Representativeness of the measurements results: a key issue for Occupational Risk Assessment and Management. Discussion on air dispersed particulates

Occupational Safety and Health - OSH 2. the analysis of the exposure way, frequency and duration; 3. measuring processes aimed to effectively characterize, with the necessary detail, the Hazard Factors (physical, chemical, biological) which can compromise the workers Safety and Health; 4. statistical criteria suitable to ensure the representativeness of the achieved measurement results, essential to make comparisons with the limit values suggested by Safety regulations, standards and good practices. The first two steps represent the target of the measuring campaigns design; the Risk analyst should devote special care on the preliminary examination of the activity, to obtain all the information necessary to define a measuring program suitable to provide -in each special situation under exam- correct data on the workers exposure to the investigated Hazard Factors. The two following steps are pivotal to ensure that the measurement results, thanks to their quality, detail and statistical representativeness, can be correctly used as reliable input data for the assessment of the actual workers' exposure scenario, and its comparison with the limit values suggested by Safety regulations, standards and good practices, effectively supporting the decision making process on control design if necessary. A practical example clarifies, with calculations based on actual airborne particulate pollution data, the criteria above discussed.