2.

3 WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT MEASUREMENT

Upon completion of the module, the learner will be able to:

1) Discuss Work Environment Measurement (WEM) and its importance in

evaluating the hazards in the workplace and monitoring exposure of workers;

2) Comply with industrial hygiene-related OSHS provisions and other

issuances, laws and guidelines; and

3) Explain the Threshold Limit Values (TLV) and its importance in evaluating
workers’ exposure.

Once the types of hazards have been pinpointed, we can now evaluate or
measure the hazards through the use of appropriate measuring instrument. .
We call this work this Work Environment Measurement (WEM). This is one the
technical services offered by the Occupational Safety & Health Center and its
accredited WEM provider.

2.3.1 Definition of Work Environment Measurement

WEM – is the determination of the environmental hazards and their hazardous

effect on workers’ health through direct measurements of hazards. 

2.3.2 Rule 1070 of Occupational Safety and Health Standards

Occupational Safety and Health Standards (OSHs) Rule 1070

Rule 1070 is OSH standard for occupational health and environmental control.
It has seven (7) rules: 

OSHS Rule 1071 – General Provisions 

“This rule establishes TLVs for toxic and carcinogenic substances and physical
agents which may be present in the atmosphere of the work environment.
TLVs refer to airborne concentration of substances and represent conditions
under which it is believed that nearly all workers may be repeatedly exposed 
OSHS Rule 1072 – TLVs for Airborne Contaminants and Rule 1073 (Tables) 

These refer to TLVs of airborne contaminants for “time weighted

concentration for an 8-hour workday and a total of forty-eight 48 hours of
work exposure per week.” TLVs tables for airborne contaminants, mineral
dusts, and human carcinogens are also established. 

OSHS Rule 1074 – Physical Agents 

This refers to TLVs for physical agents particularly noise or “sound pressure
that represents conditions under which it is believed that nearly all workers
may be repeatedly exposed without adverse effect on their ability to hear and
understand normal speech. 

OSHS Rule 1075 – Illumination 

“All places where persons work or pass or may have to work or pass in
emergencies, shall be provided during time of use with the adequate natural
lighting or artificial lighting or both, suitable for the operation and the special
type of work performed.” 

OSHS Rule 1076 – General Ventilation 

This is about General Ventilation that encompasses the workroom condition

for air supply, temperature, humidity, and odor. It states that: 

“Suitable atmospheric conditions shall be maintained in workrooms by natural

or artificial means to avoid insufficient air supply, stagnant or vitiated air,
harmful drafts, excessive heat or cold, sudden variations in temperature, and
where practicable, excessive humidity or dryness and objectionable odors.” 

OSHS Rule 1077 – Work Environment Measurement 

“WEM shall mean sampling and analysis carried out in respect of the
atmospheric working environment and other fundamental elements of
working environment for the purpose of determining actual condition
therein.”
If the TLVs are exceed the hazards that may be injurious to workers may be
deemed to exist in the workplace. These hazards should be controlled.

2.3.3 DO 160-16 Guidelines on the Accreditation of Consulting

Organizations to Provide WEM Services

2.3.4 Purpose of WEM

It is conducted for the following purposes:

1. To determine magnitude of harmful environmental agents.

2. To physically check environment through measurements.

3. To predict harmfulness of a new facilities, raw material, production

processes and working methods:

4. To monitor worker exposure to harmful substances

5. To evaluate the effectiveness of the environmental control measured

adopted to improve the workplace; and

6. To maintain favorable environment condition

2.3.5 Types of Work Environment Measurement / Monitoring

The types of sampling can be done when doing a WEM

1. Personal Monitoring- is a measurement of a particular employee’s exposure

to airborne contaminant. The measuring device is placed as close as possible
to the contaminant entry port to the body. For example, when monitoring an
air contaminant that is toxic.  The measurement device must be placed close
to the breathing zone of the worker. The data collected closely approximate
the concentration of contaminant by which the worker is expose to.

2. Area/Environmental Sampling is the measurement of the contaminant

concentration in the workroom. The measuring device is placed adjacent to
the workers normal workstation or at fixed location in the work area. This kind
of monitoring does not provide a good estimate of work exposure but help to
pinpoint areas with high or low exposure level of contaminants.

3. Biological Monitoring involves the measurement of the change of the

composition of the body fluids, tissue or expired air to determined absorption
of a potentially hazardous material. Examples are measurements of lead and
mercury in the blood or in the urine.

The following are the instrument used to measure the different hazards.

a. Lux meter for illumination

b. Psychomotor for humidity

c. Anemometer for air movement

d. Smoke tester to air direction

e. Glove Thermometer for heat

f. Sound level Meter of noise.

WEM should be conducted on the regular basis. It should be done at least

once a year.

