Health & Safety

Industrial Hygiene

At Great Lakes we’re passionate about keeping people safe in the moment and healthy for life – and we partner with clients to be proactive when it comes to identifying and addressing industrial hygiene concerns. We specialize in chemical exposure monitoring, mold inspections, indoor air quality and noise dosimetry. We can also provide expertise on a wide range of environmental issues including hazardous materials, asbestos, lead, and PCBs.

Chemicals

Exposure assessments are used to determine the adequacy of engineering controls and work practices along with selection of the least hazardous materials that meet performance needs. For facilities without an established process, a thorough review of Material Safety Data Sheets is usually a key part of this service. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used. Qualitative methods alone are often sufficient without actual exposure measurements, based on contaminant characteristics, controls, proximity and duration of potential exposure. Assessments for personal protective equipment can also be a part of this process while generating the written documentation that is required by OSHA.

Air monitoring and other environmental sampling are conducted using NIOSH and OSHA methods. Air monitoring is conducted for comparison with established occupational exposure limits such as the OSHA Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) and American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) Threshold Limit Values (TLVs), or employer defined limits. Sample analyses are obtained from laboratories accredited by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA).

Mold (Fungi)

Our firm provides investigative and consulting services for environmental issues and the comfort, health and well being of building occupants in residential and commercial buildings, schools, hospitals, as well as other public facilities. Our staff of industrial hygienists has been providing environmental consulting and remediation services since 1998.

Remediation

Great Lakes has expertise in managing and determining the scope of many types of remediation activities including those involving asbestos, lead, mercury and water intrusion contamination such as mold.

Noise

GLE performs worker exposure surveys including area noise measurements, personal dosimetry, and noise mapping with comparisons to applicable OSHA (29 CFR 1910.95) or MSHA (30 CFR 62) standards (and to more stringent employer criteria, if utilized). Source characterization measurements are performed to guide noise control efforts. Community noise measurements can be performed (source characterization, property line, or receiver sites) for comparison to local ordinances, or commonly used standards such as the 24-Hr. DNL criteria.