What this is
What is a personal air sampling record?
What is a personal air sampling record?
A personal air sampling record documents a sample collected from a worker's breathing zone over a defined period, usually a shift, and the result compared against the relevant occupational exposure limit. It exists to answer one question: what did this person actually breathe.
How is personal sampling different from area monitoring?
Personal sampling places the media on the worker, in the breathing zone, so the result represents that individual's exposure. Area monitoring is taken at a fixed point and tells you about the location, not the person. The two are complementary and neither substitutes for the other.
Why does the sampled day matter as much as the result?
The number only means something if the day it came from was normal. A low result from a low-production day, or one with unusual conditions, does not demonstrate that a normal shift is safe; it demonstrates that a quiet shift was.
Scope
When is a personal air sampling record required?
Personal sampling measures an individual's exposure directly. It is not the tool for deciding whether monitoring is needed, and it does not stand in for the location-level check area monitoring provides.
Use this template when
- A worker's exposure to an airborne agent needs quantifying against a permissible exposure limit or threshold limit value
- A similar exposure group has been identified and a monitoring plan calls for a representative worker to be sampled
- A qualitative exposure assessment has flagged a task as a candidate for monitoring and now needs a measured result
- A control change, process change or complaint requires evidence of the actual exposure a worker experiences
- A periodic re-sample is due under the surveillance programme for a substance already known to be present
Do not use it for
- Area Monitoring Record, which is taken at a fixed point in the workplace and tells you about the location rather than any individual's exposure
- Similar Exposure Group Register, which groups workers by task and agent and is where the monitoring plan is built before any sampling happens
- Qualitative Exposure Assessment, which forms the professional judgement of likely exposure that decides whether sampling is warranted at all
- Noise Dosimetry Record, which uses a dosimeter and a different exposure metric even though it is also worn on the person
- Exposure Result Review, which interprets a completed sample's result against the trend and turns it into a decision
Compliance mapping
Which OSHA 1910.1000 requirements does this satisfy?
Neither OSHA nor ACGIH prescribes a single sampling form, but both are prescriptive about the concentration a result is judged against.
| Clause | Requirement | Where it lands |
|---|---|---|
| OSHA 1910.1000(a) | Permissible exposure limits set the concentration a sample result is compared against, by substance | Result |
| OSHA 1910.1000(e) | Administrative and engineering controls considered and implemented where feasible before reliance on respiratory protection | Follow up |
| ACGIH TLV Introduction | The time-weighted average is an eight-hour figure; a sample covering a different period must be normalised on a stated basis | Result |
| ACGIH TLV Introduction, sampling strategy | A sample is expected to represent the worker's exposure on a normal working day, not an atypical one | Sampling conditions |
| NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods | Method-specific media, flow rate and calibration tolerance for the analyte sampled | Equipment and method |
| OSHA 1910.1020(c) | Employee exposure records, including sample data, retained and accessible to the exposed employee | Follow up |
| OSHA 1910.1020(g) | The employee, or their representative, informed of monitoring results | Follow up |
What it does not cover
- Area Monitoring Record, which is taken at a fixed point and characterises the location, not any individual's breathing zone.
- Similar Exposure Group Register, which groups workers by shared task and agent and is where the monitoring plan itself is built.
- Qualitative Exposure Assessment, the professional judgement made before any sampling occurs, deciding whether it is warranted.
- Exposure Control Plan, where a result approaching or exceeding the limit is turned into an engineering or administrative response.
- Noise Dosimetry Record, which quantifies a different hazard against a different metric even though also worn on the person.
Global
Personal Air Sampling Record requirements by country
The duty to keep exposure below a limit is close to universal. What differs is which figure is the legal limit, how prescriptive the sampling method must be, and who has a right to the result.
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1000, Table Z-1
Permissible exposure limits are the enforceable figure; ACGIH TLVs are a widely used reference but not federal law.
