Consulting Services - TRaCE-UTAH

Our programs, through Technical Regulatory and Compliance Experts-Utah (TRaCE-UTAH), provide consulting services to both assist organizations in need of such resources, as well as to provide a learning opportunity for the graduate students in the program. These programs are comprehensive, educating graduate students in how to recognize, evaluate, and control those factors or stresses in the work environment or surrounding communities that may cause adverse effects to human health. Consultations can result in identification of a research project that is beneficial to the organization receiving our service as well as for the University of Utah, RMCOEH.  See this brochure detailing our services.

Available Industrial Hygiene Services

Available consulting services include, but are not limited to:

  1. Conducting a comprehensive occupational health review of existing or new facilities and programs to determine areas needing enhancement for worker protection.
  2. Monitoring for exposures and/or emissions.
  3. Conducting training.
  4. Assisting in developing or enhancing new programs related to employee protection as needed for special projects (such as lab research or new type of manufacturing).

Specific elements of each service:

  1. Comprehensive occupational health review of existing or new facilities and programs to determine areas needing enhancement for worker protection, which includes the following reviews:

    • Review of required written programs, such as:
      • Hazard communication
      • Hazardous waste operations and emergency response
      • Use of hazardous chemicals in laboratory environments
      • Hearing conservation program
      • Respiratory protection program
      • Radiation safety programs
    • Review of engineering controls:
      • Ventilation (local exhaust and general ventilation system reviews)
      • Illumination (lighting at recommended levels for tasks/job areas)
      • Chemical dispensing and storage areas and equipment
      • Use of barriers (physical containment/barriers for noise, radiation, and the like)
      • Emergency equipment (respirator type and availability)
      • Ergonomics evaluations, industrial and office (done in concert with the ergonomics and safety engineering program)
      • Miscellaneous other controls (vibration abatement)
    • Review of personal protective equipment programs:
      • Types of personal protective equipment used (or should be used)
        • Respiratory protection
        • Protective clothing (gloves, eye wear, shoes, full body suits, thermal protection, and the like)
    • Review of program documentation
    • Review of status of exposure monitoring programs

  2. Monitoring for exposures and/or emissions, for example, monitoring of the following:

    • Chemicals (various organics, inorganics, and mixtures)
    • Biological agents (molds, bacteria, insects)
    • Physical agents:
      • Noise (dosimeter studies, noise survey including octave band analyses)
      • Vibration analysis and evaluation
      • Thermal stresses (hot or cold exposures)
      • Ionizing radiation, (alpha, beta, gamma, x-ray)
      • Non-ionizing radiation (illumination, microwave, laser, UV, IR)

  3. Conducting training, which includes the following:

    • Respiratory protection, training, fit testing
    • Hearing conservation training
    • Radiation safety training
    • Ventilation design and maintenance
    • Laboratory safety (proper use of hoods, chemical storage, and the like)
    • Proper use of personal protective equipment
    • Hazardous waste operator and emergency response training

  4. Assisting in developing or enhancing new programs related to employee protection as needed for special projects (such as lab research or new type of manufacturing), which includes the following:

    • Assist with development of documentation for ISO 9000, ISO 14000, and ISO 18000 programs
    • Assist with review and establishing programs required by the EPA's Toxic Substance Control Act (TOSCA):
      • Preparing a pre-manufacturing notice (PMN) to prepare for manufacturing new chemical(s)
      • Prepare information for significant new use rules (SNUR) notification
      • Development of toxic chemical inventory/list
      • Maintenance of list of allegations of previously unknown effects to humans or the environment