new results hazardous to health on offshore into context. installations (eg occupational health 3 Monitoring is required: specialists, COSHH assessors, supervisors n to help select the right controls;

etc). It is also useful for trade union and n where substances present a serious health risk;

employee safety representatives. n to check that exposure limits are not exceeded and your control

measures work well enough; Following the guidance is not compulsory n to help choose the right amount of respiratory protection;

and you are free to take other action. But n to identify any need for health surveillance; and

if you do follow this guidance you will n when an inspector has issued an enforcement notice that requires

normally be doing enough to comply with you to monitor exposure. the law. Health and safety inspectors seek 3 Exposure measurement is not an alternative to controlling exposure. to secure compliance with the law and 3 Exposure varies from day to day, so you need the result to be no more may refer to this guidance as illustrating than a fraction of the exposure limit, eg below one third. good practice. 3 Monitoring always requires workers’ co-operation, doing their jobs as normally as possible. If you need a service provider (eg 3 Workers should be informed of the result. consultant), OCM sheets describe what 3 This sheet also contains a form for use where biological samples require they should deliver. workers’ informed consent. See below. 3 Static or background sampling is useful: You may need help from a health and n to check on the performance of extraction equipment;

safety expert, whose report should cover n to understand the potential for bystanders to be exposed.

the points in this sheet. Caution: Static or background sampling will not reflect personal exposure.

Air monitoring 3 Air monitoring measures exposure by inhalation. It should take place on a busy day with the process running normally. 3 Personal samples only are valid for comparing with exposure limits: n Full shift (12 hours) exposures should be compared with two-thirds of the 8-hour exposure limit. n Exposures at raised pressures need expert interpretation.

How do I sample air? 3 Sometimes you can use special meters, smoke tubes or colorimetric detector tubes to see if there is a problem with your controls. 3 Normally you need specialised sampling equipment. Contact a health and safety consultant in occupational hygiene. 3 Sometimes you will also need biological monitoring to detect exposure through skin contact, by swallowing, or if respirators are not working well enough.

Biological monitoring 3 Biological monitoring is recommended in cases where: n exposure control relies on the effectiveness of respirators;

n exposure via the skin or ingestion could lead to adverse health;

n there is a measureable metabolite, preferably in urine or exhaled breath.

3 Biological monitoring needs ‘informed consent’ – eg see form below. 3 Biological monitoring is necessary for work with lead. Caution: Biological monitoring is not health surveillance.

Consultant’s report 3 Ask tendering consultants how will they check that you understand their report? 3 Demand ‘context’ information with every sample: who, what task, done how often, for how long, with what equipment and what control measures, and observations on how the worker did the job. 3 Ask for comments on other exposure routes. 3 Require all monitoring results and an explanation of what they mean. 3 Follow recommendations on maintaining or improving the control measures. 3 This should have two parts: fact and opinion. 3 Checklist of points to cover. Facts n The background to and purpose of the monitoring. n The process measured, the hazards involved, the work patterns.

n The control measures in place and their performance.

n Photographs and diagrams.

n What measurements were taken, and how

n How and where samples were analysed.

n Exposure limits or benchmarks, and comments on these.

n Industry standards of good control practice.

n Monitoring results, calculations and 8-hour time-weighted average

exposures.

Opinion Useful links n Exposure sources and adequacy of the control measures. Occupational Safety and Health n Discussion of results and compliance with standards. Consultants Register n Assessment of risk. www.oshcr.org/ n Identification of tasks not measured that are likely to involve Further information exposure. Monitoring strategies for toxic n Work groups that could be exposed, but were not monitored. substances HSG173 (Second n Any matters of concern, and how to address them. edition) HSE Books 2006 n Recommendations for improvement or further surveys. ISBN 978 0 7176 6188 6 www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/ Testing hsg173.htm 3 Where gas or vapour alarms are provided, test that these are working at least once a week or as provided in the planned maintenance routine Occupational exposure limits (PMR). for hyperbaric conditions: Hazard assessment document Environmental Hygiene Guidance Note EH75/2 HSE Books 2000 ISBN 978 0 7176 1899 6

Workplace exposure limits EH40 www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/table1.pdf

You can find the full Offshore COSHH essentials series at www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/index.htm

This guidance was developed by representatives from the UK offshore oil and gas industry and trade unions, with HSE.

© Crown copyright 2011 Published by the Health and Safety Executive 03/11

Informed consent: For taking biological samples from workers Regarding the control of exposure to [named substance] at [identified premises], your agreement is needed to provide a sample of [blood/urine/breath/other] to a representative of [service provider], to decide whether further steps are needed to control your exposure.

Please note:

1. The sample will only be analysed for [named substance]

2. The result will indicate your personal exposure to [named substance]

3. Do you want to receive your own copy of the results and be told what it means [Yes/No]? If Yes, send the result to [person’s address]. You can show the result to your trade union representative, if you wish.

4. The results will show whether improvements in control are needed to reduce your exposure.

[Yes/No] You can send my personal test result and interpretation to my employer.

[Yes/No] You can send my anonymised result and interpretation to my employer.

[Yes/No] You can send only the interpretation to my employer.

[Employee’s signature] and [date]