(in German)

The European standard EN 689 has been fundamentally revised in recent years. At the beginning of 2020 it has been published. This standard describes a strategy for testing the compliance of the results of workplace measurements with occupational exposure limit values (OELVs). It is focussed on occupational safety and health (OSH) where it is applicable to the risk assessment of inhalation exposure. For the assessment of exposure data in the framework of REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) and the Biocidal Products Regulation, the EN 689 is not yet established. Because it is restricted to testing the compliance with occupational exposure limits, it is not possible to establish a finding "protective measures adequate" according to the Technical Rule for Hazardous Substances (TRGS) 402. The efficacy of protective measures is not considered in the framework of this standard. The following article critically describes the essential contents of the revised version of this standard. The new version of this standard is associated with a significant increase of measurement and testing effort to proof compliance with occupational exposure limit values.

This article is published in the Journal "Gefahrstoffe - Reinhaltung der Luft", Volume 81, Issue 9-10, pp. 345-349.

Please download the article "The new EN 689 - A critical view" (in German only).