


Usually, if you have time to wait for the results and the lab used is accredited, sampling badges can be the most accurate. Sampling badges can produce accurate results, but their accuracy depends on the laboratory that is used for analysis and, the results can take a week or two to obtain. A digital monitor also provides an instantaneous reading to a precise part per million or percentage, but it relies on the user to calibrate the sensors on a regular basis using the correct calibration gas and regulator. A detector tube provides an instantaneous reading, but it relies on the user to pump the correct volume of air through it and to identify where the material color change lies on the graduated scale (which doesn’t provide a mark for each part per million).

What is more accurate-an air monitor, a detector tube or a sampling badge?Įach of these methods has its limitations. Most tubes will have a two-year shelf life from the date of manufacture. The manufacturer will usually print the expiration date on the outside packaging of the tubes. So using another brand’s pump may generate inaccurate results. More importantly, the tubes are calibrated to a specific airflow and volume. Usually, detector tubes from one brand won’t fit in another brand’s hand pump because of the difference in diameter of the tubes. These tables list the maximum eight-hour time weighted average (TWA) of a 40-hour workweek and the acceptable exposure ceiling for most chemicals.Ĭan I use a detector tube with a pump from another brand? OSHA regulates employees’ exposure to hazardous vapors in tables Z-1 and Z-2 of the. The dosimeter tube is primarily used to determine an employee’s permissible exposure limit (PEL) over an eight-hour time weighted average (TWA). The detector tube is designed to provide an instantaneous reading with the use of a hand or motorized pump, which will assist in obtaining an employee’s acceptable ceiling concentration of a hazardous chemical. What is the difference between a detector tube and a dosimeter tube?īoth detector tubes and dosimeter tubes contain a color-changing material that is specific for the chemical or family of chemicals that it is designed for and will generally have a graduated scale to display the concentration of the vapor. Key Points The right to review the injury and illness log includes former employees, their personal representatives.
