PROTECTING ALL WORKERS, NOT SOME WORKERS

Elias Consulting is dedicated to meeting the occupational hygiene needs of Manitoba workplaces. For many years we have helped management and workers achieve healthier and safer workplaces. An important part of this is understanding the guidelines and standards used in the profession. We have developed guidelines that have helped professionals in occupational health to protect all workers through the proper use of the workplace guidelines called TLVs®. The following is a manual to help others such as safety committees to protect all workers.

USE TLVs AS INTENDED

The health protection of workers in many jurisdictions, including Manitoba, is based on the use of TLVs® as set by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. The TLVs are exposure guidelines for airborne chemicals in the workplace. The TLVs are concentrations which, if not exceeded, will not generally cause adverse effects to the exposed worker. Exposure levels were developed as guidelines or recommendations in the control of potential health hazards and are not fine lines between safe and unsafe exposures.

Part of the reason for the TLVs being guidelines is the variation in worker’s reactions to the same exposures, and the differences in working conditions. Since a guideline that is to be applied to many workers and workplaces cannot take into account all possible combinations of workers and workplaces, a model workplace was used that will cover most workers and workplaces. Essentially this can be thought of as a young healthy male worker, working 8 hours/day at an even exposure at a moderate exertion of energy. If your workplace is different from this standard workplace, then you must review the exposure limits to determine if there is a possible problem.

CAUTION

The TLVs were written for use by persons trained in the discipline of industrial hygiene. This manual will assist safety committees to address some of the problems in the workplace and to identify when professional help is needed. Specific areas where professional help may be needed are when potential risks are difficult to identify, or where more complex solutions are needed to treat specific concerns or economic issues.

For additional guidance about when you need an occupational hygienist go to:

http://www.eliasconsulting.ca