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NOTES from NIOSH Direct Reading Exposure Assessment Monitoring (DREAM) Workshop. 13-14 NOV 2008. Washington DC. Co-sponsored by AIHA. Workshop purpose: to gather a balanced group of stakeholders and provide input to NIOSH on research needs. About 175 attendees from industry, government (agencies and military), and academia.

The proceedings from this meeting will eventually be posted on the NIOSH web site. But that will be months in the making… So here are some notes… If you attended the workshop and have additional notes from the sessions you attended, post them here! Plese provide your thoughts for NIOSH research efforts and focus in the area of direct-reading instruments,

From John Howard, one of the keynote speakers… “for employees it is a plus to have that immediately available information. Direct reading instruments (DRIs) are not a replacement for industrial hygiene or laboratory analysis but a first-line assessment of worker exposure.”

From another speaker… from the worker’s perspective, the number one concern/point: do not want exposures to be used to restrict work and overtime, this is especially true in mining.

Gas and Vapor. Could not be held to 5 top research topics, reported on nine. #1: gas chromatography (GC) miniaturization; OK to trade some precision for ease of use and lower cost. #2: worker self-monitoring. #9: worker empowerment (which was a recurring theme in all the sessions). DRIs increase work awareness and provide workers with needed information and data to allow workers to self-mitigate. Immediate feedback helps workers make decisions and/or modify their job tasks. #7: OSHA needs to transition and have new DRIs be “compliance acceptable”. #8: DRIs for unknown mixtures.

The ideal DRI would be small, low cost, multifunctional and self-calibrating. DRIs do not replace laboratory analysis for compliance. Need to work on their acceptable use as a field screening tool.

Aerosols. There needs to be a consensus on needed accuracy and validation standards. Standards are also needed for performance and use. (Nanoaerosols were not in the scope of this workshop.) Strategies are needed for the appropriate use of DRIs.

Ergonomics and Vibration. Worker feedback monitors needed. Would like to see the ergo equivalent of a pedometer so that workers know when they are approaching the number of repetitions of a task that might cause problems. Observational approach used more by IH practitioners than DRIs. The gaming industry/Hollywood is using motion-capture biomechanics using video techniques developed in the Netherlands. Musicians can gain performance ability when their instruments are redesigned for improved ergonomics. Research need: field-based/worker self-monitor DRIs. DRIs can help drive work practice and process improvements. DRIs may have negative impact on employees ergonomically. Analogy given: PAPR-welding helmets add back stress/load but provide better respiratory protection.

Noise. No entity has yet taken on testing and certifying noise instruments and this is needed. NIOSH dropped this in the 70s. Focus on DRIs as a way to allow workers to self-modify tasks and work habits when they have real-time noise exposure measurements available to them. Noise exposure for soldiers and music students has got some good, new research. Decreasing the hearing loss in military personnel increases their survivability rates. Loss of speech recognition has negative impact on safety. Overprotect and you increase the danger. There is a focus on hearing protection but that can mean the person can not hear alarms and other audible warnings. Metrics are needed on the quantification of performance/productivity and the ergonomic impact of NOT having a solid hearing conservation program. A depository of exposure and risk data is needed that can be accessed by practitioners and researchers. Data is in silos and needs to be categorized and analyzed. Employees don’t like to wear PPE when they don’t need to. DRIs can give them the data they need to make that decision.

Radiation. No extended audience discussion about this area. Presented as one of the areas that has a pretty well developed set of DRIs and the protocols are well-established.

Biomonitoring and Surface Sampling. Useful for evaluation of cleanup controls and decontamination. Worker empowerment key. Example: used hand wipes for lead to show workers that 50% of the lead was still on their hands after they washed with soap and water.

Research needs. #1: Standards for instruments and performance specifications. #2: Accreditation - need a workshop on this issue, needs to be defensible in court. #3: Training. #4: Acceptable DRIs need to be defined. Standard methods need to be developed. Use for identifying action levels is potential application. #5: new biomarkers and sensors needed. NIEHS gene environment interaction program has some great new results. Exhaled breath monitors one area of potential research. Worker acceptability of biomonitoring is improving. Surface sampling DRIs can be used to determine if action levels have been crossed. Standards are needed that address methods, appropriate surfaces, and acceptable levels.