Appendix 01/23: Personal Sampling, Employee Health and Exposure Records 

After a detailed period of development, the much-anticipated Asbestos Network Technical Working Group (ANTWG) guidance on Personal Monitoring (PM) has now been published and is available from the ACAD Technical Reference Library here. 

This detailed guidance, running to over 20 pages, explains in plain English exactly what is expected and how to go about achieving meaningful PM results.  This includes dedicated sections on Time Weighted Averages (TWA), specifying requirements to the analyst and the all-important Specific Short-Duration Activity (SSDA) monitoring. 

Graham Warren, ACAD Technical Director commented “I first brought this issue to the attention of the Technical Working Group as HSE were expecting Licence Holders to work to an ever-higher standard that was beyond the detail within existing guidance as part of the Licence renewal process”.

The guidance has been written to ensure Licence Holders, and those undertaking NNLW work, fully understand what information is required, how it should be recorded and used, and how the ‘summary of air monitoring’ links into the health record. HSE expects a more detailed and structured approach to personal sampling that drives a need for more accurate and useful records.

Graham Warren went on to say “I am so pleased this new Personal Monitoring guidance has now been finalised after a great team effort from the Asbestos Network Technical Working Group.  And whilst members should review this directly themselves, as the lead author for this guidance I’ll be hosting some member webinars on this topic where you’ll be able to ask questions to ensure you fully understand how best to implement this for your organisations”.

This topic will also be on the agenda for the Autumn round of ACAD regional meetings, book your place here