The BG measurement system for hazardous substances (BGMG) and the exposure database of hazardous substances (MEGA)

German employers' liability insurance associations or Berufsgenossenschaften (BGs)--institutions for statutory accident insurance--maintain a measurement system for hazardous substances, the so-called BGMG. The aim of the BGMG is to determine and document valid results of measurements of exposure primarily for prevention purposes. The data are collected systematically, in parallel to the sampling in a company. Parameters which are supposed to have a visible effect on exposure levels are documented. The MEGA database (documentation of measurement data relating to workplace exposure to hazardous substances) holds 1,629 million measurement values, which have been compiled in since 1972. The database offers a host of selection possibilities for assessments depending on the evaluation strategy.