Blog

Exposure to radon gas not only increases the risk of lung cancer but radon is the second highest cause of lung cancer in the UK with over 1100 annual deaths each year (smoking being the highest cause) and as such, understanding the level of radon and potential exposure in the workplace is fundamental to determining and managing the risk. David Gilmour, business manager for the Environment & Safety team aims to outline the process and explain the importance of monitoring radon exposure in the workplace.…

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Employers must ensure that controls are implemented in the workplace to reduce their employees’ risk of excessive noise exposure, in line with the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005. We explore some of the noise impacts witnessed at a rail depot as well as the solutions and controls implemented to overcome any non-compliance.…

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From construction sites, tunnels, bridges and heritage buildings, to dams, mines and ports, these extreme environmental factors and challenging access points are considered harsh. Here, Sheridan Elliott - SOCOTEC Monitoring’s data acquisition and system integration manager – discusses the challenges of designing and installing monitoring systems in harsh environments, highlighting some of the key considerations to factor into your next monitoring project.…

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Sunday 23 June will mark 2019’s International Women in Engineering Day, a global awareness campaign, coordinated by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES), to increase the profile of women in engineering worldwide and focus attention on the opportunities available to women in engineering and related industries.…

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Studies worldwide have led to conclusions that microplastics are found in salts. But to understand the scope and breadth of the problem firsthand, we purchased eight different types of salt to conduct research into the microplastic content per kilogram of salt.…

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As the requirement for monitoring structures, highways, rail infrastructure, bridges, dams, ports, mines and other assets has increased and projects have become more complex, monitoring instrumentation and data management software has also developed to be more sophisticated. From handheld instrumentation and handwritten data points to cloud-based automatic data collection and analysis tools, instrumentation and monitoring systems have come a long way over the years and they continue to evolve.…

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Soakaways are used to collect surface water runoff allowing for its efficient infiltration into the adjacent soil. Here Ryan Hobson gives a brief overview of soakaway testing and the test methods used to determine whether the soil conditions are suitable for soakaway drainage.…

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Workers who are regularly exposed to high vibration levels may suffer from several kinds of injury to the hands and arms. Accurate measurement of vibration magnitudes for specific tools, tasks and process can form part of a company’s prioritised action plan to control exposure to hand-arm vibration.…

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The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) ongoing ‘DustBuster’ campaign is aiming to tackle occupational lung disease caused by construction dust and other hazardous substances. Mary Cameron outlines how occupational hygienists and occupational health can collaborate to help workplaces stay complaint.…

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Plastic as a problem is no longer a new phenomenon with ever-growing focus and concern on the volume of plastic in the environment. According to Greenpeace, 12.7 million tonnes of plastic make their way to the oceans each year threatening the marine ecosystem. Paul Walker, SOCOTEC’s technical and development specialist, discusses microplastic analysis and its importance to understanding how widespread plastic is in our marine environment.…

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