Who Should Do Your Air Testing?

October 15, 2018 No Comments

Air testing is performed to evaluate the potential risk of airborne contaminants, and to prove that an airborne health hazard does not exist.  Either way, it is important that proper sampling procedures be followed to insure that results are accurate and legally defensible.

I have personally witnessed numerous sloppy air tests performed by either unqualified insurance company inspectors, or in-house personnel who simply purchased an air testing instrument and followed the instructions.  

If air testing results are to be believed and hold up in court, it is important that the person performing the test be well qualified.  Who would I want performing my plant air testing? 

• If I was a smaller company with less than 250 employees, I’d want an OSHA consultation division hygienist do the testing.  These hygienists go through the same training and follow the same testing protocol that their enforcement division brethren do.  Their results will usually be accepted by their OSHA enforcement division counter parts.  And OSHA consultation division air testing is always free of charge!
• CIHs (Certified Industrial Hygienists) are also well qualified to perform air testing.
• Former OSHA enforcement division industrial hygienists who are now consultants would be another good choice.
• Finally, probably the best qualified person to conduct plant air testing would be a former OSHA industrial hygienist who is also a CIH!

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