Safety at the workplace and employees’ health are top priority. Products have to meet strict requirements to ensure that they are not hazardous. OCAS offers the necessary know-how and advanced equipment for your health and safety (PDF 371 kB) risk assessment.

Using our dedicated sampling methods, we check the possible release of hazardous compounds during welding, cutting, coating application, etc. Air sampling (gas and dust) is done either on and near your production lines and at the workplace, or by simulating your process in our laboratory. To sample gas, we use sorbent tubes and our Field and Laboratory Emission Cell (FLEC). Dust is captured with filters and the Electrical Low Pressure Impactor (ELPI). We also have expertise in liquid sampling, for instance in leaching tests for food contact suitability and Cr(VI) presence.

When it comes to gasses, the indoor air quality and release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from coated steel panels are investigated using thermal desorption, gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS). This technique allows for a fast and accurate cost-effective assessment. We can also detect and quantify chromium compounds (Cr6+ and Cr3+) from coil-coated and treated materials. For dust analysis, we rely on the ELPI to identify particle size and concentrations.

One of our key attention points is welding fumes analysis (PDF 83 kB). The pyrolysis GC-MS is a first screening test to determine the most important compounds. Afterwards a laboratory welding test is performed using the OCAS Toxibox. This can be completed with a full workplace analysis. Discover the full story on our welding fumes expertise. Not only when launching a new product, but also when optimising your existing product or process, it is recommended to perform a full risk assessment.