Depending on the invasive nature of performing waste management activities, excessive concentrations of mists, vapors, gases, dusts or fumes may be present thus creating hazards to the employee from either inhalation into the lungs or absorption through the skin. To address these hazards, similar exposure groups and an exposure profile result consisting of: (1) a hazard index (concentration); (2) an exposure rating (monitoring results or exposure probabilities); and (3) a frequency rating (hours of potential exposure per week) are used to assign an exposure risk rating (ERR). The ERR determines if the potential hazards pose significant risks to employees linking potential exposure and breathing zone (BZ) monitoring requirements. Three case studies consisting of: (1) a hazard-task approach; (2) a hazard-job classification-task approach; and (3) a hazard approach demonstrate how to conduct exposure assessments using this methodology. Environment, safety and health professionals can then categorize levels of risk and evaluate the need for BZ monitoring, thereby quantifying employee exposure levels.