Urine biomonitoring across COSHH-priority substances

What's actually getting into your workforce? Measure it directly.

Urine biological monitoring measures the substance — or its metabolite — that has actually entered your workers' bodies. It's the single most defensible check on whether your engineering controls and RPE are protecting your team in practice, not just on paper.

Request a biomonitoring programme 0800 433 7914

UK-wide since 2013
Independent assessments
ISO 9001 accredited
Practical control advice

What this means for you

Evidence you can act on and defend.

Measured exposure evidence
Data suitable for HSE, insurers and audits.
Independent assessment
Occupational hygiene review of real exposure risk.
Practical control recommendations
Prioritised actions based on risk and operational practicality.
Compliance support
Evidence to support COSHH and internal governance.

Speak with a biological monitoring specialist

0800 433 7914

sales@sysco-env.co.uk

Mon–Fri · 08:00–18:00 · Independent advice · Fixed-price scope

Typical response: same working day

Minimal operational disruption

Sampling during normal activities

Clear fixed scope before attendance

Action-focused reporting

What happens next

We design and run the programme end to end.

From substance selection and sampling protocol through worker briefing, on-site collection, laboratory analysis and confidential reporting — Sysco delivers a complete biomonitoring service that integrates cleanly with your existing health surveillance and COSHH programmes.

No unnecessary disruption. No generic paperwork. No unnecessary complexity.

Whether exposure is controlled
A clear yes or no, backed by measurement.
Where the highest risks are
Locations, tasks and roles ranked by exposure.
What actions matter most
A prioritised plan you can budget and schedule.

Accredited

Members of

Testing Competency

What you get

Four answers. One clear plan.

You need to know what your workforce is exposed to, whether your controls are effective, what actions matter most, and how to demonstrate control confidently.

That is exactly what we deliver.

Real uptake, not theoretical exposure

Air sampling tells you what's in the breathing zone. Biological monitoring tells you what's actually entered the body — through skin, ingestion or RPE bypass.

Compared to HSE Guidance Values

Results are interpreted against the HSE Biological Monitoring Guidance Values (BMGVs) in EH40, plus international BAT/BEI references where no UK BMGV exists.

Validates your control regime

Confirms whether LEV, RPE programmes and skin-contact controls are working as intended — the only direct check for substances absorbed dermally.

Confidential, ethical delivery

Sampling is voluntary, results are confidential to the worker, and group reporting protects identity. Run by competent occupational hygienists in line with HSG167.

Typical environments·Spray paint shops·Polyurethane foam manufacture·Composites & GRP lay-up·Petrochemical & refining·Coke ovens & rubber·Welding & fabrication·Lead-handling operations

Why clients call

If any of this sounds familiar, you're in the right place.

01
An auditor is asking
HSE, your insurer or a client wants evidence — not assurances
We provide measured biological monitoring data and a clear technical report that resolves the issue quickly.
02
Your team is worried
Operatives are reporting concerns or symptoms
We attend site, quantify workforce exposure and provide clear evidence of current risk levels.
03
You suspect a problem
You know there's a risk and you want measured data before it becomes a crisis
We quantify exposure, assess it against current limits and provide a prioritised corrective action plan.

What we answer for you

Three questions, settled.

Where your people are exposed: We map the tasks, areas and shifts where biological monitoring matters, then sample what your team actually breathes — not a generic site average.
Whether your controls are working: An independent review of your LEV, ventilation, PPE and work practices — what is effective and what requires improvement.
What you need to fix first: A prioritised, costed action list — the smallest set of changes that gets you compliant and measurably safer.

How we work with you

From your first call to your action plan.

1
We listen first — your site, your concerns, your deadline.
2
We walk the workplace with your team to see exposure as it actually happens.
3
We sample on the people most at risk, using validated occupational hygiene methods for biological monitoring.
4
We assess your existing controls honestly — what's working, what isn't.
5
You receive a clear technical report suitable for operational, compliance and regulatory readers.
6
We hand you a prioritised action plan you can budget, schedule and defend.

Typical survey outputs

What you receive at the end of the engagement.

Worker-level confidential results
Anonymised group summary
Comparison to HSE BMGV / international BAT
Task and shift contextualisation
Trend analysis (where repeat data exists)
Control effectiveness commentary
Recommended next-round timing
Defensible technical report

Client testimony

“The biomonitoring programme gave us evidence that our controls were working — and flagged one area where they weren't. Worth every penny.”

— SHE manager

UK polyurethane manufacturer

Typical environments we assess

Wherever biological monitoring risk affects your people.

Manufacturing plants
Fabrication shops
Maintenance workshops
Petrochemical sites
Composite lay-up bays
Refurbishment & demolition

Background

What is biological monitoring?

Biological monitoring is the measurement of a hazardous substance — or its metabolite, or a marker of effect — in a biological matrix, usually urine, blood or breath. For most COSHH substances of concern it is performed on urine, taken at a specified point in the working week relative to the last exposure.

Unlike air sampling, which estimates inhaled dose only, biological monitoring captures total absorbed dose across all routes: inhalation, skin and incidental ingestion. That makes it uniquely valuable for substances with significant dermal absorption (the 'Sk' notation in EH40) such as isocyanates, organic solvents and many pesticides.

When biological monitoring is required

HSG167 sets out the HSE position: biological monitoring is appropriate where significant skin absorption is possible, where RPE reliability is uncertain, where airborne measurement is impractical, or as part of a wider health surveillance programme.

