The primary purpose of the Self-Help Program is to assist employers in conducting their own evaluations of hazardous exposures in their workplaces. This free service provides limited technical industrial hygiene guidance, monitoring and measuring equipment, sample analyses and general information. To get the most benefit from the program, employers must be trained to use the equipment and must be sufficiently familiar with the health hazards.

Eligiblity
The program is designed to assist small employers, typically with 250 employees or less. High-hazard industries will be given priority. High hazard is determined by matching the employer's primary or secondary Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code to a SIC code list of current high-hazard industries.

For example, a loan of noise monitoring equipment to employers in the following categories would be given priority:

• Logging, sawmills and dimensional lumber,
• Wood household furniture,
• Foundries,
• Fabrication of structural metal,
• Metal stamping, and
• Screw machine products.

Available Equipment
Both exposure monitoring equipment and sample analyses are available for a number of air contaminants including dusts, mists, metal fumes and organic vapors. Also, air velocity measuring equipment is available for evaluating ventilation systems, which relate to the reduction of employee air contaminant exposures. Noise monitoring equipment is also available.

This program is intended to assist employers with specific concerns. It is not intended for plant-wide hazard studies, or regular and ongoing inspections. Plant-wide hazard studies and unique situations involving monitoring are best addressed by requesting an onsite consultation visit or obtaining a private consultant.

Requesting Self-help Services

While onsite, the consultant will discuss employee exposure sampling strategy (including a review of the work area, personnel and equipment), equipment operation, and the completion of monitoring paperwork. The consultant will ask that you sign an agreement stating that you will correct any problems that are revealed through the monitoring. The consultant will then depart, leaving the employer to conduct the monitoring.

Once the air and/or noise monitoring is complete, the employer must promptly return the monitoring equipment, any collected samples and paperwork. They can be returned by mail, UPS, or in person. Upon their return, the health consultant will review the collected samples and paperwork for completion and accuracy and submit them to the MIOSHA Occupational Health Laboratory for analyses.

When the analytical results are received from the laboratory, the health consultant will determine the exposures of the monitored employees and will compare them to the applicable MIOSHA exposure limits. This information will be summarized in a brief report to the employer. This service is available to an employer once in a three-year period.

Employee Over Exposure
Employers who have employee exposures in excess of an exposure limit will be provided with information regarding how to reduce the exposure and/or protect the employee from the exposure. An employee exposure that exceeds the exposure limit is considered a serious hazard.

When a serious hazard is noted, the consultant will notify the employer and discuss hazard control methods and a date for the hazard correction. The consultant will later follow-up with the employer to verify that the hazard has been corrected. Additional Self-Help exposure monitoring may be necessary to verify the correction.

How to Contact Us
Exposure monitoring is one component of an employer's total safety and health program and is a valuable tool for providing workplace protection to employees. The CET Division can help employers develop a safety and health program, improve an existing program, or find the help to solve tough safety problems.

CET services include: onsite consultation surveys and compliance assistance; safety and health development programs; training and education services, such as seminars, workshops and special programs; video and publications library; and responses to general MIOSHA or toxicological concerns.