At Air Scientific, we understand that workplace safety hinges on knowing exactly what your employees are exposed to. Our accredited Occupational Monitoring services are tailored uniquely to your site and operational risks, combining state-of-the-art monitoring equipment, internationally recognised methodologies and decades of field experience to provide accurate, reliable measurements of airborne hazards including Total Inhalable and Respirable Dust, Metals, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Speciated Volatile Organic Compounds (SVOCs). Monitoring these hazards will help you and your organisation to manage risks proactively while keeping your workforce healthy and safe. Following standards like NIOSH, OSHA, HSA, EPA and MDHS, we deliver results you can trust.
What is Occupational Monitoring?
Occupational Monitoring involves the systematic measurement of airborne dust, gases, vapours and biological agents that workers may be exposed to and breathe daily. By identifying these hazards early, we help organisations prevent long-term health issues and safeguard their employees wellbeing while ensuring the workplace remains in full compliance with environmental permits, occupational safety regulations, workplace safety guidelines, occupational exposure limits and industry best practices.
What We Measure
Dust (Total Inhalable & Respirable)
We measure all airborne dust types, from larger inhalable particles that enter the nose and mouth, to fine respirable dust that can penetrate deep into the lungs. This includes hazardous materials like crystalline silica, asbestos fibers, metal fumes and coal dust which are common in industries like construction, manufacturing and mining.
Crystalline Silica
A specific focus on silica dust, a major cause of respiratory disease. Our targeted accredited sampling follows recognised MDHS and NIOSH methods to help you manage silica exposure risks effectively.
Gases & Vapours
Using advanced instruments such as Horiba analysers, Flame Ionization Detectors (FID) and Testo electrochemical sensors, we monitor a broad spectrum of workplace gases including:
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
- Speciated Volatile Organic Compounds (SVOCs)
- Carbon Monoxide (CO)
- Carbon Dioxide (CO₂)
- Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂)
- Hydrogen Sulphide (H₂S)
- Ammonia (NH₃)
- Sulphur Dioxide (SO₂)
Biological Agents
We identify airborne biological hazards such as bacteria, fungal spores, moulds, endotoxins and allergens, crucial for sectors like healthcare, agriculture and waste management.
Noise
Comprehensive assessments help prevent occupational hearing loss and musculoskeletal problems in noisy environments. This service is offered and performed by our accredited partner.
Environmental & Flow Parameters
To ensure accurate exposure assessments, we also measure:
- Air velocity and flow rates to calculate contaminant concentrations
- Temperature and humidity affecting contaminant behaviour and sampling accuracy
- Moisture content influencing dust suppression and contaminant transport
Real-Time & Personal Exposure
We deploy wearable personal sampling devices that monitor worker exposure continuously throughout shifts, enabling immediate identification and control of hazards.
Additional Services
Occupational and Ambient Air Bioaerosol Monitoring
Occupational and Ambient Air Bioaerosol Monitoring is a specialised service designed to give clients a clear, actionable view of airborne microbial exposure in workplaces and environmental settings. Our services covers workplace bioaerosol exposure, ambient environmental bioaerosol monitoring and microbial air quality testing for regulatory compliance and risk management.
Our monitoring supports compliance with relevant occupational exposure benchmarks, industry standards and environmental guidance documents. These techniques are essential for sites handling organic materials, waste operations, food processing activities, pharmaceutical manufacturing and any environment where microbial aerosols or bioactive particulates may pose risks.
Our approach covers a broad spectrum of microbial hazards. Using advanced bio-staged impactor plates, we capture bioaerosols directly onto selective media for precise analysis. Total Viable Count (TVC) is assessed on McConkey agar, while Total Mesophilic Bacteria, Fungi including Aspergillus fumigatus and Gram-negative bacteria are monitored on blood agar, ensuring both broad and targeted coverage. This method provides high-resolution quantitative data on microbial loads, helping in the identification of potential risks, understanding exposure patterns and support targeted evidence-based mitigation strategies.
Bioaerosols can fluctuate significantly with activity, ventilation, humidity and operational controls. Our monitoring is designed to capture real-world conditions and deliver results that stand up to regulatory, occupational hygiene and risk-management scrutiny.
By integrating bioaerosol monitoring with our occupational assessments and our other environmental air management services, Air Scientific provides a holistic, multi-layered understanding of air quality. This is essential for ensuring workplace safety, achieving regulatory compliance and implementing targeted control measures effectively.
Our Monitoring Methods
Gravimetric Sampling
Weighing collected Dust on filters to provide Total Inhalable and Respirable fractions.
Extraction / Source Sampling
This involves the collection of a Direct air sample from workspaces ensuring accurate, source-specific measurements.
Area Sampling
Measures contaminants at fixed workplace locations to map exposure zones. Combines Filters, Sorbent tubes and real-time instruments such as PID, FTIR and electrochemical sensors.
Direct Reading Sampling
Provides real-time data for gases, VOCs and Dust by implementing PID detectors for VOCs, FTIR spectroscopy for multiple gases monitoring simultaneously, Electrochemical sensors for CO, NOx, SO₂, H₂S and real-time aerosol monitors for Dust and Particulates.
Dust / Particulate Monitoring
Monitors Respirable, Thoracic and Inhalable Dust fractions using Cyclone samplers, IOM samplers for Inhalable Dust and Gravimetric analysis to quantify mass.
PM₁₀, PM₂.₅
Monitoring via Ambient Particulate monitors. Ambient Particulate Monitors (continuous / direct-reading) using real-time instruments such as Optical, Laser scattering or Gravimetric principles. This can also provide Total Suspended Particulate (TSP) concentrations.
Chemical Vapours & Gas Monitoring
This encompasses the measurement of VOCs, Solvents and other hazardous Gases via Sorbent tubes with pumps (Benzene, Toluene, Xylenes), Impingers (Formaldehyde, Ammonia), Diffusive / Passive samplers (VOCs) and real-time gas analysers (FTIR, PID, electrochemical).
Microbial Monitoring
Detects Airborne Bacteria, Fungi and Spores. Impaction samplers (Bio-stage plates), Filter collection with culture or molecular analysis (qPCR) and Total Viable Count (TVC) for general microbial exposure are implemented.
Odour Assessment
Field-based sensory sniff assessments/surveys by acuity screened staff to note the intensity, character and location of odour in the workplace environment. While odour itself may not always have a toxicological effect, strong or persistent odours can indicate the presence of hazardous VOCs or other Organics, warranting further monitoring. Ambient odour sampling and analysis in performed accordance with EN 13725.
Personal & Real-Time Monitoring
Wearable devices capturing immediate worker exposure.
Continuous & Long-term Monitoring
Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (CEMS) can be adapted for occupational environments allowing direct-reading instruments to be integrated for data logging over shifts which could provide real-time alerts for hazardous exposures.
Why Choose Air Scientific
Why Choose Air Scientific for Your Occupational Monitoring?
Tailored MDHS accredited monitoring plans designed for your unique environment.
Accredited analysis through our laboratory partners.
Over 30 years of hands on experience and direct industry knowledge.
We abide and follow the latest standards and guidance notes.
Protect your workforce through early and accurate hazard detection.
Stay confidently in line with all relevant regulations.
Precise results using advanced monitoring equipment.
Seamless integration with our other air monitoring solutions.
Clear actionable reports that are scientifically robust guiding your health and safety decisions.