Note: To avail of the service, fill up and submit the WEM REQUEST FORM found
in the OSHC Website.

A. ANALYSIS OF THE RESULTS

The results of the measurements are compared with the Threshold Limit Value
(TLV) set by the Occupational safety and Health standards. Threshold Limit
Value (TLV).
1.  Threshold Limit Value (TLV) for airborne Contaminants are exposures
guidelines that have been established for airborne concentration of many
chemical compound.

Analytical Equipment Sample

Gas Chromatograph Solvents
High Performance Liquid Chromatograph Inorganic chemicals
Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer Metals
Phase Contrast Microscope (PCM)/ Fourier Asbestos fibers / quantitative (fiber
Transform Infra-red Spectrocopy (FTIR) count) and qualitative analysis.
X-ray Diffractometer Mineral dust
UV-Vis Spectrophotometer Acids and Other Chemicals

For reference, see Table 8, 8a and 8d of the Occupational Safety and Health
Standards. Threshold Limits Value for Note refer to the sound pressure that
represent condition under which it is believed that nearly all workers may be
separated exposed without adverse effect on their ability to hear and
understand normal speech. The OSH Standards has established a regulation
for Noise Exposure, which sets allowable noise level based on the numbered
of hour of exposure unprotected.

The collected samples from the WEM are analyzed in the laboratory. Some of
the analytical instruments used are as follows: UV-VIS Spectrophotometer for
analyzing acids, AAS for heavy metals, Gas Chromatograph for organic
solvents, and X-ray Diffractometer, Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR)
Spectrocopy, and Phase Contrast Microscope (PCM) for quantitative and
qualitative analysis of asbestos and silica. 

C. Comparison of measurement results with standards 

Laboratory analysis results are compared with the Threshold Limit Values
(TLVs). These are exposure guidelines that have been established for airborne
concentration of many chemical compounds. Concentrations of hazards that
exceed the TLVs can cause adverse effects to humans. There are three
categories of TLVs: 
1. Time-Weighted Average (TLV-TWA) is the time-weighted average
concentration for a normal 8-hour workday or 40-hour workweek to which
nearly all workers may be repeatedly exposed, day after day, without adverse
health effects.

Computation for Time Weighted Average: 

TWA Concentration =      C1T1 + C2T2 + ..... + CnTn

                                          T1 + T2 ………+Tn

Where C1.....Cn = different mass concentration obtained at different sampling

time 

T1.....Tn = sampling time 

Where C1.....Cn = different mass concentration obtained at different sampling

time 

T1.....Tn = sampling time

Example: Exposure Level to Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) Gas  

H2S Concentration (ppm) Sampling Time

5 2 hours
15 4 hours
2 1 hour
5 1 hour

TWA Concentration = {(5ppm)(2 hrs) + (15ppm)(4 hrs) + (2ppm)(1 hr) +

(5ppm)(1 hr)} ÷ {2hrs + 
4hrs+ 1hr + 1hr}

TWA Concentration of H2S = 9.625 ppm 

TLV for H2S is 10 ppm. So, the exposure is below TLV

2. Short-Term Exposure Limit (STEL) is the maximum concentration to which

workers can be exposed continuously for 15 minutes without suffering from
any of the following: 

a. Irritation 

b. Chronic or irreversible tissue damage 

c. Narcosis of sufficient degree to increase the likelihood of accidental injury,

impair self-rescue or materially reduce work efficiency. 

2. Ceiling (TLV-C) is the concentration that should not be exceeded during

any part of the working exposure; otherwise, the exposed workers might be
vulnerable to serious risks.

TLV tables 

 Reference: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists

(ACGIH), TLVs and BEIs.

2.3.6 Evaluation of Health Hazards

The evaluation of Health hazards is dependent on the comparative data from

the actual WEM of the company against the Threshold Limit Values (TLV)
indicated in the OSH Standards. The hazard evaluation process will recognize
and evaluate chemical, physical, biological, and ergonomic hazards within the
workplace to determine if proper controls are present and control
unacceptable exposures.
Measurements in WEM must be within or not exceed the prescribed TLV. This
will also be indicative that hazard controls are effective. Should the
measurements exceed on the prescribed TLV standards, hazard controls must
be further strengthened. Rigorous monitoring to the workers who are exposed
must be done to prevent the development of occupational disease and to
detect early development of its stage. However, this is already a reactive move.
OSH always aims best to its prevention which is controlling the health hazards.

Informational research, on-site work area visits and staff interviews are usually
the operational portion of the process.

Other guidelines and standards which are not specified in the OSH standards
(e.gAmerican Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists/ ACGIH,
Occupational Safety and Health Administration/ OSHA) may be used to
evaluate health hazards in the workplace. Whatever the results are, it is
important that all efforts through effective hazard controls/ OSH programs
must be exerted for the protection of workers’ health.