Which agents belong to this category
INSST groups physical risks into thermal conditions, noise, vibration, ionising radiation and non-ionising radiation. The latter includes electromagnetic fields and optical radiation. These can occur in industrial processes, construction, research and services.
The category helps organise the inventory, but does not by itself describe risk. Two energy-generating machines may produce very different exposures depending on operation, location and use.
Start with sources and tasks
Walk through the process and identify equipment, operations and environmental conditions. Ask who approaches the source, for how long and in which situations: production, cleaning, adjustment, maintenance or movement around the workplace.
For example, occupational noise and mechanical vibration may come from the same equipment, but affect people differently and require specific assessments. Measuring one does not mean the other has been studied.
Choose an appropriate assessment
Before measuring, define what needs to be known and which criterion applies. The instrument, measurement quantity, location and observation period must match the agent and exposure conditions.
Occupational hygiene measurement and sampling must represent relevant tasks. A reading during a quiet moment may miss intermittent operations. Manufacturer data provides guidance but does not always describe actual personal exposure at work.
Do not mix criteria for different agents
Thermal conditions require consideration of environmental conditions, activity and other relevant variables. Radiation requires distinguishing its nature and the form of exposure. It is invalid to summarise everything as “energy” and apply one scale.
Methods and reference values are selected according to agent, country and conditions. Ionising radiation has a specific framework; it must not be assessed as though it were noise or just any non-ionising radiation.
From assessment to control
Measures must address the sources and exposures actually identified. Replacing equipment, isolating a process, reducing transmission or changing organisation are decisions requiring justification and verification.
Exposure must also be reviewed following changes to equipment, process or working hours. Monitoring and maintenance help detect lost effectiveness. Having an old measurement does not demonstrate that current conditions remain controlled.
Hypothetical example: reviewing a workshop
A workshop introduces a machine and updates its inventory. It observes noise during one operation and vibration when using an auxiliary tool. It also identifies an area with thermal conditions requiring study.
The prevention team opens three distinct assessment questions and selects appropriate methods. This prevents a single noise measurement from being presented as a complete assessment of all physical agents in the workshop.
