The Committee on Analytical Requirements (CAR) comprises occupational hygienists and other stakeholders from HSL, external agencies and industry. Its aim is to identify new or improved tools to assess exposure to harmful substances in the workplace and disseminate information to potential users.

  Terms of Reference
  News
  Methods in Preparation
  Minutes of Meetings
  Useful Links

Terms of Reference

The aims of the Committee on Analytical Requirements and its working groups, in liaison with other organisations are:

• To advise on the need for new or improved tools to assess exposure to harmful materials in workplaces covered by HSE and Local Authorities;
• To evaluate and peer review the tools to ensure they are fit for purpose;
• To disseminate information about the assessment tools to potential users;
• To encourage good quality in the application of the tools.

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News

• MDHS 48 Newspaper print rooms: measurement of total particulates and cyclohexane soluble material in air has been withdrawn June 2008.
• MDHS 98/2 Hydroquinone in Air was published in July 2007.
• MDHS 99 Metals in air by ICP-AES was published in June 2006.
• MDHS 81 Dustiness of powders and materials has been replaced by CEN method EN 15051:2006 Workplace atmospheres - Measurement of the dustiness of bulk materials - Requirements and reference test methods. For advice on this method please contact HSL.
• MDHS 83/2 Resin acids in rosin (colophony) solder flux fume. Laboratory method using gas chromatography was published July 2006.
• MDHS 39/4 Asbestos fibres in air sampling and evaluation by Phase Contrast Microscopy (PCM) under the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations and Asbestos in bulk materials and MDHS 77 Sampling and identification by polarised light microscopy (PLM) have now been incorporated into HSG248 Asbestos: the analysts' guide for sampling, analysis and clearance procedures and will be withdrawn by the end of 2006 when the new regulations are due to come into force.
• MDHS 63/2 1,3-Butadiene in air. Laboratory method using diffusive samplers, thermal desorption and gas chromatography was published March 2005.
• MDHS 101 Crystalline silica in respirable airborne dusts was published February 2005. This method replaces MDHSs 37 and 51.
• MDHS 53/2 1,3-Butadiene in air. Laboratory method using pumped molecular sieve sorbent tubes, thermal desorption and gas chromatography was published August 2003.
• MDHS 95/2 Measurement of personal exposure of metalworking machine operators to airborne water-mix metalworking fluid was published August 2003.

Methods in Preparation

• New MDHS on Asbestos contaminated land
• New MDHS on ICP/MS
• MDHS 97 Methods for sampling surface contamination
• MDHS 61/2 Total hexavalent chromium compounds in air
• MDHS 59/2 Man-made mineral fibre

 

Minutes of Meetings

  Meeting 49, 16 May 2006 - click here to download (PDF)
  Meeting 48, 27 October 2005 - click here to download (PDF)
  Workshop, 8 June 2005 - click here to download (PDF)

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Useful Links

  NIOSH (www.cdc.gov/niosh/nmam/)
  OSHA (www.osha.gov/dts/sltc/methods/toc.html)
  ISO Catalogue (www.iso.ch/iso/en/CatalogueListPage.CatalogueList)
  CEN Catalogue (www.cenorm.be/catweb/cwsen.htm)
  BOHS(www.bohs.org/standardTemplate.aspx)

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