A result that clears the PEL can still exceed the TLV, and many corporate hygiene programmes hold to the stricter figure regardless of what is enforceable.
COSHH Regulations 2002, reg.10; HSE EH40 Workplace Exposure Limits
Workplace exposure limits are set nationally, and personal sampling is the method HSE guidance expects for demonstrating compliance.
HSE's MDHS methods prescribe sampling technique in more detail than OSHA does, and departing from the specified method needs justifying.
ACGIH Threshold Limit Values
Not law by default anywhere, but adopted by reference into many national regulations and multinational exposure programmes.
Where a site operates across jurisdictions, the TLV is often the figure actually managed to, because it travels with the company rather than the site.
How to complete it
How to complete a personal air sampling record, step by step
The form captures a number. Whether it is defensible depends on four judgement calls the template prompts for but cannot make on its own.
Production rate, unusual conditions and whether the task was performed as normal determine whether the sample means anything. A correct result from an atypical day is not evidence about a normal one; treating it as such is the most common way a defensible-looking record is wrong.
The default purpose of personal sampling is to establish exposure before protection, meaning outside the facepiece. Sampling inside understates that, and the two should never be conflated without the record saying explicitly which was done and why.
A sample covering less than the full shift has to become an eight-hour figure, and the assumption about the unsampled period is where a defensible extrapolation and an optimistic one diverge. State it, rather than letting the number reach the TWA field with no visible working.
A flow deviation outside tolerance or an absent field blank does not produce a slightly less certain result; it produces a result nobody can rely on. Say the sample was voided and resampled, rather than carrying the number forward with a caveat nobody reads.
What auditors find
Most common personal air sampling record findings
Findings rarely concern whether the paperwork exists. They concern whether the number can be trusted and whether anyone acted on it.
| Finding | Clause | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Sample taken on an atypical production day, not flagged before closing out the exposure question. | ACGIH TLV Introduction, sampling strategy | Record production rate and unusual conditions honestly; treat an atypical result as indicative pending a resample. |
| Pump flow deviation exceeded tolerance but the result was still reported as valid. | NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods | Void and resample whenever pre- and post-calibration flows differ by more than the stated tolerance. |
| Worker sampled inside the respirator, understating the exposure the record is meant to establish. | OSHA 1910.1000(a) | Sample outside the facepiece by default; record explicitly if an inside-mask sample was intentional. |
| Partial-shift sample reported as an eight-hour TWA with no extrapolation basis stated. | ACGIH TLV Introduction | State the assumption used to extrapolate, or report the figure as partial and unextrapolated. |
| No field blank submitted, so contamination cannot be distinguished from a genuine low result. | NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods | Submit a field blank with every batch and use it to correct or void the result. |
| Worker never informed of the result, or informed without an explanation in plain language. | OSHA 1910.1020(g) | Record that the result was communicated and explained, not merely filed once received. |
Case in point
Case in point: the result that was correct for a day that never came back
A meat processing site ran personal ammonia sampling for a cutting room worker as part of its annual cycle. The sample was taken outside the respirator, calibration was within tolerance, and the result came back a fraction of both the PEL and the TLV. The record was filed as compliant and the exposure question closed for the year.
The sampled shift had run at reduced output for scheduled maintenance, and the Production Rate field read Below normal. Nobody used that field to qualify the result before sign-off; the annual review treated the low number as proof the exposure was controlled. Weeks later, on a normal shift, a worker in the same role reported respiratory symptoms, and the resample came back markedly higher. The representativeness fields had recorded exactly the condition that made the first result unreliable; the process around the form had never been built to act on them.
The template
The template, field by field
The form exactly as it installs. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it.
