Application of a personal exposure visualisation tool for environmental

monitoringDr Peter Walsh

Environmental Monitoring Group

Health and Safety Laboratory

Broad Lane

Sheffield S3 7HQ

Health & Safety Laboratory

• HSL is a government research laboratory

– Agency of Health & Safety Executive (HSE)

Regulatory authority for workplace health and safety

– 350 staff in Sheffield and Buxton (all in Buxton in 2004)

– Contract work for HSE (85%)

– External contract work (15%)

HSL – Subject groups

• Fire, explosions and Process safety

• Risk assessment

• Engineering Control

• Occupational and environmental health

• Behavioural and social sciences

• Work environment

Exposure visualisation

• The combination of real-time monitoring coupled with videoing the worker’s ‘activity’ to show graphically the link between personal exposure and the task and operating conditions.

• Demonstration of software for data analysis (over lunch)

The equipment

Hand-held camcorderTo record the work practices, environmental conditions etc.

Notebook computerApplication specific software for data logging, display and analysis

Digital Radio TelemetryWireless transmission of exposure data (and video) to computer

Fast response real-time instrumentsTo measure personal exposure, mounted upon a purpose-designed harness

Rôle of exposure visualisation

• Occupational hygiene task analysis

– Task contribution to exposure and duration

• Training, eg video clips, CD highlights

• Guidance

30% task 2

70% task 1

Instrumentation for workplace/environmental monitoring

• Carbon monoxide– Electrochemical sensor

• VOCs– Photoionisation detector

• Ozone– UV photometry?– Semiconductor (WO3)?

• Particulates– light scatter (P-Trak, Dataram)

• Noise dosimetry?

Environmental applications

• Correlation of personal/portable monitors with analytical instruments (pedestrian-cyclist-driver)

• Combination of environmental exposure visualisation and GIS