Evaluating Exposure

The following references provide information regarding methods and means used to evaluate workplace exposures with direct-reading instruments.

Sampling and Analysis

• Calibrating and Testing Direct-Reading Portable Gas Monitors. OSHA Safety and Health Information Bulletin (SHIB), (September 30, 2013). Provides workers and employers guidance on calibrating and testing direct-reading portable gas monitors (hereafter, "DRPGMs" or "instruments").
• Carbon Monoxide in Workplace Atmospheres (Direct-Reading Monitor). OSHA Method ID-209, (March 1993). Includes evaluation information for the direct-reading monitor utilized by the method.
• Carbon Dioxide Backup Data Report. OSHA Method ID-172, (June 1990). Includes comparison methods that utilized detector tubes and a portable infrared gas analyzer.
• OSHA Occupational Chemical Database. OSHA's premier one-stop shop for occupational chemical information. It compiles information from several government agencies and organizations. Information available on the pages includes chemical identification and physical properties, exposure limits, sampling information, and additional resources.
• NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods (NMAM). NMAM is a collection of methods for sampling and analysis of contaminants in workplace air, and in the blood and urine of workers who are occupationally exposed. NMAM also includes chapters on quality assurance, sampling, portable instrumentation, etc.
• Benzene by portable GC. Method No. 3700.
• Trichloroethylene by portable GC. Method No. 3701.
• Ethylene oxide by portable GC. Method No. 3702.
• NIOSH Numbered Publications. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Provides listing of NIOSH publications.
• Components for Evaluation of Direct-Reading Monitors for Gases and Vapors. Publication No. 2012-162, (July 2012).
• Addendum to Components for Evaluation of Direct-Reading Monitors for Gases and Vapors: Hazard Detection in First Responder Environments. Publication No. 2012-163, (July 2012).