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Variation of exposure between workers in homogeneous exposure groups
S M Rappaport1, H Kromhout, E Symanski
1School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599-7400.
American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal
|November 1, 1993
Summary
Homogeneous exposure groups (HEGs) often fail to ensure uniform worker exposure. Analysis reveals significant between-worker variation, challenging traditional observational methods for hazard assessment.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Industrial Hygiene
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Workers in the same job and location are often assumed to have uniform long-term exposure.
- This assumption underpins the creation of homogeneous exposure groups (HEGs) using job title and work environment features.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the between-worker variance in exposure within established homogeneous exposure groups (HEGs).
- To evaluate the effectiveness of traditional observational schemes in creating uniformly exposed worker groups.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 183 HEGs comprising 15,495 personal exposure measurements.
- Statistical determination of the between-worker component of exposure variance.
Main Results:
- Contrary to assumptions, only about 20% of HEGs demonstrated uniform exposure (less than a two-fold difference).
- An equal proportion of HEGs exhibited high variation (over 15-fold differences).
- Work environment features accounted for only 13% of the between-person exposure variation.
Conclusions:
- Observational schemes for HEGs do not reliably ensure uniform worker exposure.
- Industrial hygienists should utilize statistical methods to estimate variance components for accurate hazard evaluation and control selection.