“I love work - I could watch it for hours”, goes the saying. And for a large part of the last 30 years I’ve been paid for doing just that.  I’ve visited an extremely interesting and wide range of different workplaces, all part of an occupational hygienist’s working life; taking measurements of airborne dust and vapour concentrations, noise (occupational and environmental), vibration levels of tools and vehicles, and air movement in ventilation systems, together with carrying out risk assessments in these various fields, giving advice and solving problems.  

Although I’m now officially retired, I am continuing to carry out noise and vibration surveys, particularly in connection with litigation cases, under my new company name.  My former boss said that I should never give up work, and so far I’ve complied with his instruction.

A résumé of my background and working interests can be found under Andy Nicholl Ltd.  Please click on this to go through to the Company pages.  Other more homely contributions are shown on the left.

Apart from the pages and sites listed, have a look at the website of the Institute of Occupational Medicine, Edinburgh, who were my employers from 1976 to 2005.

The IOM originated in the late 1960s as part of the National Coal Board (later British Coal) Medical Services, and became the world leader in occupational lung diseases, particularly in those days pneumoconiosis or ‘black lung disease’ of miners.  IOM set the standards for airborne dust exposure in the world’s mines.  Further research led on to the effects of asbestos, glass and ceramic fibres, carbon black and other pollutants on the lungs and other organs.

The IOM is also at the forefront of the research into the health effects of nanotechnology - particles so small that they can penetrate individual cells of the body and nestle in there (see the pictures on the IOM site).

Even though I have left I still manage to fit in some work on behalf of IOM, including running the Institute of Acoustics Certificate Course on Workplace Noise Risk Assessment (CCWNRA).