5 sections
- Reference
- HLT-003
- Archetype
- Record
- Record ID
- EXP-2026-000
- Scoring
- Result against OEL
- Direction
- High is bad
- Singleton
- No
- Basis
- OSHA 1910.1000, ACGIH TLV
- Links
- Links Worker, SEG, Substance
- Tags
- Hygiene, Monitoring
- Sections
- 5
- Fields
- 53
- Follow up fields
- 3
- Repeating sections
- 0
- Links out
- 5
Header
11 fieldsSample ID*
Auto sequence. Format PAS-2026-000.
The record's own ID. Other templates point at this value.
Status*
Drives who this goes to next.
- Planned2 pts
- In progress2 pts
- Complete3 pts
- Deferred0 pts
- Open0 pts
- Closed3 pts
- Overdue0 pts
Date and Time*
Completed By*
Site*
Site ID*
Format SITE-000.
Links to FDN-001 Site ID
Worker*
Person ID*
Format PER-0000.
Links to FDN-003 Person ID
SEG Reference
Links to HLT-001 Group Reference
Agent Sampled*
Sampling Standard
Sampling conditions
10 fieldsSample A Normal Day
A sample taken on a quiet shift understates exposure. Record the conditions honestly so the result can be interpreted, and note anything that made the day unrepresentative.
Task Performed*
Area*
Shift*
Representative Of Normal Work*
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Production Rate
- Above normal1 pt
- Normal3 pts
- Below normal1 pt
Unusual Conditions
Ventilation Operating Normally*
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Controls In Use During Sample*
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Worker Wearing RPE*
Sampling is normally done outside the respirator to measure exposure before protection.
- Yes, sampled outside3 pts
- Yes, sampled inside1 pt
- No RPE2 pts
Equipment and method
11 fieldsPump Reference*
Pre Calibration Flow*
Post Calibration Flow*
Flow Deviation Percent*
Above five percent deviation usually invalidates the sample.
Media Type*
Blank Submitted*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Sample Start*
Sample End*
Sample Duration Minutes*
Covers Full Shift*
Partial shift samples must be extrapolated with a stated assumption about the unsampled period.
- Yes3 pts
- Partial, extrapolated1 pt
- Partial, not extrapolated0 pts
Chain Of Custody Maintained*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Result
12 fieldsLaboratory*
Laboratory Accredited*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Analysis Method
Result*
Units*
Limit Of Detection
Eight Hour TWA*
Exposure Limit*
Percent Of Limit*
Short Term Exposure Measured
- Yes3 pts
- Not applicable3 pts
- No1 pt
STEL Result
Exceeds Any Limit*
- No3 pts
- Approaching1 pt
- Yes0 pts
Follow up
9 fieldsWorker Informed Of Result*
A legal requirement in most jurisdictions, and the right thing to do regardless.
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Result Explained In Plain Language*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Review ID
Links to HLT-007 Review ID
Action Required*
Raise the action record, then enter its reference here.
- No2 pts
- Yes0 pts
Priority
- High0 pts
- Medium1 pt
- Low3 pts
CAPA ID
Format CAPA-2026-00000.
Links to FDN-014 CAPA ID
Action Owner
Occupational Hygienist*
Signature*
HLT-003 · record IDs look like EXP-2026-000 · Links Worker, SEG, Substance
Open in KnowellaRun it with agents
From a document you fill in to a programme that runs itself
The sample is a single event. What determines whether it means anything is whether the day was representative, the equipment was within tolerance, and the result reached the worker and the control decision it informs.
Holds the sampling record against the exposure group it belongs to, flags results approaching the limit, and keeps calibration and blank evidence attached to the sample.
Turns a result exceeding the limit into a linked action against the control decision, rather than leaving the exceedance sitting on a closed record.
Tracks which exposure records have been communicated to the worker and which remain outstanding, against the recordkeeping duty that requires it.
Watches production rate and unusual-conditions fields for atypical sampling days and flags the result as indicative before it becomes a closed finding.
This template lives in KnowHealth — employee wellbeing. Exposure monitoring, health surveillance, case management and return to work.
