Applied technology in Occupational Hygiene presented by Dustin Bennett

1. AIHS National Conference 2023
Applied Technology in Occupational
Hygiene
Dusty Bennett – Head of Innovation / Principal Hygienist

2. CONTEXT
• Modern Occupational Hygiene practices to control health hazards.
• Aim is to share our experiences and promote collaboration.
INPUTS
• My experience: 20yrs in Resources, Construction, Quarrying, Defence & Manufacturing.
• GCG: 100 person consultancy, +35k personal samples/yr, +1k real-time samples & a
dedicated technology division.
• External groups: AIHA, AIOH & research organisations.
AGENDA
1. Current Situation
2. Problem Statement
3. Modern Hygiene

3. • Often a lag between
exposure and health
effect.
• Difficult to see, smell,
hear or touch.
• ‘Exposure monitoring’
required to assess the
risk.
• Regulatory requirements.
Occupational Hygiene (OH) Snapshot
3
Chemical agents
Gases, vapours, solids, fibres, liquids,
dusts, mists, fumes, etc.
Physical agents
Noise and vibration
Heat and cold
Electromagnetic fields, lighting etc.
Biological agents Bacteria, fungi, etc.
Ergonomic
factors
Lifting, stretching, and repetitive motion
Psychosocial
factors
Stress, workload and work organisation

4. • Exposure monitoring undertaken for +100 years.
• +250,000 samples / year in Australia.
• Technology stagnation +50yrs.
• Typically 1 result for the shift (no info on when/where exposed).
Current Situation
4
Sample
ID
Date SEG Duration
(min)
Name Employer Respirable Dust Respirable Crystalline
Silica
Result
(mg/m3)
WES
(mg/m3)
Result
(mg/m3)
WES
(mg/m3)
97086 1/06/2023 AIHS
Conference
480 Dusty
Bennett
GCG 0.8 1 0.04 0.05
97087 1/06/2023 AIHS
Conference
480 Brett
Jones
GCG 0.4 1 <0.01 0.05

5. Technology
5
1916 Konimeter
(Particles / cm3)
1960’s Personal Air Sampler
(mg / cm3)
1922 Impinger 1960’s Personal Air Sampler
1970’s Gas Meters
Airborne Gases / Vapours
Airborne Dusts

6. Recent Improvements
6

7. • Re-emergence of occupational lung
diseases.
• Improved medical diagnosis.
• New literature.
• Workplace Exposure Standards
• Largely unchanged for 20 years.
• Internationally relatively consistent.
What Has Changed?
7
Workplace Exposure Standards (WES)

8. 1x teaspoon of sand (quartz):
• Current WES = 48 pools
• New WES = 96 pools
WES into Perspective
8
Teaspoon of
sand (quartz)
Olympic
swimming pool

9. • Laboratory analysis can’t measure down to ‘0’.
• New WES limits are stretching (or are beyond)
our existing sampling & analysis techniques.
• Results will no longer be on a continuum,
instead Red/Orange.
• As an outcome, very difficult to measure for
short durations.
• Task based exposures.
• Control assessments & validation.
Impact of the Change?
9
NB: if working >8hrs (40hrs/wk), WES is
downwardly adjusted.

10. Scientific Response
10

11. Modern needs have changed:
• Control centric approach.
• Rapidly identify sources of exposure.
• Intelligent and efficient control.
• Verify controls.
• Visualising exposures and controls.
• Informed risk owners.
• Data driven decisions.
Applied Technology in OH
11
On our way, but not there yet…
We’re on a Journey.

12. Monitoring Equipment: Shift in User
12
Historical
Scientific users
(higher tier).
Few users.
Traditional
support
Modern
Operational users
(non-scientific).
Many users.
Interactive & online
support

13. Gas & Vapour Noise & Vibration Airborne Dusts
Example
Pros
• Robust & small.
• Well established market.
• Accurate.
• Ease of use.
• Robust & small.
• Reasonable market.
• Accurate.
• Measure every 1 second.
• Reasonably robust & small.
• Numerous use cases.
Cons
• Data interpretation.
• Cross sensitivity of
sensors.
• Not all gas/vapour.
• Technical user requirements.
• Data interpretation.
• Time consuming.
• Cost.
• Inaccuracy & robustness (for
some).
• Technical user requirements.
• Cost.
Monitoring Equipment
13
Direct Reading Instruments / Real-time Monitors:
NB: I/GCG have no affiliation with displayed products. Displayed for illustration purposes only.

14. Visualising Personal Exposures
14

15. Visualising Controls
15

16. Area Monitoring: Real-time dashboard
16
Live results
Simplified interpretation &
actioning.
Benchmarking per shift
Dust fingerprint to
understand the
conditions.

17. Caution : Airborne Dusts
17
Rapidly changing landscape and can be applied
now.
But currently requires specialist advice.
• Right sensor, used right.
• Know the limitations.
• Formative industry standards and guidance.

18. • The landscape for Occupational Hygiene is changing.
• Accelerated exposure control will be critical for compliance.
• Australia is not alone, but larger economies are lagging.
• WES reductions will expose limitations to traditional exposure
monitoring techniques.
• Historically, limited technology in OH.
• Modern Occupational Hygiene practices are increasingly being
embedded.
• Technology will be critical for complying to new WES’s.
• Activating WHS professionals.
• Navigating new challenges requires advice from competent and
experienced professionals.
Conclusion
18

19. Thank You & Questions
Dusty Bennett (MAIOH, COH)
Head of Innovation / Principal Hygienist
0416 193 842
dustin@gcg.net.au