STANDARDS AND MONITORING EQUIPMENT FOR WORKING ENVIRONMENT
The implementation of working environment monitoring is a necessary requirement to detect early risks and take timely controlling measures to prevent injuries and occupational diseases.
Contents
STANDARDS AND MONITORING
EQUIPMENT FOR WORKING ENVIRONMENT
1. Why is it important to monitor the working environment?
Within
the working environment,there’re always
potential health
hazards and risks of injuries, according to the report
of the Health Environment Management Agency, during the 5-year period from 2011
to 2016, the number of environmental monitoring samples at production
facilities across the country did not meet the standards, which accounted for nearly 10% of
the total 2,452,919 samples taken. Factors with continually highestfailure samplerate in 5 years includedweather (8.6%),
radiation, electromagnetic field (23.25%), noise (16.53%), and
light (12.04%).
Particularly for medical establishments
(including hospitals, research institutes, testing institutes, pharmaceutical, and
biological product manufacturing facilities, ...), due to the specific
nature of their respective industries, employees must be regularly
exposed to risks
of microbiological hazards, especially HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis,
SARS, H5N1 as well as toxic chemicals...
At the same time, staff members working in the
departments of radiology, nuclear medicine, laboratory, pathology, operating
rooms, and
infection control are also exposed to numerous harmful risk factors for
health such as: radiation, electromagnetic field, ultrasound, anesthetic gases,
disinfectant and pathological substance (formol, xylene, acid,
alcohol,...) as well as other chemicals.
In addition, the adverse effects of closed house syndrome
should be paid attention to (air-conditioned rooms). People working in enclosed
spaces (operating room staff, laboratories) are at risk of exposure to toxic
gases, solvents, and dust. Besides, for autoclave equipment, medical waste
incinerators, waste treatment equipment, etc., there is a great risk of
directly affecting the operator such as injuries, thermal burns, working
posture...
Furthermore,
not many units have performed the assessment of microbial exposure and ergonomy
(relating to labor psychophysiology). Postures such as constant standing,
lifting patients and bowing down cause muscle and joint problems. These
positions are very commonly seen among medical staff in surgery, dentistry,
otolaryngology, orthopedics, obstetrics, and gynecology as well as laborers,
nurses, and midwives. Therefore, it requires to design suitable ergonomy for
the working condition improvements of medical staff.
Consequently, the
implementation of working environment monitoring is a necessary requirement todetect earlyrisks and take timely controlling measures to prevent injuries and
occupational diseases.
2. Legal
foundation for the working environment
monitoring implementation
In
the first place, the implementation of working environment monitoring at the
workplace helps to control hazardous factors and protect employees' health. On
the other hand, results from monitoring and evaluating exposure levels serve as
a fundament for implementing the toxic allowance regime for employees according
to the specific working features of that department. Moreover, the obligatory
monitoring implementation is also stipulated in the following legal documents:
The Labor Code No. 10/2012/QH13 dated June
18, 2012 stipulates: employers are obliged to ensure the working
environment and safety conditions; at the same time, inspect and evaluate
dangerous and harmful factors at the workplace of the establishment in order to
propose measures to eliminate and minimize hazards and harmful effects, improve
working conditions and
to give prominence workers’ healthcare
(article 138).
Similarly, in the stipulation of the Law on
Occupational Safety and Health No. 84/2015/QH13 dated June 25, 2015, Decree
39/2016/ND-CP dated May 15, 2017, employers are obliged toassess andcontrol dangerous and
harmful factors at the workplace in order to propose technical measures for
decontaminating and disinfecting. For harmful factors prescribed by the
Minister of Health to limit exposure, the working environment must be monitored
for assessment at least once a year. Units that perform the
working environmentmonitoring must be equipped with
sufficient facilities, materials, equipment, and human resources
(Article 18 - Law on Occupational Safety and Health).
In addition, Decree No. 44/2016/ND-CP dated May 15, 2016
stipulates the monitoring content as well as the capacity requirements of the
unit
performing monitoring. Based on that, organizations inside
and outside the health sector can accordingly select
the monitoring unit, ensuring the accuracy and objectivity and having the
report results recognized by the outside inspection unit.
