Turnaround & Shutdown Air Monitoring for Refineries & Petrochemical Plants
Turnaround and shutdown air monitoring built for the outage clock — benzene, H₂S, welding fume, hex chrome and silica analyzed in-house at our Houston lab, with reserved capacity and 1-day rush so a compressed turnaround never waits on results. Samples in before 2:00 PM CST logged same day. Kits ship to plants anywhere in the U.S., and accounts are open to plants and turnaround contractors alike.
Why Plants & Turnaround Contractors Put Us on the Account
1-Day Rush & Same-Day Log-In
Samples in before 2 PM CST are logged same day; rush analysis clears work fronts without holding the schedule.
In-House Capacity
High volume stays under one roof — no subcontracting, no send-outs, one chain of custody for the whole event, whichever plant it is.
Dedicated Turnaround PM
One coordinator owns kits, priority handling and reporting for the outage — a single point of contact end to end.
Accredited & Defensible
AIHA-LAP accredited analysis, with NVLAP and PJLA accreditation on asbestos — reports that hold up with OSHA, legal counsel and insurers.
Scheduled outage only — not what you need?
This program is built for compressed, high-volume turnaround and shutdown events. For ongoing, day-to-day compliance monitoring at an operating plant, see our Routine Refinery & Plant Compliance program instead.
Turnaround & Shutdown Air Monitoring, Handled End to End
Turnaround air monitoring has to move on the shutdown's clock. A turnaround compresses months of maintenance into days, with hundreds of workers across multiple fronts hitting benzene, H₂S, welding fume, hex chrome and silica at once — and every work front waiting on clearance to proceed.
AGT Labs runs your turnaround air monitoring program in-house from our Houston lab. Personal air monitoring and area samples are analyzed on-site — no send-outs — with reserved capacity, a dedicated project manager, and rush turnaround so results never gate the schedule.
Outages happen wherever the plants are, so the program isn't tied to the Gulf Coast. We stage kits ahead of the window at refineries and petrochemical plants anywhere in the United States, and media comes back by overnight courier — a plant in California or Ohio lands on the same rush schedule as one in Baytown.
- Personal and area benzene / BTEX by NIOSH 1501 / OSHA 1028
- H₂S and reactive gases by ion chromatography
- Welding fume, metals and hexavalent chromium for hot work
- Respirable crystalline silica by X-ray diffraction
- Asbestos (PLM/PCM) for insulation and gasket disturbance
- Standing-account program pricing sized to the outage window
The Exposures a Turnaround Generates
Opening, cleaning and rebuilding process units at speed releases a distinct hazard mix. These are the exposures our turnaround air monitoring is built around.
Benzene & BTEX
Released opening lines, vessels and produced-water systems — the defining refinery carcinogen.
H₂S & Reactive Gases
Sour-service units and confined-space entry — quantified by ion chromatography.
Welding Fume & Hex Chrome
Massive hot-work volume on carbon and stainless — metals by ICP-AES, Cr(VI) by OSHA ID-215.
Respirable Silica
Abrasive blasting and refractory tear-out — analyzed by X-ray diffraction.
Asbestos
Legacy insulation and gasket disturbance — bulk PLM under NVLAP, air PCM under PJLA ISO/IEC 17025.
Noise & Heat Stress
High-density equipment and summer outage conditions — dosimetry and WBGT field monitoring.
What We Analyze for Turnarounds
Every analyte below is run in-house under accreditation. Tap any card for the full method detail on our service pages.
Asbestos (PLM/PCM)
Insulation and gasket disturbance. NVLAP-accredited for bulk PLM; PJLA ISO/IEC 17025 accredited for both PLM and PCM.
View Service →Air Monitoring Across the Turnaround
Exposure monitoring needs shift as the outage moves from opening the unit to hot work to reinstatement. We staff and schedule the lab to match.
| Phase | Dominant Activity | Priority Analytes | Lab Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-outage | Baseline & program setup | Benzene, H₂S baseline | Standing account, kits staged on site, reserved capacity |
| Shutdown & opening | Line breaking, degassing, entry | Benzene/BTEX, H₂S | Rush TAT, same-day log-in |
| Execution | Welding, blasting, refractory | Welding fume, hex chrome, silica, asbestos | High-volume in-house analysis, priority handling |
| Reinstatement | Close-up & start-up | Benzene, H₂S, noise/heat | Clearance-oriented turnaround, portal reporting |
Turnaround Analytes & OSHA Exposure Limits
The regulated limits your monitoring program is measured against, and the method our lab runs for each. These are federal standards and apply at every plant in every state.
