61 Developing a new approach for the investigation of fibrous dust exposure for occupational safety and health in practice

Abstract This case study outlines a new approach to support the on-going occupational safety and health program, under the product stewardship programme (PSP) CARE ( Controlled and Reduced Exposure)within the High Temperature Insulation Wool (HTIW) industry. This study is a collaboration between the industry association for HTIW manufacturers (ECFIA) and KOHS, an Austrian Research organisation, who help develop PIMEX (PIctures Mix Exposure) based methods and to provide software to perform PIMEX interventions. ECFIA were an early adopter of PIMEX, while still in the developmental stages and feedback from ECFIA has helped to inform the improved functionality of PIMEX. In this sense the study further discusses the demand for research on instrumentation for field measurements, intervention methods and the relationship between measurement data when compared to knowledge of the tasks, materials and health impact in this industry sector Data collected under PSP CARE has been evaluated and compared to the PIMEX outcomes in various settings. A main element of the study was the visualisation of fibrous dust exposures, in real-world interventions, using PIMEX. This visualisation helps to create digital content, which can be used for a range of learning approaches (learning at the job, virtual learning, etc.). A further challenge would be to determine if the PIMEX data can be adjusted in relation to an elongated particle rather than the typical spherical particles and if comparison of traditional measurements versus other direct reading instruments , using the PIMEX system would be possible.