3.
Capability to perform working environment
monitoring activities
The monitoring parameters and methods of measurement,
sampling, and
analysis have been recognized in accordance with ISO 17025 regulations,
specifically, the
performance criteria are as follows:
No. |
Parameter |
Name/Code of
usage methods. |
I. Weather factor |
||
1 |
Temperature |
- TCVN
5508: 2009 |
2 |
Humidity |
- TCVN
5508: 2009 |
3 |
Wind velocity |
- TCVN
5508: 2009 |
4 |
Thermal
radiation |
- TCVN
5508: 2009 |
II. Physical
factors |
||
5 |
Light |
- ISO
8995:2002(E) - TCVN
5176:1990 |
6 |
Noise: - Noise
equivalence - Noise
frequency range analysis |
- TCVN
3985-1999 - TCVN
9799:2013 (ISO 9612:2009) |
7 |
Vibration: - Low
frequency - High
frequency |
- TCVN
5127-90 - TCVN
6964-1:2001 (ISO 2631-1:1997) |
8 |
Electromagnetic
fields: - Industrial
frequency - High frequency |
- QCVN
25:2016/BYT - QCVN
21:2016/BYT |
9 |
Radiation: -
Ionizing radiation - X
ray |
- TQKT
2015 - TQKT
2015 |
10 |
Gas
exchange rate (m3/h) |
- TQKT
2015 |
III. Particulate factors |
||
11 |
TSP (Total Suspended Particles) |
- TCVN
5704: 1993 |
12 |
Thoracic
and Respirable
Particles |
- TCVN
5704: 1993 |
13 |
Weight Dust |
- TCVN
5704: 1993 |
14 |
Asbestos Dust |
- TQKT
2015 |
15 |
Cotton Dust |
- TQKT
2015 |
16 |
Silicon Dust |
- TQKT
2015 |
17 |
Lead Dust |
- EPA
006 - AAS
3500 - APHA |
18 |
Particulate Matters (Clean room) 0,1mm;
0,3mm; 0,5mm; 0,5mm; |
- ISO
14644 – 1 : 1999 (E) |
19 |
PM Particles 1; PM 2,5; PM 10 |
- TQKT
2015 |
IV. Toxic Gaseous Factor |
||
20 |
CO2 |
- TCVN
4499:1988 - TQKT
2015 |
21 |
CO |
- TCVN
7242:2003 - TCVN
4499:1988 |
22 |
SO2 |
- MASA
704A |
23 |
NO2 |
- MASA
406 - TQKT
2015 |
24 |
H2S |
- TQKT
2015 - MASA
701 |
25 |
NH3 |
- MASA
401 |
26 |
Cl2 |
- TQKT
2015 |
27 |
O3 |
- TQKT
2015 |
28 |
HCl |
-
Ref.NIOSH 7903 |
29 |
H2SO4 |
-
Ref.NIOSH 7903 |
30 |
H3PO4 |
-
Ref.NIOSH 7903 |
31 |
HNO3 |
-
Ref.NIOSH 7903 |
32 |
HF |
-
Ref.NIOSH 7903 -
TCVN 4499:1988 |
33 |
NaOH |
- TQKT
2015 |
34 |
Toxic
Gases of (Cu,
Zn, Pb, Cd, Sb, Mn, Fe, Al, Co, Mo, Ag, Tl, Ni) |
- EPA
006 - AAS
3500 – APHA |
35 |
Toxic
Gases of (As,
Hg) |
- EPA
006 - AAS
3500 – APHA |
36 |
Gas Cr3+ |
- Ref.