| Hazard | OSHA Limit | Lab Method | Sample Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benzene | 1 ppm TWA (STEL 5 ppm) | NIOSH 1501 / OSHA 1028 | Charcoal tube, personal |
| Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) | 20 ppm ceiling (ACGIH TLV 1 ppm TWA · 5 ppm STEL) | Ion chromatography | Treated filter / bubbler |
| Hexavalent chromium | 5 µg/m³ TWA (AL 2.5 µg/m³) | OSHA ID-215 | PVC filter, personal |
| Respirable crystalline silica | 50 µg/m³ TWA (AL 25 µg/m³) | XRD (NIOSH 7500 / OSHA ID-142) | Cyclone + PVC filter |
| Manganese (welding fume) | 5 mg/m³ ceiling · ACGIH TLV 0.02 mg/m³ respirable · NIOSH REL 1 mg/m³ TWA | ICP-AES | MCE filter, personal |
| Asbestos | 0.1 f/cc TWA · 1.0 f/cc / 30 min | PCM (NIOSH 7400) / PLM | MCE filter / bulk |
Lab Turnaround Times & Program Kits
Turnaround air monitoring runs as a program with reserved lab capacity — here are the rush options and what ships to your site.
Turnaround Program Includes
- Reserved lab capacity sized to your outage window
- Pre-labeled sampling media staged at any U.S. plant ahead of the window
- Calibrated pump loaners for qualifying accounts
- Dedicated turnaround project manager
- Priority handling & rush turnaround across work fronts
- Chain of Custody, pre-filled; results via secure portal
- Volume & standing-account pricing
How a Turnaround Program Works
Scope the Outage
Share the window, sample count and hazards. A lab manager sizes reserved capacity and pricing.
Kits & Setup
Pre-labeled kits and loaner pumps ship ahead to any U.S. plant; a dedicated PM is assigned to the account.
Sample & Ship
Crews sample across fronts; media logs in same day if received before 2 PM CST.
Rush Analysis
In-house analysis with priority handling and rush TAT clears work fronts fast.
Report
Results on the secure portal, compared against OSHA limits, through the whole event.
Running the Sampling? We Work With the Contractor, Not Around You
Safety services firms, third-party monitoring providers and turnaround staffing companies run a large share of the sampling on an outage. The lab side has to fit how you bid, mobilize, bill and report — not how the plant does. And if you follow outages across several states, one account covers all of them.
Per-Sample & Volume Tiers
Priced by sample with volume breaks — not bundled into a plant program whose scope you don't control.
Pumps & Media to Your Yard
Calibrated pump loaners and pre-labeled media shipped to your shop or direct to site, anywhere in the U.S. — mobilization isn't gated on equipment.
Separate COC Per End Client
Distinct chain of custody, reporting and invoicing for each client site — all under one account with one login.
Client-Ready Reports
Results formatted for hand-off, with OSHA limit comparison already applied — nothing to reformat before it reaches your client.
Capacity Reserved at Bid Stage
Pencil in reserved capacity against your bid schedule before award. If the job goes elsewhere or the outage slips, it's released at no cost.
One PM Across Every Site
The same project manager whether you're running one unit or crews at three plants in three states inside the same window.
We don't compete for your client. AGT is a lab — the exposure data goes to you, and how it reaches the plant is your call.
Set Up a Contractor AccountProduct Testing for the Same Plants
Beyond worker exposure, our sister petroleum lab handles the product side of a refinery — crude, fuels, aromatics and LPG/LNG — under ASTM/ISO 17025.
Crude Oil Testing
Assay and quality parameters for crude streams. View →
Fuels Testing
Gasoline, diesel and jet fuel specification testing. View →
Benzene & Aromatics
Solvent and aromatics product analysis. View →
LPG / LNG Testing
Liquefied gas quality and composition. View →
Lubricants & Oils
In-service and product lubricant analysis. View →
All Petroleum Services
Full ASTM/ISO 17025 product testing scope. View →
Turnaround Air Monitoring — Frequently Asked Questions
Can you handle the sample volume and rush turnaround of a refinery turnaround?
What exposures do you monitor during a petrochemical turnaround?
How do you set up pricing for a turnaround program?
Do you supply sampling kits and pumps for the turnaround?
Can you support turnarounds outside Texas and the Gulf Coast?
How early should we set up the program?
We're a safety services contractor, not the plant — can we hold the account?
Can you reserve lab capacity before we've won the bid?
Get Pricing for Your Refinery Turnaround Air Monitoring
AIHA-LAP accredited · benzene · H₂S · welding fume · hex chrome · silica · asbestos · 1-day rush · reserved capacity & volume pricing — scoped before your outage window. Plants anywhere in the U.S.; plant or contractor accounts.