BS EN 17199-5:2025 - Workplace Exposure: Measurement of Dustiness of Bulk Materials

Introducing the BS EN 17199-5:2025, a comprehensive standard designed to ensure safety and precision in measuring the dustiness of bulk materials that contain or release respirable NOAA (Nano-Objects and their Aggregates and Agglomerates) or other respirable particles. This standard is essential for industries where workplace exposure to dust is a concern, providing a reliable method to assess and manage potential health risks.

Key Features of BS EN 17199-5:2025

• Standard Number: BS EN 17199-5:2025
• Pages: 40
• Release Date: November 7, 2025
• ISBN: 978 0 539 29596 2
• Status: Standard

Why Choose BS EN 17199-5:2025?

This standard is a critical tool for ensuring workplace safety and compliance with health regulations. It provides a detailed methodology for measuring the dustiness of bulk materials using the vortex shaker method, a technique known for its accuracy and reliability. By implementing this standard, organizations can effectively monitor and control the exposure of workers to potentially harmful respirable particles.

Comprehensive Guidance

The BS EN 17199-5:2025 offers comprehensive guidance on the procedures and equipment necessary for accurate dustiness measurement. It covers the preparation of samples, the operation of the vortex shaker, and the analysis of results, ensuring that users can achieve consistent and reliable outcomes.

Industry Relevance

This standard is particularly relevant for industries such as mining, construction, pharmaceuticals, and any sector where bulk materials are handled. By adhering to the guidelines set out in BS EN 17199-5:2025, companies can demonstrate their commitment to maintaining a safe working environment and protecting the health of their employees.

Benefits of Implementing BS EN 17199-5:2025

Implementing this standard offers numerous benefits, including:

• Enhanced Safety: By accurately measuring dustiness, organizations can identify potential hazards and implement measures to mitigate them, reducing the risk of respiratory issues among workers.
• Regulatory Compliance: Adhering to this standard helps ensure compliance with national and international health and safety regulations, avoiding potential legal and financial penalties.
• Improved Workplace Environment: A focus on dust control contributes to a cleaner, healthier workplace, boosting employee morale and productivity.
• Reputation Management: Demonstrating a commitment to safety and compliance enhances a company's reputation among clients, partners, and regulatory bodies.

Technical Specifications

The BS EN 17199-5:2025 is a 40-page document that provides detailed technical specifications for the vortex shaker method. It includes step-by-step instructions for conducting tests, ensuring that users can achieve precise and repeatable results. The standard also outlines the necessary equipment and conditions for testing, providing a comprehensive framework for dustiness measurement.

Conclusion

The BS EN 17199-5:2025 is an indispensable resource for any organization concerned with workplace exposure to respirable particles. By providing a robust methodology for measuring dustiness, this standard helps ensure the safety and well-being of workers, while also supporting compliance with health and safety regulations. Invest in the BS EN 17199-5:2025 to enhance your workplace safety protocols and demonstrate your commitment to maintaining a healthy and compliant working environment.

BS EN 17199-5:2025

This standard BS EN 17199-5:2025 Workplace exposure. Measurement of dustiness of bulk materials that contain or release respirable NOAA or other respirable particles is classified in these ICS categories:

• 13.040.30 Workplace atmospheres

This document describes the methodology for measuring and characterizing the dustiness of bulk materials that contain or release respirable NOAA or other respirable particles, under standard and reproducible conditions and specifies for that purpose the vortex shaker method. This document specifies the selection of instruments and devices and the procedures for calculating and presenting the results. It also gives guidelines on the evaluation and reporting of the data. The methodology described in this document enables: a) the measurement of the respirable dustiness mass fraction; b) the measurement of the number-based dustiness index of respirable particles in the particle size range from about 10 nm to about 1 µm; c) the measurement of the number-based emission rate of respirable particles in the particle size range from about 10 nm to about 1 µm; d) the measurement of the number-based particle size distribution of the released respirable aerosol in the particle size range from about 10 nm to 10 µm; e) the collection of released airborne particles in the respirable fraction for subsequent observations and analysis by electron microscopy. This document is applicable to the testing of a wide range of bulk materials including nanomaterials in powder form. NOTE 1 With slightly different configurations of the method specified in this document, dustiness of a series of carbon nanotubes has been investigated ([5] to [10]). On the basis of this published work, the vortex shaker method is also applicable to nanofibres and nanoplates. This document is not applicable to millimetre-sized granules or pellets containing nano-objects in either unbound, bound uncoated and coated forms. NOTE 2 The restrictions with regard to the application of the vortex shaker method on different kinds of nanomaterials result from the configuration of the vortex shaker apparatus as well as from the small size of the test sample required. Eventually, if future work will be able to provide accurate and repeatable data demonstrating that an extension of the method applicability is possible, the intention is to revise this document and to introduce further cases of method application. NOTE 3 As observed in the pre-normative research project [4], the vortex shaker method specified in this document provides a more energetic aerosolization than the rotating drum, the continuous drop and the small rotating drum methods specified in EN 17199 2 [1], EN 17199 3 [2] and EN 17199 4 [3], respectively. The vortex shaker method can better simulate high energy dust dispersion operations or processes where vibration or shaking is applied or even describe a worst case scenario in a workplace, including the (non-recommended) practice of cleaning contaminated worker coveralls and dry work surfaces with compressed air. NOTE 4 Currently no classification scheme in terms of dustiness indices or emission rates has been established according to the vortex shaker method. Eventually, when a large number of measurement data has been obtained, the intention is to revise the document and to introduce such a classification scheme, if applicable.