Monitoring

Monitoring is the process of observing site conditions and employee exposure to those conditions. It occurs when there is a question about employee exposure to hazardous substances, and it ensures that employees are not exposed to levels above permissible exposure limits or other published exposure limits of hazardous substances.

The employer must conduct monitoring during the initial site entry at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites to identify the following:

• Any IDLH conditions
• Exposures over PELs (or over other published exposure levels)
• Exposures over the dose limits of a radioactive material
• Other dangerous conditions (for example, oxygen-deficient atmospheres)

Accurate monitoring will not only lead to identification of airborne contaminants, but it will also help with the following:

• Identifying work areas and tasks that need exposure controls
• Determining PPE
• Assessing the potential health effects of exposure
• Determining the need for any specific medical monitoring

29 CFR 1910.120(c) distinguishes between initial site entry monitoring and ongoing monitoring.

There are several types of ongoing monitoring:

• Air monitoring (which is also a component of initial site entry monitoring)
• Periodic monitoring
• High-risk employee monitoring

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