Need more information on environmental, health, and safety audits at pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device companies click here. I know there are countless other details that you could add, but these are the ones that I typically find. Hate to be the one that levels the facility using a non-rated piece of equipment. Many are not rated for locations that are considered 'Hazardous Area Classifications' where flammable liquids are dispensed. Using non-rated air-sampling pumps in areas that are considered 'Hazardous Area Classifications.' Be careful using some of the inexpensive air-sampling pumps.Compounded with blurry/dirty safety glasses, poor lighting, and tired eyeballs, it's easy to mix up a 3 from an 8, or a 7 and 9. Mixing up samples or recording sample ID numbers wrong.Quick, how many minutes are there between 10:23 and 4:06 with the pump turned off for 33 minutes during lunch. This typically happens when you're rushing to get the samples shipped out so you can catch your plane flight. Calculating sampling times incorrectly.Take your time, double-check your sampling train and get it right the first time. Yep, everyone has probably done this once. Sampling with the media orientated backwards.However, in order to get representative breathing zone results, it needs to be worn by the person so that it accounts for the variability in individual work practices. Often, rookie industrial hygienists like to perform area sampling because it's easier than dealing with the 'people issues' of wearing an air-sampling pump. Performing area sampling when personal sampling should have been performed.Yes it can be quite boring to stand there and watch someone working, but what will you do if you get a high result and you don't know why it occurred. Not observing the operation while air sampling is being performed.Better yet, get AIHA's ' A Strategy for Assessing Occupational Exposure, 2nd Edition.' As a start, go back and review the NIOSH Occupational Exposure Sampling Strategy Manual. As you may know from statistics, n = 1 doesn't mean much. We have observed companies basing huge decisions on a single sample. Basing major decisions on a single sample.You will need to use a compound specific method. Sorry again, but the limit of detection for a total dust method is not low enough to get you to below the OEL for highly-potent compounds. Using a total dust method to sample for highly-potent compounds.In addition, you need to make sure that the flow rate didn't change significantly during the sampling period. Don't assume that the flow rate on the air-sampling pump is the same when you sampled 3-months ago. Not performing pre-calibration and post-sampling verification.You need to use a primary standard calibrator. Sorry, but the float-balls on the air-sampling pumps aren't that accurate. Using the float-ball to calibrate the flow rate of the sampling pump.Sorry, this is going to be difficult to support. This is making a huge assumption that the employee's exposure will remain at a constant level for the remaining portion of the day.

Someone will sample for an hour or two, then attempt to take those results and directly compare them to an 8-hour occupational exposure limit (OEL). Comparing a short-duration sample result to an 8-hour OEL.Industrial hygiene 101 taught us that the hierarchy of control is engineering controls first, administrative controls second, and PPE third. Relying on personal protective equipment as the primary means of protection.During the industrial hygiene component of the audit, here are the 12 common mistakes that we find: Frequently, we perform environmental, health and safety audits at pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies.

Personal breathing zone samples