Indoor and ambient air pollutants, hazardous building construction materials, and industrial chemicals are the factors often associated with potentially adverse health impacts in the general public and occupationally exposed industrial workers. In response to this, Hemmera offers a suite of services to help our clients address occupational safety standards and meet the current BC Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) and/or Canadian federal regulatory criteria for occupational hygiene.
Service categories in this area include:
Occupational Hygiene
Hemmera offers occupational exposure monitoring services to ensure that exposure concentrations of potentially hazardous substances/agents do not exceed the current regulatory limits. Hemmera can help through chemical/biological exposure, electromagnetic field, heat stress and noise exposure assessments and through remediation or abatement design, implementation and monitoring.
Indoor Air Quality Assessment
Hemmera's services allow proactive preventative maintenance and investigation to identify and control indoor air pollution; a strategy encouraged by the WCB of British Columbia and other occupational health agencies. A typical indoor air quality (IAQ) assessment involves monitoring of the following parameters: CO, CO2, temperature, relative humidity, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Hazardous Building Materials Survey/Management
Hemmera personnel are trained to collect bulk material samples from suspect construction materials and to design and supervise asbestos containing material (ACM) management and abatement programs. In addition, Hemmera can provide a full range of consulting services covering sampling and analysis of potentially hazardous materials (e.g., lead, mercury, organic compounds, fungi), hazard assessments, and development of management programs to control and monitor potentially hazardous materials.
Confined Space Entry Procedures/Programs
Members of the Hemmera team are certified in confined space entry and provide procedures and programs to reduce occupational risks. These procedures and programs deal with the confined space hazards such as oxygen deficiency, flammable/explosive materials, and the presence of potentially toxic substances.
Hemmera provides indoor air quality investigations and airborne mould assessments which are particularly relevant in regions with high humidity and precipitation, such as Greater Vancouver, where wood-frame building envelope failure followed by repeated water ingress and condensation ("leaky" condos) can lead to mould development. Hemmera can provide Airborne and Material Mould (Fungi) Assessments, Mould Identification and Health Impact Interpretation, Mould Remediation Procedures/Management, and Litigation Support Services.
