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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.

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)

 

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