PROTECT YOUR EMPLOYEES FROM CHEMICAL EXPOSURE
PERMISSIBLE EXPOSURE LIMITS
Are you protecting your employees from chemical exposure by following permissible exposure limits (PELs)? If so, whose PELs are you following?
PEL, or permissible exposure limit, is the maximum amount of a chemical to which an employee may be exposed. Some PELs are given as a TWA, or time-weighted average, typically averaged for an 8-hour day. Other PELs are given as STEL, or short-term exposure limits, which is typically 15 minutes. Still, other PELs might be offered as PELc, which are ceiling limits that are never to be exceeded. Federal OSHA has a long history of publishing PELs for chemicals. If published by OSHA, these are the legal limits for employees’ exposure to the chemical. Some states have the authority to enforce stricter safety regulations within their borders and have established PELs for certain chemicals different from those at the federal level. Washington and California are two examples of states with more restrictive PELs for many chemicals. Let’s take a look at a few examples below. You may have different PELs to adhere to depending on where you have employees. A good rule of thumb is to adhere to the more restrictive PEL when you have different exposure limits to follow.
Lastly, many manufacturers only place the Federal OSHA PEL on the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for their chemicals, so you can’t rely on the SDS to give you the PEL that might apply in your state. The takeaway is to always check with the state where you have employees to ensure you adhere to the proper PELs.
For any questions or assistance with these regulations, please contact your INGENIUM representative.
