Development and Implementation of an Exposure Assessment Program in a Research-Based Facility: Phase I

Abstract

Exposure assessment programs and related databases are of increasing importance in the field of industrial hygiene. The ability to systematically evaluate potential health risks to workers, to establish and document exposure levels, and to ensure compliance with regulations in an efficient and effective manner is a necessity in every type of industry. Moreover, once this information is collected, its organization and storage in a format that facilitates retrieval and use by a variety of end users must also be addressed. While the need for programs that meet these needs is apparent, the development and implementation of such programs poses great challenges, not only to industrial hygienists, but to all individuals responsible for the protection of worker health and safety. In a research-based setting, these individuals face the additional challenge of managing facilities that contain a large number of operations that are generally dynamic in nature, contain a wide spectrum of associated hazards (i.e., chemical, physical, biological, and radiological), and can be both small in scale and frequently changed in scope. This article describes a three-phased approach to the development and implementation of an exposure assessment program and the associated database in a research-based environment. Although the different phases of the development and implementation are outlined, the focus of this article is the first phase—basic characterization—which involves clearly defining the goals of the program, identifying required information, developing comprehensive data-gathering instruments, training data gatherers, carefully designing the database, and ensuring quality control in both the collection and computer entry of the data. This first phase is critical because the information obtained in phase I will be used in subsequent phases to determine sampling priorities and frequency of control verification/maintenance.