01 June 2007

We are surrounded by threats to our health. Sometimes they are invisible like dust and gas, or intangible like stress. For many occupational health professionals, the challenge is to identify the invisible dangers, measure the extent of the threat and limit exposure.

Removing the threat is always preferable to protecting workers against it, but the first step is to identify the level of risk. Several companies at Safety & Health Expo can help with this process, offering air samplers that check for airborne contaminants or sound-level dosemeters which measure individual worker noise exposure - now more critical than ever to legal compliance since the Control of Noise at Work Regulations came into force last year.

Cirrus Research (Stand G52) has prepared a Safety Officer's Noise Measurement Kit to address the problem. It includes proven noise measurement instruments, a doseBadge Personal Noise Dosemeter and sound-level meter, plus a quick-start guide and manual, calibration certificates, windshields, batteries and cables. The kit is ideal for making thorough noise risk assessments and, depending on user requirements, can come with the simple point-and-press noise meter popular with on-site health and safety managers, or sophisticated devices with data-logging, download software and octave band frequency analysis used to help select appropriate personal protective equipment. 

Casella CEL (Stand F70) is known for its monitoring technologies for noise, gas, dust and indoor air quality, and is using the show to launch its CEL-350 dBadge personal noise monitor, which is approved for use in potentially explosive atmospheres. The device measures all occupational noise parameters and stores the daily history of an individual's noise exposure. Casella is also showing the IS Apex sampling pump for dust, fumes, gases and vapours, and the Microdust Pro portable real-time aerosol/dust monitor, which assesses concentrations of suspended particles. 

Optical particle counting is the domain of TSI Instruments (Stand R30), and the company is showing AeroTrak products suitable for clean-room testing and certification, aerosol research, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, food processing, filter testing and indoor environment assessment. The range includes a handheld model and two portable models, all with six user-adjustable particle sizes.

Asbestos village people

As many as 200 000 people are still forecast to die from asbestos-related diseases from past exposures. The influence of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006, designed to help manage the current threat of exposure, is still strong at this year's exhibition. Organisations are offering asbestos removal and treatment, asbestos register management and training, and free seminars sponsored by DMW Environmental Safety (Stand AB20) will explore asbestos management issues in eight daily sessions running throughout the exhibition.

Euro Environmental (Stand AB21) is launching its Asbestos Locator management tool, an internet-based asbestos register which holds all relevant information in a simple format. Its effective and easily printable form of colour-coded risk reporting comes with straightforward conclusions and recommendations, so operators can produce comprehensive reports on the presence of asbestos-based materials without the need for extensive training. Asbestos Central (Stand AB04) is another company with a computer-based asbestos management programme, which allows anyone with responsibility for initial site assessments to produce a survey. Called The Survey Maker, it holds all the necessary site documentation so users can make quick risk assessments before work starts on site. It stores all data in the asbestos register format required by the Regulations.

Other specialists at the show are Bardon Environmental, Asbestos Consultancy Services (ACS) and the trade association Asbestos Control and Abatement Division (ACAD), whose members are cohabiting in an "Asbestos Village". The association (Stand AB04) will answer questions on its insurance scheme, screen a computer presentation about membership and put the culprit, the asbestos fibre itself, under the microscope.

Bardon Environmental (Stand AB01) is a first-time exhibitor. Bardon supplies asbestos removal and treatment services and a full management package of surveying, sample analysis and staff training. The company will be offering visitors free asbestos compliance audits. ACS (Stand AA10) provides services in asbestos, occupational health and safety and environmental compliance, such as contamination audits and risk assessments.

Conspicuous consumption

Not all threats are environmental, and the risk of working with people who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs in safety-critical occupations is well known (see HSW May, page 22). Electronic key manufacturer Traka (Stand Q42) has devised a key cabinet that will not release the keys to vehicles or other sensitive equipment until the driver has passed a breath test.

The cabinet is opened with a personal identification number, access card or biometric reader and, before the key is released, the user has to blow into an Alcolock tester. Other testing schemes often require individual testers on each vehicle or piece of equipment, but the Traka system needs just one single tester per cabinet, which can hold hundreds of keys.

Dräger Safety (Stand D40) makes breathing apparatus and gas-detection systems but is also showing simple drug and alcohol testing equipment. One example is the Draeger DrugCheck testing kit, which enables the simultaneous detection of up to six classes of illegal substances in a single sample of oral fluid.

The company's stand will feature a diverse range of products, which it calls a total solution to respiratory protection and gas detection for use in firefighting and industry. These include new breathing apparatus, plus gas detection systems such as the X-am 1100 Personal Air Monitor.

If the prospect of chemical warfare and aircraft disaster isn't enough, Posturite (Stand G4) is flagging up a threat more commonly associated with long-distance air travel. Deep-vein thrombosis is striking people who spend too much time at their desks and, as in long-haul travel, the prescription to minimise risk is movement. The company is launching a range of height-adjustable chairs and desks which encourage regular movement without disrupting workflow.

If you thought you were safe at your desk, perhaps it is time to think again. Full of reminders of horrors old and new, real or imagined, Safety & Health Expo may not be for the faint-hearted.

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