It is not a substitute for air monitoring or for proper engineering controls — it is a confirmatory check that the controls in place are protecting your workforce in practice.

How results are interpreted — BMGVs and BATs

The HSE publishes Biological Monitoring Guidance Values (BMGVs) for a small number of substances in EH40. Where no UK BMGV exists, we reference international Biological Tolerance Values (BATs) and Biological Exposure Indices (BEIs) from the German DFG and US ACGIH.

Results are reported per-worker (confidentially) and in anonymised group form for the employer. We also calculate the proportion of results above the BMGV/BAT and contextualise against task and shift pattern.

Worker engagement and ethical delivery

Biological monitoring requires informed consent. Sysco delivers programmes in line with the HSE's published guidance and Faculty of Occupational Medicine ethical principles: voluntary participation, confidential individual results, anonymised group reporting and clear explanation of what the results mean.

We can deliver toolbox talks ahead of sampling and worker-facing summary letters after results return, in plain English.

How a programme runs in practice

We attend site at the end of the working week (or after the relevant exposure window for the substance), distribute pre-labelled sample pots, collect samples under chain of custody, and dispatch to the analytical laboratory the same day. Reports follow within 10 working days.

For multi-site or repeat programmes we provide standardised sampling kits and a remote-supervised protocol so your safety team can run subsequent rounds with our analytical and reporting support.

Isocyanates — urinary diamines (HDA, IPDA, MDA, TDA)

For workers exposed to HDI, IPDI, MDI or TDI — typically in 2K spray paint, polyurethane foam, automotive refinishing, adhesives and elastomer manufacture — we measure the corresponding urinary diamine post-shift and compare to the HSE BMGV of 1 µmol diamine / mol creatinine (EH40).

Isocyanates carry a skin notation and respiratory sensitiser classification. Biomonitoring is the only direct check that booth extraction, air-fed RPE and skin-contact controls are protecting your sprayers and laminators in practice.

Benzene — urinary S-PMA and t,t-muconic acid

For petrochemical, refining, coke-oven, rubber and fuel-distribution operations we measure end-of-shift urinary S-phenylmercapturic acid (S-PMA, the more specific marker) and/or trans,trans-muconic acid (t,t-MA). Results are interpreted against the ACGIH BEI of 25 µg S-PMA / g creatinine and 500 µg t,t-MA / g creatinine.

Benzene is a Group 1 IARC carcinogen with a workplace exposure limit of 1 ppm (8-hr TWA). Biomonitoring is essential where airborne measurement alone cannot demonstrate that controls are keeping uptake well below the limit.

Styrene — urinary mandelic acid and phenylglyoxylic acid

For GRP, composites lay-up, boat-building and cultured-marble production we measure end-of-shift urinary mandelic acid (MA) and phenylglyoxylic acid (PGA), reported as the sum (MA + PGA) and compared to the ACGIH BEI of 400 mg / g creatinine.

Styrene has a skin notation and is reproductively classified. Combined air and biomonitoring is the defensible way to demonstrate that LEV, glove specification and resin handling protect laminators across a full shift.

Welding fume — urinary chromium, nickel and manganese

Following the HSE's 2019 reclassification of all welding fume as a human carcinogen, biomonitoring of urinary metals is increasingly used alongside on-torch and ambient air sampling. We measure end-of-week urinary Cr (for stainless / hard-chrome processes), Ni (for nickel-bearing alloys) and Mn (for mild-steel MIG/MMA), interpreted against ACGIH BEI / DFG BAT references.

For sites running on-torch fume extraction, air-fed welding helmets or fume-control booths, biomonitoring confirms whether those controls are achieving the substantial reduction in uptake the HSE expects.

Related services

Common questions

Biological Monitoring — FAQs.

Quick answers to the questions we hear most from operations, HSE and procurement teams.

What does biological monitoring measure that air sampling doesn't?: Total absorbed dose — including substances absorbed through the skin, ingested incidentally, or that bypass RPE. Air monitoring only measures what's available to be inhaled.
Is biological monitoring mandatory under COSHH?: Not in itself, but COSHH requires you to monitor exposure where it is needed to protect health. For substances with significant skin absorption or where RPE reliability is uncertain, the HSE expects biological monitoring as part of the wider control regime (HSG167).
Are the results confidential?: Yes. Individual results are confidential to the worker, and the employer receives anonymised group results only. Sampling is always voluntary.
When during the week do you sample?: Most substances require sampling at the end of the working week, after at least four shifts of exposure, to capture steady-state body burden. Some short-half-life substances are sampled pre- and post-shift on the same day.
How long do results take?: Standard turnaround is 10 working days from sample receipt at the laboratory. Urgent turnaround can be arranged where insurer or HSE deadlines apply.
Can you cover multiple sites in one programme?: Yes — we routinely run multi-site biomonitoring programmes with a single co-ordinated reporting framework and standardised sampling kits.

Speak with a biological monitoring specialist

Tell us your situation. We'll design the programme.

Tell us

the substance(s) of concern,
headcount and shift pattern,
current control regime,
and any prior biomonitoring data.

We will provide

a clear scope,
fixed quotation,
proposed attendance strategy,
and expected reporting timeframe.

Request a biomonitoring programme 0800 433 7914

Send us a brief

Outline the sites, tasks and timelines of concern — we'll reply with a clear scope and fixed quotation.

sales@sysco-env.co.uk 0800 433 7914

Response within one working day

UK-wide site coverage

Fixed-price scope, no obligation

Mon–Fri · 08:00–18:00