What is BS EN 689 about?
BS EN 689 is an international standard that covers the measurement of exposure by inhalation to chemical agents.
BS EN 689 discusses workplace exposure in compliance with occupational exposure limit values. It specifies a strategy to perform representative measurements of exposure by inhalation to chemical agents in order to demonstrate compliance with occupational exposure limit values (OELVs).
To assess the exposure of workers to chemicals and to state with certainty that it does not exceed the occupational exposure limit values (OELVs) (short-term or long-term) would require measurement of the exposure of every worker for every working day. Unfortunately, while this approach is possible for some agents such as ionizing radiation, it is not feasible or practical for many chemical agents due to limitations of the measurement techniques and costs.
Note: BS EN 689 is not applicable to OELVs with reference periods less than 15 min.
Who is BS EN 689 for?
BS EN 689 on workplace exposure is useful for:
- Human resources executives
- Occupational hygienist
- Health and safety personnel
- Other executives responsible for health and safety of employees
- Testing laboratories
Why should you use BS EN 689?
Representative measurement of occupational exposure to chemical agents is difficult, because of the variability of exposure. Processes and products affecting exposure are numerous. Different workplace conditions can correspond to different generation rates, can involve a variety of chemical agents, and can therefore present specific exposure conditions.
BS EN 689 deals with the measurement of exposure to chemical agents in workplace atmospheres, and in particular with measurement strategy for comparing workers' exposure by inhalation with occupational exposure limit values (OELVs).
BS EN 689 gives a procedure for the employer or the stakeholders to overcome the problem of variability and to use a relatively small number of measurements, for maintaining a high degree of confidence that workers are unlikely to be exposed to concentrations exceeding the occupational exposure limit values OELVs. It collects personal air samples among workers within similar exposure groups (SEGs), to reduce the number of exposure measurements, and therefore the cost of the assessment.
