Development of a Personal Ultrasound Exposimeter for Occupational Health Monitoring.

Area of Science:

• Acoustics
• Occupational Health and Safety
• Instrumentation Engineering

Background:

• Prolonged workplace exposure to airborne ultrasound poses risks to worker well-being.
• Current monitoring devices have limitations in frequency range and portability.
• Legal and regulatory requirements mandate workplace ultrasound exposure monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the first prototype of a wearable high-frequency and ultrasound personal exposimeter.
• To evaluate the prototype's performance against national and international standards for occupational health monitoring.
• To assess the device's capability in measuring sound levels in both audible and ultrasonic ranges.

Main Methods:

• Laboratory simulation of industrial scenarios using ultrasonic equipment (welding machine, cleaning bath, compressed air gun).
• Testing the prototype's sound level detection from 10 kHz to 40 kHz and 60 dB to 90 dB amplitude.
• Comparison of prototype measurements with a calibrated ultrasound level meter up to 100 kHz in a free-field environment.

Main Results:

• The prototype demonstrated good agreement with a reference ultrasound level meter in high-intensity sound fields.
• The device's portability was considered for extended workday monitoring (e.g., 8 hours).
• Measurement uncertainty was estimated, focusing on electro-acoustical contributions.

Conclusions:

• The developed personal exposimeter prototype shows promise for accurate workplace ultrasound monitoring.
• This wearable device addresses the need for improved portability and frequency range in occupational health assessments.
• Further validation and refinement are suggested, considering specific measurement setups and procedures.