Work Environment Measurement (WEM) is a process of measuring the magnitude, frequency and duration of exposure to physical and chemical hazards.
As per the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) general provision towards Occupational Safety and Health Standards. The objectives of this issuance are to protect every workingman against the dangers of injury, sickness or death through safe and healthful working conditions, thereby assuring the conservation of valuable manpower resources and the prevention of loss or damage to lives and properties, consistent with national development goals and with the State’s commitment for the total development of every worker as a complete human being.
By this, the EnvironAir Asia Inc. is conducting series of techniques and processes for testing to detect worst cases that may need improvement in order to comply with the standards of DOLE.
In line with this are the parameters that affects the entire production workers such as;
Physical Hazards: Illumination, Noise, Temperature, Relative Humidity, Heat Stress, Air Velocity.
Chemical Hazards: Dusts, Organic Solvents, Metals and Acids.
Rule 1077, OSHS
Work Environment Measurement (WEM)
- The employer shall maintain and control the working environment in comfortable and healthy conditions for the purpose of maintaining and promoting the health of his workers.
- WEM shall mean sampling and analysis carried out in respect of the atmospheric working environment for the purpose of determining actual conditions therein.
Conduct of Measurement
This often involves measurement of the personal exposure of a worker to the hazard/agent in the workplace, particularly at the relevant interface between the environment and the body, e.g. breathing zone, hearing zone, and assessment of the data in terms of recommended occupational exposure limits (OELs), where such criteria exist.
Standards and Institutional References
| Details | Link |
| Department of Labor and Employment: Occupational Safety and Health Center (DOLE) | http://www.oshc.dole.gov.ph/ |
| Occupational Safety and Health Standards, As Amended 1989 | http://www.oshc.dole.gov.ph/UserFiles/oshc2010/file/OSH_Standards_Amended_1989_Latest.pdf |
| Philippine Occupational Safety and Health Standard | http://www.oshc.dole.gov.ph/UserFiles/oshc2010/file/occupational_safety_and_health_standards.pdf |
| List of Accredited OSH Consultant (As of June 2016) | http://www.oshc.dole.gov.ph/UserFiles/oshc2010/Updated_Accredited_Consultants_06062016.pdf |
| List of Accredited OSH Consultancy Organization (As of June 2016) | http://www.oshc.dole.gov.ph/UserFiles/oshc2010/Accredited_SCO_062016.pdf |
| List of PPE That Pass the Performance Testing Standard of the OSHC | http://www.oshc.dole.gov.ph//371/Personal-Protective-Equipment-%28PPE%29-that-Passed-Performance-Testing-Standard-of-OSHC |
| Kwentong OSH and Announcements | http://kwentongosh.wix.com/kwentongosh |
| ASEAN-OSHNET | http://www.aseanoshnet.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=67:introduction-to-the-asean-oshnet |
| The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) | https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ |
| US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) | https://www3.epa.gov/ |
| The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) | http://www.acgih.org/ |
| The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) | https://www.ashrae.org/ |
| The American Industrial Hygienist Association (AIHA) | https://www.aiha.org/Pages/default.aspx |
| The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) | https://www.ansi.org/ |
| Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (US) | http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ |
| Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety | http://www.ccohs.ca/ |
| Prism Analytical Technologies, Inc. | http://www.pati-air.com/ |
Journals
| Title | Link |
| Effects of the Physical Work Environment on Physiological Measures of Stress | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2917179/?report=reader#!po=20.5882 or http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2917179/pdf/nihms203477.pdf |
| Effect of Temperature on Task Performance in Office Environment | https://indoor.lbl.gov/sites/all/files/lbnl-60946.pdf |
| Performance Measurement of Workplace Change | http://abe.tudelft.nl/index.php/faculty-architecture/article/view/Riratanaphong/pdf_Riratanaphong |
| Working Environment Measurement in Japan | http://www.jawe.or.jp/english/pdf/WEMS20100520.pdf |