Overview
EN 13205-5:2014 (CEN) defines a workplace-based method to assess the performance of aerosol samplers used for health-related measurement of airborne particle concentrations. The standard specifies how to test a candidate sampler under real workplace conditions to determine whether it meets the requirements of EN 13205-1 and how to derive a correction factor to convert results between a candidate sampler and a previously validated sampler for a specific workplace aerosol.
This part of EN 13205 applies to samplers for the inhalable, thoracic and respirable fractions and includes multiple test procedures and evaluation types to accommodate a wide variety of instruments. It does not cover comparisons where a personal sampler’s performance is related to a static sampler (or vice versa).
Key Topics
- Workplace performance testing: Procedures to compare concentrations measured by a candidate sampler and a validated sampler under prescribed workplace conditions.
- Correction function / factor: Simple method (see Annex A) to recalculate a candidate sampler’s measured concentration into the equivalent of a validated sampler for a specific workplace aerosol.
- Bias and uncertainty analysis: Calculation of sampler bias, individual sampler variability, combined standard uncertainty and expanded uncertainty in accordance with modern metrology practice.
- Sources of uncertainty considered: workplace aerosol concentration (via validated sampler), validated sampler performance, candidate sampler bias, individual sampler variability, excursion from nominal flow rate, and collected or internally separated mass.
- Test reporting and documentation: Required content for test reports (laboratory and field details, sampler descriptions, experimental design, data analysis, performance results and user guidance).
- Periodic validation: Guidance on re-validation intervals and conditions to maintain confidence in sampler performance.
Applications
Who uses EN 13205-5:2014 and why:
- Occupational hygienists - to verify on-site sampler performance and ensure exposure measurements are reliable for health risk assessments.
- Testing laboratories - to perform workplace comparisons, compute correction factors, and report expanded uncertainty.
- Sampler manufacturers and vendors - to support user instructions and claims about field performance when aligned with EN 13205 family requirements.
- Employers and regulators - to confirm measurement methods meet standards for compliance and worker protection.
Practical outcomes include validated on-site sampling protocols, corrected concentration results between sampler types, and documented uncertainty for decision-making relative to occupational exposure limits.
Related standards
- EN 13205-1:2014 - General requirements for sampler performance assessment
- EN 13205-2:2014 & EN 13205-4:2014 - Laboratory performance tests
- EN 13205-6:2014 - Transport and handling tests
- EN 1540 - Workplace exposure terminology
- EN 481 / EN 482 - Particle size fractions and general performance requirements
EN 13205-5:2014 is intended to complement laboratory validation and provide actionable, workplace-specific evidence of sampler performance for accurate airborne particle exposure assessment.