Meet KnowHealth→Glossary
Personal Air Sampling Record definitions and key terms
- Breathing zone
- The hemisphere around the nose and mouth from which a person draws breath; personal sampling places the media there to represent actual inhaled exposure.
- Time-weighted average (TWA)
- An exposure figure averaged over a stated period, usually eight hours, against which most exposure limits are set.
- Occupational exposure limit (OEL)
- The general term for the concentration below which most workers can be exposed without adverse effect, expressed as a PEL, TLV or WEL depending on jurisdiction.
- Field blank
- Sampling media handled identically to the exposed sample but not exposed to air, used to detect contamination from handling rather than the atmosphere.
- Flow calibration
- Verifying the sampling pump's flow rate before and after the sample period, since the result depends on the volume of air drawn as much as on the mass collected.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about personal air sampling record
Does personal air sampling replace a qualitative exposure assessment?+
No. The qualitative assessment decides whether sampling is warranted, using task knowledge and existing data. Sampling answers the question the assessment raises.
What counts as a representative sampling day?+
Normal production rate, the task performed as usual, and no unusual conditions noted. A day with reduced output or an unusual method does not produce a representative result.
Should the sample be taken inside or outside the respirator?+
Outside, by default. Personal sampling normally establishes exposure before protection, so the control decision reflects what the workplace produces, not how well a respirator performed.
What happens when the pump's flow rate drifts during the shift?+
If pre- and post-calibration flows differ by more than the method's stated tolerance, commonly five percent, the sample should be invalidated and resampled, not reported with the drift as a caveat.
How is a partial-shift sample turned into an eight-hour TWA?+
By extrapolating with a stated assumption about the unsampled period, typically that exposure there matched the monitored period. Record the assumption; a reviewer will question it if the result is close to the limit.
Who has to be told the result?+
The worker who was sampled, in language they understand, and the record should show it happened. OSHA's recordkeeping duty extends to giving employees access to their own exposure data.
Keep going
Related templates and programmes
Industries this is written for
Programmes this belongs to
Used together in Occupational Health Surveillance
Similar Exposure Group Register
Groups workers who share the same tasks, agents and exposure patterns
Qualitative Exposure Assessment
Rates likely exposure using professional judgement, task knowledge and existing data, before any sampling
Area Monitoring Record
Records fixed point sampling in a work area rather than on a person
Noise Dosimetry Record
Records a worker's noise exposure over a full shift using a personal dosimeter
Chemical Exposure Assessment
Assesses exposure to a specific chemical across the tasks where it is used
Exposure Result Review
Reviews sampling results statistically across a group, rather than judging single samples
More in Exposure Monitoring
Similar Exposure Group Register
Groups workers who share the same tasks, agents and exposure patterns
Qualitative Exposure Assessment
Rates likely exposure using professional judgement, task knowledge and existing data, before any sampling
Area Monitoring Record
Records fixed point sampling in a work area rather than on a person
Noise Dosimetry Record
Records a worker's noise exposure over a full shift using a personal dosimeter
Chemical Exposure Assessment
Assesses exposure to a specific chemical across the tasks where it is used
Exposure Result Review
Reviews sampling results statistically across a group, rather than judging single samples
Written and reviewed by
Siddarth Singh
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Knowella
Certified Safety Professional and industrial and systems engineer with more than a decade inside food supply chain, freight and manufacturing operations. This page was written against the current text of the standards it cites, not against secondary summaries of them.
- Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Board of Certified Safety Professionals
- MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- MS and BS, The Ohio State University, Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Six Sigma Black Belt
Sources and last review. Reviewed 16 August 2026 against:
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1000, Table Z-1, Air Contaminants
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1020, Access to Employee Exposure and Medical Records
- ACGIH Threshold Limit Values and Biological Exposure Indices
- NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods (NMAM)
- HSE EH40/2005, Workplace Exposure Limits
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm requirements with your jurisdiction’s regulator.