Environmental health and safety (EHS) is a broad classification of test equipment including both devices which detect pollutants in nature and assess the safety of products and electrical systems. Environmental inspection and environmental monitoring are the most common applications for EHS equipment.
Inspection equipment consists of devices intended to detect safety hazards and regulation violations. A gauss meter will detect magnetic field emissions. XRF analyzers determine elemental composition. Helium leak detectors find leaks. All of these devices focus on details which require premeditated inspection, rather than monitoring, which may arise incidentally.
Environmental monitoring is conducted to quantify the impact a device, system or site condition will have on both people and the environments they work and live in. Radiation meters, for example, true to their name, discover harmful sources of radiation that may otherwise be undetectable. Light pollution and humidity are two more qualities that require monitoring.