It is recommended that a walkthrough survey be undertaken as the first step as this assists to place exposures into context in the development of a suitable sampling strategy that is fit for purpose.

To characterise exposure personal air monitoring is undertaken. This uses an air pump that draws air through particle size selective sampling head and collects respirable particles onto a filter over the course of the day. The filter is then analysed for crystalline silica using XRD or FTIR. The airborne concentration of silica is then calculated by the amount of by the volume of air that is drawn through the pump divided by the measured amount of silica.

The airborne concentration is then assessed to the exposure standard. the exposure standard is a level where it is not expected that a person will be adversely affected throughout the course of their working life if they are exposed to that level of contaminant. 8 hrs a day, 5 days a week for 40 years

Monitoring can be undertaken over the entire day or broken up into tasks to identify which contribute most to exposure. by identifying the tasks that contribute to the highest levels of exposure controls can be implemented and their effectiveness assessed.