THE IN'S AND OUT'S OF SAMPLING

Do your employees exhibit symptoms listed in Section 2 of the Safety Data Sheet?

• Is the exposure limit in Section 8 low, under 100 ppm or mg per meter cubed?
• Is there visible dust, fume, or smoke?
• Is the chemical(s) in an expanded standard, such as 1910.1026, for Chromium VI, or other exposures such as 1910.95 Occupational Noise Exposure where sampling is required, or required under specific conditions, such as potential to exceed the Action Level?
• Can the chemical be absorbed through the skin increasing the overall exposure to the chemical? 
• Has OSHA required sampling to abate a violation?

•  A Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) has been tested to prove they have the background in biochemistry, physics, biostatistics, as well as sampling equipment and sampling methodology.  
  • Compliance with OSHA sampling requirements must be conducted by a CIH.
• While Certified Safety Professionals (CSPs) haven’t had to pass the CIH certification exam (less than 50% pass rate) many are proficient in exposure assessments.  However, it is best to ask them about their experience.
  Both Certifications can be removed for unethical behavior.

•    Number of Personal and number of Area samples,
  • for Personal samples the sampling equipment is worn by the employee

• • for Area samples equipment placement depends on the sampling strategy
• Will some of the samples be representative of other employee exposures?
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required for the sampling areas.
• Shift start and end times.