SEEF Projecten & Advies B.V. is looking for a Senior Occupational Hygienist based in Ulvenhout (Breda) for 32 to 40 hours per week. Chromium-6 concentrations are often underestimated due to the reduction of chromium-6 to chromium-3 during analysis when metals like zinc and aluminum are present. This issue is becoming increasingly recognized. For instance, if zinc is in the paint, standard measurement methods may miss half of the chromium-6, and with more zinc, almost all of it. The data we have collected on this is undeniable.

Based on measured chromium-6 levels, clients determine the necessary protection for workers involved in projects like bridge or lock maintenance. If the measurement is too low, the protection provided may only reflect the numbers on paper, not the carcinogenic chromium-6 that is actually present.

In insulation around hot installations, it is even less known that chromium-6 can be present. It can develop during operation, even when no chromium-containing paint has been used. SEEF has established a lead in Europe in this area, conducting research for shipyards, power plants, and waste incinerators in the Netherlands and the UK.

We measure chromium-6 using our own method, for which we applied for a patent in 2022, now granted in Europe. Metals like zinc interfere much less with our measurement method. However, a good measurement alone is not enough; someone must provide advice that allows a contractor to proceed the next morning. We are looking for a senior occupational hygienist for this work.

Until now, one of our founders, Ferdy de Smet, has handled the advisory work alongside his other responsibilities. This worked well until SEEF grew larger than his schedule could accommodate. We now have more than 25 employees, including our own laboratory in Ulvenhout and a branch under development in the UK. Ferdy will focus more on the further growth of SEEF, and he will transfer his files to you in the first months.

You will take over client files from the initial inquiry to the final report. Recently, this has included a turnaround in the industry where Cr(VI)-containing insulation needed to be removed, a steel bridge requiring blasting, window frames in a school building, insulation around exhausts in a machine room, and a client working with electrolysis in their own laboratory.

You will determine what needs to be sampled and measured, and with what measurement strategy. You will also assist in preparing the quote. After that, you will evaluate the results against limit values and regulations, write the advice, and release the report. For challenging cases, you will sit at the table with the client and their advisors, sometimes with the Labor Inspectorate. Some of the files are in the UK and will be in English. You understand how organizations operate and how to assist and advise them to comply with laws and regulations.

Our project manager plans the execution and directs the field samplers. They handle the execution, while you handle the content. The analyses are conducted by SEEF Laboratorium B.V., a separate entity that operates independently of the advisory side. SEEF Laboratorium B.V. has an accreditation application pending with the Accreditation Council under registration number L726. You will receive the results via the analysis certificate and have no influence over how the laboratory analyzes. This ensures that the advice cannot be swayed by the results.

From day one, you will help build our rapidly growing organization; it is a unique opportunity to play a significant role within SEEF Projecten & Advies B.V.