Our experienced team of Occupational Hygienists based in Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane and Melbourne undertake Occupational/Industrial Hygiene Investigations throughout Australia for a wide variety of clients and projects. ADE consultants with a diverse background of experience will provide valuable expert support and advice to any project.

Services We Provide

• Indoor Air Quality Monitoring and Outdoor Air Quality Monitoring, including monitoring of:
  • Total (PM10) and Respirable (PM2.5) Dust
  • Diesel Particulate Matter
  • Carbon dioxide (CO2), Carbon monoxide (CO)
  • Nitric oxide (NO), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)
  • Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
  • Total suspended particulates (TSP)
  • Silica Dust
  • Sulphur Oxides (SOx)
  • Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)
  • Chlorides and Fluorides
  • Polycyclic Aromatic Components
  • Dioxins
  • Microbial
  • Asbestos
  • Lead
• Noise Monitoring
• Vibration Monitoring
• Chemical Exposure and Risk Assessments
• Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Materials Management
• Environmental Monitoring
• Personal Monitoring
• Respiratory Equipment Fit Tests
  
  

Noise and Vibration Monitoring

To determine if the workplace noise levels exceed the exposure limits, a noise consultant will do a preliminary noise assessment, document the sources of noise in the workplace and determine the nominal noise levels. If noise levels in the workplace are greater than 80 dB(A) then a detailed noise assessment will be completed by a Qualified Occupational Hygienist using NATA calibrated sound equipment.

Whole Body Vibration is a generic term for the oscillations that occur when workers operate plant and machinery such as earth moving equipment, trucks, airplanes, helicopters, crane, train and other equipment, where the whole of the body oscillates up, down, side to side and/or back to front or any combination of these.

What are the Potential Health Effects of Whole Body Vibration?

The most significant risk of whole body vibration is musculo-skeletal injuries, primarily back pain. This is generally due to the muscle response to maintain posture for the average vibration measurements over longer periods of time. However, jolts and jars can cause significant risk of injury from a single event. Other risks include seating design and posture while sitting for extended periods of time as well as undertaken manual handling tasks that increase strain to back muscles causing pain and discomfort.

What is the Legislation Governing Whole Body Vibration?

Work Health and Safety Regulation states that:
The Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking must manage the risks to workers health and safety and eliminate the risks to health and safety so far as reasonably practicable. If it is not reasonably practicable to eliminate the risks to health and safety, these risks are to be minimised as far as is reasonably practicable.

ISO 2631-1:1997, Mechanical vibration and shock- Evaluation of human exposure to whole-body vibration and AS 2670 .1 Evaluation of human exposure to whole-body vibration. AS 2670.1 is essentially adopted from ISO 2631-1.
The European Union Vibration Directive 2002/44/EC.

Both guidance documents quantify the vibrations measurements through the average root mean square acceleration values and the Vibration Dose Value (VDV).

How is Whole Body Vibration Measured?

A Human Vibration Analyzer is used to undertake whole body vibration measurements according to ISO 2631-1 Mechanical vibration and shock, Evaluation of human exposure to whole body vibration Part 1: General requirements.

Representative measurements are generally taken for between 10 – 40 minutes using a Type 4515-B-002 Seat Pad including Type 4524-B Accelerometer. The seat pad is placed on the seat of the plant/machinery whereby the driver sits on top to measure the whole-body vibration values. An additional accelerometer can be fixed underneath the seat to the chassis to measure the attenuation provided by the seat.

Health Monitoring the Effects of Whole Body Vibration

It is recommended that all employees exposed to whole body vibration are subjected to a clinical examination by a qualified physician, preferably an occupational physician, including, back function examination and effects on pain of forward and lateral flexion and extension; peripheral neurological examination and signs of muscle weakness. Where there is injury evident and is likely as a result of work activities, the worker and employer must be informed, and action taken to review a risk assessment and implement suitable control measures to eliminate or minimise the risk.

Our Clients

• Multinational Organisations
• Government and Public Departments
• Private Organisations
• Private Individuals
• Removal and Remediation Companies

Our Projects

• Road and Rail Infrastructure Projects
• Tunnelling Works
• Manufacturing and Industrial Workplaces
• Residential, Commercial and Industrial Development Sites
• Development Applications (DA)
• Work Place Health and Safety Investigations
• Due Diligence