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Variation of exposure between workers in homogeneous exposure groups.

Rappaport SM; Kromhout H; Symanski E

Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1993 Nov; 54(11):654-662

https://doi.org/10.1080/15298669391355198

00217494

A study was conducted on variations in the levels of occupational exposures in homogeneous exposure groups (HEGs) sorted based upon job title, location, and other features of the work environment. Data obtained from studies conducted by industrial hygienists were used to assign HEGs or to identify already established HEGs. Each HEG was then analyzed to see whether an analysis of variance model could be used to estimate the components of variance. Only about 20% of the HEGs were found to be uniformly exposed and an equal number showed a high degree of variation between workers in the group. The work factors typically used to assign HEGs were found to be only marginally related to the variation seen between workers in a group and specific features of each job such as the mix of tasks performed and the work practices of the individual workers were responsible for most of the variation. The authors conclude that industrial hygienists should not use observational schemes to assign workers to exposure groups but should use statistical sampling methods to estimate variance components.

NIOSH-Publication; NIOSH-Cooperative-Agreement; Occupational-exposure; Analytical-methods; Industrial-hygiene; Statistical-analysis; Industrial-health-programs; Exposure-levels

AIHAAP

19931101

Journal Article

Cooperative Agreement

1994

Cooperative-Agreement-Number-U60-CCU-902886

11

0002-8894

American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal