Personal Exposure measurements

Personal Exposure Measurements
Personal Exposure Measurements

In June, 2012 was issued by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security in order to ensure occupational health and safety and improve the existing health and safety conditions in various enterprises, in which duties, powers, responsibilities, rights and obligations are regulated for both employers and employees.

In accordance with this law, employers are obliged to ensure the health and safety of employees for their activities in the workplace. In this context, employers, to prevent occupational risks, train and inform employees, to take all necessary measures against possible work accidents, to make the distribution of work correctly, to provide the necessary tools and equipment for the job, to make the current health and safety measures in line with the changing conditions of the day and improve the current situation.

At the same time, employers are obliged to monitor and monitor the compliance with the occupational health and safety measures and to eliminate nonconformities.

In this respect, employers are required to carry out a risk assessment study or have it done by the relevant organizations.

In short, employers have to avoid risks, analyze risks that cannot be avoided, and deal with them at source.

Within the scope of these studies, employers must prevent the employees from being exposed in various ways during the activities. There are two different concepts regarding exposure in legal regulations:

  • Exposure action value refers to the value that, if exceeded, requires the control of risks that could cause harm to the employee.
  • Exposure limit value is the value that employees should not be exposed to.

Exposures can occur in a variety of ways. In general, the types of exposure that need to be measured and analyzed are:

  • Occupational hygiene measurements
  • Noise exposure measurement
  • Measurement of vibration exposure (hand, arm and whole body)
  • Measurement of total dust exposure
  • Breathable dust exposure measurement
  • Heavy metal exposure measurement
  • Measurement of silica exposure
  • Volatile organic compounds (VOC) exposure measurement
  • Chemical gas and vapor exposure measurement
  • Heat pressure measurements
  • Cold environment measurements

Employees experience health problems in all types of exposure listed above, depending on the degree of exposure. Therefore, the results of the risk assessment of the enterprises are very important. The elements to be considered in this study are:

  • What risks do employees face in the work environment?
  • Are the work equipment to be used by employees correctly selected?
  • Is the working environment sufficiently organized and organized?
  • Are groups requiring special treatment, such as disabled, pregnant, breastfeeding, young and old workers, and the situation of women employees taken into account?

The enterprises will decide which occupational health and safety measures will be taken according to the results of the control, measurement and research to be performed during the risk assessment and which protective equipment or equipment the employees will use.

Occupational health and safety practices that are decided to be implemented in the workplaces should be applicable at all levels within the organization of the enterprise considering production methods and working methods.

Businesses are obliged to ensure that necessary controls, measurements, inspections and investigations are carried out in order to determine the risks to which employees are exposed in the workplace in terms of occupational health and safety.

All of these studies are carried out by laboratories providing test, measurement and analysis services based on the authorization they have received from national or international accreditation bodies. These laboratories carry out their studies in accordance with the standards of TS EN ISO / IEC 17025 General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories.

There are also regulations on personal exposure limit values ​​and standards developed by local and foreign organizations. These laboratories make evaluations in accordance with these criteria and standards.