Outcomes of a Periodic Exposure Assessment of Workers at a University Campus

Standards promulgated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)are applicable to most businesses in the private sector, however, state and local government entities are not under OSHA’s jurisdiction. Universities that receive public funding fall under the category of state and local government entities and, unless an OSHA-approved State plan explicitly states otherwise, they are not required to demonstrate compliance with OSHA standards and are not subject to OSHA inspections. Without being constrained by federal regulation, those responsible for ensuring the health and safety of employees at publicly funded universities have some leeway in their methods for evaluating the conditions of work environments. The purpose of this study is to compare the methods used for assessing worker exposures in a university setting with OSHA requirements by describing typical exposure assessment processes. Exposures to three exposure agents were assessed: formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds, and noise. The results of this study indicate that the methods used to assess workplace exposures in this setting are not always consistent with OSHA methodologies. It is recommended that future, similar assessments utilize standardized sampling and analytical methods to protect employees from workplace exposures