Tool Box Talk:

Air Monitoring
-James Kaphusman
 Why is it important?
 Air monitoring is very important for the safety
and well-being of workers in toxic or confined
areas.
 Between 1996-2005, an average of just more
than 7,000 people have died per year as a result
of noxious fumes.
 Sources of Fumes
 These toxic fumes can come from a variety of
sources. Many of these sources are products
that you can find in a common household.
 Sources of Fumes
 Some sources of toxic fumes are chemicals such
as: asbestos, bleach, chlorine, paint, kerosene,
paint thinner, pesticides, etc.
 Many of these sources can usually be found at
construction sites also.
 Sources of Fumes
 Toxic fumes do not just come from chemicals.
Some products will produce toxic fumes as they
are heated, in acts such as welding. These may
not be an issue when the area is well ventilated,
but in a confined space, these toxins become can
become deadly. Space heaters are a common
source known to produce deadly levels of
carbon monoxide, an odorless killer.
Sources of Fumes
 Sources of Fumes
 Sewage is another example of a product that just
creates toxic fumes.
 Sources of Fumes
 Toxic fumes do not just come from chemicals or
products. Sometimes toxic fumes arise from a
natural situation. For example, many times in
confined spaces, the air quality can drop to
unsafe conditions as a result of the worker just
using up the available oxygen in the confined
space. The air in that confined space may have
never even been safe enough for use in the first
place.
 OSHA Regulations
 OSHA code: 1926.800 (j)
 OSHA requires the monitoring of airborne
contaminants “as often as necessary” depending
on the location of jobsite, geology, previous
history of contaminants from nearby worksites,
and work practices that may be occurring nearby
(running of a diesel engine).
 Oxygen levels must be kept between 19.5%-22%
 Equipment
 There is a wide variety of equipment used to
monitor the air quality.
 Most air monitors are created to detect a specific
toxin in the air.
 There are two standard tests for airborne
contaminants: Time Weighted Average (TWA)
or Short Term Exposure Limit (STEL)
 Tests
 TWA is the average amount of time that a worker is
exposed to adverse conditions based on an average 8
hour day and 40 hour week, as stated by OSHA. This
is calculated by usually taking a continuous sampling of
the worker’s area over the 8 hour period
 STEL is a 15 minute TWA that cannot be exceeded,
even if the 8 hour TWA is below standards. This test is
usually performed when the toxins are known to be
short-term hazards.
 Diffusion Tubes
 Diffusion tubes are typically worn on a worker’s
lapel, right near their breathing area. These
tubes are lined with a chemical reagent that
discolors the tube as it reacts with certain
airborne toxins. When the worker is done, all
they need to do is check the extent of the
discoloration by looking at the tick marks on the
diffusion tube.
 Diffusion Tubes
 Diffusion tubes are good
because they can give an
instant reading of the air
quality. They also can be
used for both TWA and
STEL tests.
 They are not the most
accurate way of sampling
and sometimes can be
affected by other
chemicals in the air.
 Detector Tubes
 Detector tubes are similar to
diffusion tubes. Instead of
being worn on a worker,
these are little pumps that are
used to sample the air. Some
are read the same way by the
markings on the side, others
look at the amount of pumps
that it may take the tube to
get to a certain color. This
again gives both the TWA
and STEL.
 Vapor Monitor Badge
 VMBs are worn on the worker’s
lapel just like diffusion tubes. After
the worker is exposed to the toxin,
the badge is sent to a lab to be
analyzed. At the lab, they open up
the center of the VMB and analyze
the sample of air collected. These
tests are more accurate than the
detector and diffusion tubes, and
they also perform both the TWA
and STEL. However, they need to
be analyzed by a lab, and are
therefore not instant.
 Personal Sampling Pumps
 A personal sampling pump continuously pulls a
certain amount of air through a special tube,
usually clipped onto the workers lapel area.
These specialty tubes are lined with charcoal.
Some pumps do not have a special tube, they
instead pull the air through a cassette. Either
the cassette or tube is then sent to a lab to be
analyzed.
 Personal Sampling Pumps
 This test can again give
both the TWA and
STEL, but it again needs
a lab to do the analyzing.
 These tests can also be
very accurate, but the
pump speed must be
precisely set to detect a
specific toxin, and these
can also be very
cumbersome.
 Electronic Monitors
 There are basically two different types of
electric monitors: hand-held and fixed.
 The main difference is that hand-held monitors
are carried around by the workers, or a safety
person and used to sample the area, while a
fixed monitor is permanently set up at certain
locations.
 Electronic Monitors
 Electronic monitors are the
best for instant sampling of
an area. They give accurate
readings of real time
situations. Sometimes, as
with all air monitors, other
airborne particles may give
false readings. Monitors are
also typically calibrated for
one specific toxin, thus a
competent operator is
needed to analyze false
readings. These can give
both the TWA and STEL
again.