Abstract

The evaluation of the work environment is an essential element in the protection of workers’ health and the control of contaminant levels at their source. This project furnishes those responsible for occupational health and safety with a series of procedures to be used in the preliminary evaluation of workplaces.


A guide to walk-through survey methods was developed, and includes a description of the various industrial hygiene techniques available. The specific strategy retained depends on: a) a knowledge of the company’s operations, management structure, and production methods, of the potential routes of exposure and work habits of the population, and of the exposure hazards of the contaminants in question; b) the use of sensory information (smell, hearing, vision) during site visits; c) the use of rules-of-thumb; and d) the use of rapid and easy analytical tools. This guide helps standardize workplace interventions, and identify contaminants and high-risk workstations and populations.