Air and Odour Monitoring
Environmental air monitoring is usually required for Environmental Permit compliance purposes. Air monitoring can also be required for health surveillance of the workforce, to ensure that the Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs) for certain hazardous materials are not being exceeded, to protect your staff’s health.
Odour monitoring may also be required for Permit compliance (EA), or where there is an ongoing problem creating a nuisance (Local Authority).
There are several types of air monitoring which can be carried out:
- Stack monitoring, from vents (point sources) to atmosphere
- Air monitoring inside buildings
- Personnel monitoring using “badges”
- Odour “sniff tests”
Stack monitoring for Permit compliance must be carried out in accordance with the MCERTS scheme, by a qualified person using the appropriate equipment for the substances to be monitored. The samples must then be tested by an accredited laboratory. We work with several specialist companies who carry out this type of work on behalf of our clients.
Air monitoring inside buildings does not need to be carried out under MCERTS, and can be carried out by trained personnel, with testing carried out at accredited laboratories. We are experienced in this type of monitoring using fixed and portable monitors for individual or multiple pollutants.
Personnel monitoring for COSHH purposes is outside our sphere or expertise. However we know, and can recommend, several companies who are experts in this field.
Sniff testing follows a standardised procedure for assessing odour which has been developed by the Environment Agency. We have considerable experience in following this method, including:
- designing site-specific sniff test programmes;
- carrying out sniff tests at specific or random times, and
- collating and mapping the results to help predict local odour behaviour.
Your staff can also be trained by us to carry out sniff tests in a standardised and defensible manner, as long as they have not become desensitised to the specific odours of concern (see Environmental Monitoring Training page).
If you need help with Air and Odour Monitoring, contact Janet on 01422 24 22 22 or email janet.