Why Dust Monitoring Services Are Essential for a Healthy Workplace
Employers have a responsibility to protect the health and safety of their employees to a reasonable extent. As a matter of fact, in South Africa, this is mandated by law. The Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 lays out the expectation and regulations in terms of the precautions that employers are to take to protect their employees in this regard. While this often refers to the use of machinery and related equipment, it also includes providing a safe work environment. Dust monitoring services play a large role in ensuring the health of workers.
Air quality plays a central role in the health of employees. Hazardous particles in the air, whether in the form of dust, gas, or liquid, can lead to serious health complications. It can lead to respiratory conditions which are notoriously hard to control. Reliable monitoring services are central to controlling the air quality, as it will measure and indicate if dangerous particles are present in the air, or if the presence of low-risk particles reach a level where they can become problematic.
The need for professional, accurate dust monitoring services stems from the fact that these particles are typically very difficult to measure and control. Because it’s not always visible, or at least not in a way that can determine the risk it poses, it can be tempting to ignore monitoring dust levels. However, ignoring this potential hazard can lead to significant disruption of activities and services within an enterprise, especially within industries such as construction and mining where airborne particles are almost ever-present, and where the process is dependent on physical labour, and thus the health of workers.
Not only is it unsafe and downright dangerous to avoid the engagement of dust monitoring services, but it is also illegal. This is clearly indicated by the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993, where the provision of safe working conditions, including clean air, is mandated.
Dust affects more people globally than any other type of pollutant. In fact, the World Health Organisation (WHO) considers particulate matter to be the most widespread pollutant. All types of dust are harmful when ingested. The even bigger concern is that it can also be fatal for some people.
Since dust is one of the biggest influencers of air quality, an organisation requires professional monitoring services to ensure the health and safety of workers, as well as compliance with the law. IOH Solutions is the ideal choice as occupational health, hygiene, and environmental health partner.
IOH Solutions offers a number of specialist services related to the monitoring of occupational hygiene factors, including:
- Indoor air quality (IAQ)
- Ventilation
- Asbestos identification
- Hazardous chemical substances
- Vibration (WBV & HAV)
- Chemical compatibility
- Workplace ergonomics
- Health risk assessments (including COVID-19 occupational health and safety measures)
- Noise dosimetry
- Water sampling
- Legionella water sampling
- Hazardous biological sampling
- Thermal stress
- Illumination
- Noise monitoring
IOH Solutions has been helping companies achieve compliance with the relevant regulations and provide safe and healthy working conditions to their employees since 2003. If you’re looking for reliable dust monitoring services, contact the team at IOH Solutions.