NIOSH 7301 -
NIOSH 7600 |
37 |
Gas Cr6+ |
-
NIOSH 7600 |
38 |
Volatile
organic substances VOCs |
- MDHS
88 - TCVN
4499:1988 |
39 |
NOx (NO,
NO2) |
- TCVN
7245:2003 |
40 |
Hydrocarbon made
from C9 and C34 |
- MDHS
88 - TCVN
4499:1988 |
41 |
Formaldehyde |
- MDHS
102 - TCVN
4499:1988 |
42 |
PCBs |
-
NIOSH 5503 |
43 |
Nicotine |
- TVCN
6682:2008 |
V. Air
microbiological factors |
||
44 |
Quantification
of total aerobic bacteria |
-
HD.PPKK01/KXN.VS |
45 |
Quantification
of the total fungi |
-
HD.PPKK02/KXN.VS |
46 |
Quantification
of Total Coliforms, E.coli,
Klebsiella..spp |
- HD.PPKK03/KXN.VS |
47 |
Quantification
of Staphylococcus aureus |
-
HD.PPKK04/KXN.VS |
48 |
Quantification
of Pseudomonas aeruginosa |
-
HD.PPKK05KXN.VS |
49 |
Quantification
of hemolytic bacteria in the air |
-
HD.PPKK06/KXN.VS |
50 |
Ergonomi
labor system
design |
- TQKT
2015 |
51 |
Ergonomi
labor
position design |
- TQKT
2015 |
52 |
Ergonomi
machine and tool design |
- TQKT
2015 |
53 |
Working
surface height |
- TQKT
2015 |
54 |
Labor
positions apart from
computer |
- TQKT
2015 |
55 |
Eye-to-object
viewing distance |
- TQKT
2015 |
56 |
View |
- TQKT
2015 |
57 |
Legroom |
- TQKT
2015 |
58 |
Lifting
height |
- TQKT
2015 |
59 |
Physiological
parameters of thermal
stress- Limit value |
- TQKT
2015 |
60 |
Techniques
for measuring blood pressure at work |
- TQKT
2015 |
61 |
Techniques
to measure and evaluate memory ability |
- TQKT
2015 |
62 |
Techniques
to assess working posture |
- TQKT
2015 |
63 |
Techniques
to measure and evaluate respiratory function |
- TQKT
2015 |
TQKT 2015: Technical Routines of Occupational and
Environmental Health, Volume 1 "Vocational Health", Medicine
Publishing House, 2015.
List of equipment for monitoring the above
environmental parameters::
1. Weather meter
(temperature, humidity, and
wind speed)
2. Anemometer
3. Solarimeter
4. Light Meter
5. Sound Level Meter
6. Frequency Range Vibration
Analyzer
7. Electromagnetic Field
(EMF) Meter (high frequency, low frequency)
88. Low-Frequency
Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Meter
9. Radiometer
(X-ray, α, β, γ)
10. Particle Meter
11. Digital Particle Meter
12. Environmental Particle Meter
13. Particle and
Gas Sampling Meter30l/min (02 machines)
14. PortableParticle
and Gas
Meter0 – 5 liters/min
15. PortableParticle
and Gas Sampling Meter0 – 5 liters/min
16. CO2 Meter
17. Phase Contrast
Microscopy
18. Alpha-beta Radioactivity
Meter
19. Gamma Emitting Radioisotope
Analyzer (Analyzing
System)
20. Four-digit AnalyzingBalance
21. Thermohygrometer
22. Auto LoggerHygrometer
23. Air Sampling Meter (air
microbiological sample)
24. Laboratory
Refrigerator
25. AAS Machine
26. UV - VIS Spectrophotometer
27. Four-digit AnalyzingBalance
28. Benchtop pH Meter
29. Portable pH Meter
30. Five-digit AnalyzingBalance
31. Graphite Furnace
AAS Machine +
Hydride Unit
32. Ion Chromatograph
33. Ion Chromatography
34. High-Pressure
Liquid Chromatograph Analyzer (HPLC-FD/UV)
35. GC Gas
Chromatography System
36. Thermohygro Auto Data Logger
37. Thermometer
38. 2-times Water
Distillation Unit
39. Ultra-clean Water Purifier
(The article is adapted from the original documents belonging
to Faculty of Environmental Health - Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Public
Health)