Workplace surveillance

In dinical analysis, flame AAS is very useful for serum analysis. Ca and Mg can be determined directly in serum samples after a 1 50 dilution, even with microaliquots of 20-50 xL [363]. In the case of Ca, La + or Sr + are added so as to avoid phosphate interferences. Na and K are usually determined in the flame emission mode, which can be realized with almost any flame AAS instrument. The burner head is often turned to shorten the optical path so as to avoid self-reversal. For the direct determination of Fe, Zn, and Cu, flame AAS can also be used but with a lower sample dilution. Determination of trace elements such as Al, Cr, Co, Mo, and V with flame AAS often requires a pre-concentration stage, but in semm and other body fluids, as well as in various other biological matrices, some of these elements can be determined directly with furnace AAS. This also applies to toxic elements such as Ni, Cd, and Pb, which often must be determined when screening for workplace exposure. When aiming towards the direct determination of the latter elements in blood, urine or semm, matrix modification has found wide acceptance in working practices that are now legally accepted for workplace surveillance, etc. This applies, e.g., for the determination of Pb in whole blood [364] as well as for the determination of Ni in urine (see, e.g.. Ref. [365]). 

The employer is required to address in its written program the type of regular surveillance of the workplace necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of the respirator program. Other items discussed in the standard include ... 

Healtli issues, most importantly, conttuninants in tlie workplace, have become OSHA s primary concern. Healtli haztu-ds are comple.v and difficult to define. Because of this, OSHA has been slow to implement healtli standards. To be complete, each standard requires medical surveillance, record keeping, monitoring, and physical reviews. On the other side of the ledger, safety hazards are aspects of the work environment tliat are e. pected to cause deatli or serious physical harm immediately or before tlie imminence of such danger can be eliminated. 

OA is a prevalent disease in the workplace with significant impact on health and quality of life. Management of OA is based on a multidisciplinary approach including methods to identify allergens, use of appropriate exposure control methods, education of the workforce and surveillance (air levels and medical). 

The American Textile Industry Involvement with cotton dust as a workplace hazard began over ten years ago with Industry studies to determine whether the Industry had such an Illness problem. Then followed major dust removal and ventlllatlon efforts. The Industry developed a work practices and medical surveillance program which was presented to OSHA. 

In medical surveillance, biological monitoring is a preventive medical tool that is used to discern the human toxicity of potential toxicants at exposure levels present in the workplace. Evidence of human toxicity can result from individual hypersusceptibility, inadequate exposure limits which might have been derived from animal data, or unsuspected... 

Regulations a. Air Rational OSHA Cancer-suspect agenti Specific regulations b. Non-specific media Stringent workplace controls, record keeping and medical surveillance OSHA 1971 29CFR 1910.1008... 

The goal of employee health monitoring is to ensure that measures to protect the employee from workplace hazards are effective by carrying out medical surveillance programs for the early detection of adverse health effects. The types of chemical or physical hazards encountered determine the nature of the medical surveillance or health monitoring programs. 

Surveillance of Compliance with OELs for wo( dust over recent years. Thore are several reasons why worlqilaces where wood dust is generated have been monitored quite intosively since the md of the 1980s. Probably most important reason has been the negative list of the TRGS 553. This imphes a threat that the Committee of Hazardous Substance will witibdraw workplaces and / or machinery mentioned in tins list if no da is supplied when the list is revised. It is... 

Surveillance of Occupational Exposure to Toluene. Toluene has been a well-known hazardous substance since the 1950s. Adverse effects that are of most concern are the ones on the central nervous system and fertility, these are the basis for calculating the MAK and BAT values. Two major studies have produced extensive data on exposure of workers to toluene at the workplace in the last ten years ... 

Measuring OELs is not necessary as long as surveillance authorities come to the conclusion that, according to the state of the art in technology foreseen for a certain sector/workplace, OELs are supposed to be respected. 

It would seem therefore that they are going in a usefol direction - perhaps not as fast as would be ideal and certainly not without steuggl. D ite the problems, the system does seem to offer an impoitoit example of the means wifli which OHS authorities with limited resources for surveillance can mefolly construct a complex of regulatory, economic and technological push-pull levers to improve chemical risk management in mmy workplaces. 

---