Disclaimer:
The information and steps outlined in this article are intended to support in providing direction when running a respiratory protection program. Always consult a safety professional or occupational hygienist when conducting exposure monitoring and reviewing the results.
Delta Health and Safety provide products that comply with all relevant standards (NRCS, SABS etc) and homologation. These products are supplied in line with the findings of an occupational hygienist or safety professional. Unfortunately, we are not qualified to assist in the assessment process itself.
How to Perform a Respiratory Exposure Assessment
The Respiratory Exposure Assessment is an Ongoing Process
In our previous blog, we covered all the steps.
In this blog, we will focus on the first step, which involves doing an exposure assessment. A respiratory exposure assessment is the first step in setting up a respiratory protection program.
It’s a safety manager’s duty to work with an occupational hygienist or another safety professional to ensure that the right respiratory protection measures and equipment are in place. For this, you need to know what types and levels of airborne contaminants are present at all job sites. Hazards can include organic, inorganic, acid gas, ammonia, particulates/dust, fumes, vapours, biological agents, acidic vapours etc.
Delta Health and Safety, together with 3M, are here to ensure that you are well-informed about respiratory protection and the products used.
This article takes you through the six steps of performing a successful respiratory exposure assessment.
Step 1: Basic Characterisation
In this step, collecting as much data as possible is important.
Gather information about your workplace including all hazards present such as organic, inorganic, acid gas, ammonia, particulates/dust, fumes, vapours, biological agents, acidic vapours etc. Get details on the workers, their assigned tasks, and the controls you already have to ensure respiratory safety.
Your manufacturer provides Safety Data Sheets, and they are a great source of answers to the following questions:
- What specific chemicals (not trade or in-house names) are present?
- What physical form are the contaminants: gas, vapour, mist, particulate?
- What are the warning signs of exposure, for example, irritation or odour?
Once you have gathered these answers, it’s important that you work in conjunction with an occupational hygienist to collect the below information.
Toxicity |
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Sources and Exposure Routes |
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Occupational Exposure Limits |
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Step 2: Similar Exposure Groups
It’s not viable to measure each worker’s exposure. Determining similar exposure groups (SEGs) will help you assess your workforce easier. SEGs refer to a group of workers that perform related tasks at the same frequency, using similar resources and procedures. You’ll only need to measure exposure from one individual in each group.
Group SEGs by:
- Task and contaminant
- Task, process, and contaminant
- Task, process, job classification, and contaminant
- Work teams
Do you have past exposure monitoring data? It can also help you determine SEGs.
What about your workforce? How is it organised?
We recommend listing tasks, their assignee, the organisation of your staff (either by team, department, etc.), and the number of staff assigned to one task or group.
Step 3: Qualitative Assessment and Prioritisation
After collecting your staff or SEGs data, rank each person or group’s potential exposure. Doing this helps prioritise the most serious risks so you can track them first.
You can base prioritisation on these two measurements:
1. Your staff’s or SEGs’ potential for exposure to each chemical present in the workplace. Rank from 1 to 4.
| Rank | Exposure |
| 1 | typical exposure is expected to be less than 10% of the exposure limit for that agent |
| 4 | typical exposure is expected to be greater than the exposure limit |
You can base your determination on:
- Historical monitoring outcomes at your workplace.
- Available data about situations alike.
- Exposure modelling using mathematical models.
2. The health effects of overexposure to the contaminant. Using the toxicity data gathered during basic characterization, rank health effects from 1 to 4. A ranking of 1 will be the minimal adverse health effects and 4 meaning life-threatening or disabling.
| Rank | Exposure |
| 1 | Minimal adverse health effects |
| 4 | Life-threatening or disabling effects |
Step 4: Exposure Monitoring
Monitoring enables you to identify any unacceptable exposures. There are three reasons for exposure monitoring:
- Baseline — to determine the current level and range of exposures.
- Diagnostic — to identify specific sources of the contaminants so you can develop control methods, such as making engineering changes or providing respirators.
- Compliance — to meet regulatory requirements for a specific agent that has more stringent rules, such as asbestos or lead.
How many samples to take depends on your goal. Use professional judgment in all cases, plus:
- For baseline monitoring, rely on statistical methods (typically 3 to 10 random samples).
- At Delta Health and Safety, we recommend compliance monitoring by following the SAIOSH regulations for that contaminant.
Step 5: Interpretation and Decision-Making
When you’ve collected all the essential data, consider and apply the four Hierarchy of Controls.
Evaluate your findings to determine whether the exposures are suitable or not:
- Suitable exposures need no action.
- If the exposure is unsuitable, decide what action you need to take to manage the exposure. An example can be installing engineering controls and/or introducing respiratory protection equipment.
- If you’re unable to make a decision due to insufficient data, conduct more assessments and re-evaluate.
Step 6: Reporting
Ensure that you keep detailed records of a respiratory exposure assessment every time you perform one. This process must include the following.
- A summary of what was done.
- The purpose of the monitoring.
- Basic characterization results: task or workgroup and process descriptions.
- Explanation of SEG groupings.
- Exposure criteria selected — TLV (Threshold Limit Value) or PEL (Permissible Exposure Limits)
- Results tables of qualitative assessment and prioritization.
- Health effects of overexposure to the contaminants, including copies of safety data sheets.
- Monitoring and analytical methods used.
- The conclusions drawn from the data — whether levels are acceptable or not.
Based on the findings, certain changes may be recommended:
- Changes to try to control the exposure
- Respiratory protection equipment
- Future assessment schedule
Just like the other parts of your respiratory safety program, exposure assessment is an ongoing process. Even when exposure levels are acceptable, you’ll need to re-evaluate periodically. For example, you will need to reassess when a new chemical, procedure, or workplace change is introduced.
Let us Guide your Respiratory Exposure Assessment
Your staff’s health and safety depend on you. Having a well-thought-out respiratory exposure assessment is the first step to an effective respiratory program.
At Delta Health and Safety, we’re committed to giving you the information you need to perform accurate exposure assessments at your workplace. We also offer you comfortable, well-designed and highly effective personal protective equipment.