Key definitions

• Key definitions for the 13 carcinogens may be found in this section.

Authorized employee: Any employees whose duties require them to be in the regulated area and who have been specifically assigned by the employer.

Clean change room: A room where employees put on clean clothing and/or protective equipment in an environment free of the 13 carcinogens addressed by this section. The clean change room shall be contiguous to and have an entry from a shower room, when the shower room facilities are otherwise required in this section.

Closed system: An operation involving a carcinogen addressed by this section where containment prevents the release of the material into regulated areas, nonregulated areas, or the external environment.

Decontamination: The inactivation of a carcinogen addressed by this section or its safe disposal.

Disposal: The safe removal of the carcinogens addressed by this section from the work environment.

Emergency: An unforeseen circumstance or set of circumstances resulting in the release of a carcinogen addressed by this section that may result in exposure to or contact with the material.

External environment: Any environment external to regulated and nonregulated areas. Isolated system means a fully enclosed structure other than the vessel of containment of a carcinogen addressed by this section that is impervious to the passage of the material and would prevent the entry of the carcinogen addressed by this section into regulated areas, nonregulated areas, or the external environment, should leakage or spillage from the vessel of containment occur.

Laboratory-type hood: A device enclosed on the three sides and the top and bottom, designed and maintained so as to draw air inward at an average linear face velocity of 150 feet per minute with a minimum of 125 feet per minute; designed, constructed, and maintained in such a way that an operation involving a carcinogen addressed by this section within the hood does not require the insertion of any portion of any employee’s body other than his hands and arms.

Nonregulated area: Any area under the control of the employer where entry and exit are neither restricted nor controlled.

Open-vessel system: An operation involving a carcinogen addressed by this section in an open vessel that is not in an isolated system, a laboratory-type hood, nor in any other system affording equivalent protection against the entry of the material into regulated areas, nonregulated areas, or the external environment.

Protective clothing: Clothing designed to protect an employee against contact with or exposure to a carcinogen addressed by this section.

Regulated area: An area where entry and exit are restricted and controlled.

Methods of compliance

• Methods of compliance for 13 carcinogens include establishing regulated areas with appropriate signage, restricting employee access, preventing cross contamination between regulated and nonregulated areas, and more.
• Employers need to provide wash or shower stations and clean change rooms to prevent the spread of chemicals outside of regulated areas.

Some specific methods for complying with this regulation include:

• Establishing a regulated area where a carcinogen is manufactured, processed, used, repackaged, released, handled or stored. The employer must post entrances to regulated areas with signs bearing the legend:

• DANGER
• (CHEMICAL IDENTIFICATION)
• MAY CAUSE CANCER
• AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY

• Employees working with a carcinogen within an isolated system, such as a glove box, must wash their hands and arms upon completion of the assigned task and before engaging in other activities not associated with the isolated system.
• Access must be restricted to authorized employees only within regulated areas where the carcinogens are stored in sealed containers, or contained in a closed system, including piping systems, with any sample ports or openings closed while the carcinogens are contained within.
• Employees exposed to 4-Nitrobiphenyl; alpha-Naphthylamine; 3,3i-Dichlorobenzidine (and its salts); beta-Naphthylamine; Benzidine; 4-Aminodiphenyl; 2-Acetylaminofluorene; 4-Dimethylaminoazo-benzene; and N-Nitrosodimethylamine must be required to wash hands, forearms, face, and neck upon each exit from the regulated areas, close to the point of exit, and before engaging in other activities.
• Open-vessel system operations as defined in the standard are prohibited.

Except for outdoor systems, regulated areas must be maintained under negative pressure with respect to nonregulated areas. Local exhaust ventilation may be used to satisfy this requirement. Clean makeup air in equal volume must replace air removed. In addition:

• Any equipment, material, or other item taken into or removed from a regulated area must be done in a manner that does not cause contamination in nonregulated areas or the external environment;
• Decontamination procedures must be established and implemented to remove carcinogens addressed by this section from the surfaces of materials, equipment, and the decontamination facility; and
• Dry sweeping and dry mopping are prohibited for 4-Nitrobiphenyl; alpha-Naphthylamine; 3,3’-Dichlorobenzidine (and its salts); beta-Naphthylamine; Benzidine; 4-Aminodiphenyl; 2-Acetylaminofluorene; 4-Dimethylaminoazo-benzene and N-Nitrosodimethylamine.

Storage or consumption of food, storage or use of containers of beverages, storage or application of cosmetics, smoking, storage of smoking materials, tobacco products or other products for chewing, or the chewing of such products are prohibited in regulated areas. In addition:

• Where employees are required to wash, washing facilities must be provided in accordance with 1910.141;
• Where employees are required by this section to shower, shower facilities must be provided in accordance with 1910.141;
• Where employees wear protective clothing and equipment, clean change rooms must be provided for the number of such employees required to change clothes, in accordance with 1910.141; and
• Where toilets are in regulated areas, such toilets must be in a separate room.

Training

• Each employee exposed to the 13 carcinogens at work must undergo a training program regarding the nature of the carcinogenic hazards, ways to prevent the release of carcinogenic materials, the use of PPE, and more.
• Employees should be trained on emergency procedures, including evacuation, first aid treatment, and the employee’s specific role during an emergency.

Each employee, before being authorized to enter a regulated area, must receive a training and indoctrination program including, but not necessarily limited to:

• The nature of the carcinogenic hazards, including local and systemic toxicity.
• The specific nature of the operation involving a carcinogen that could result in exposure.
• The purpose for, and application of, the medical surveillance program, including, as appropriate, methods of self-examination.
• The purpose for, and application of, decontamination practices and purposes.
• The purpose for, and significance of, emergency practices and procedures.
• The employee’s specific role in emergency procedures.
• Specific information to aid the employee in recognition and evaluation of conditions and situations that may result in the release of a carcinogen.
• The purpose for, and application of, specific first aid procedures and practices.
• A review of 1910.1003 at the employee’s first training and indoctrination program and annually thereafter.

Some additional training subjects include the following:

• When employees may come in contact with a carcinogen, they must wear required personal protective equipment (PPE) before entering a regulated area, to remove it before exiting, and to use respirators where required. Proper PPE should include at least the following:
  • Full-body protective clothing (place used clothing into impervious containers at the end of the day), and
  • Shoe covers and gloves.
• Employees must practice proper hygiene by washing hands, forearms, face and neck upon leaving regulated area, and by not eating, drinking, smoking, or applying cosmetics in regulated areas.
• Employees should be instructed to do the following during an emergency:
  • Evacuate the affected area,
  • Eliminate the hazardous conditions created by emergency before resuming normal operations,
  • Provide medical surveillance for employees present in the potentially affected area, and
  • Shower as soon as possible after direct contact with a carcinogen occurs in an emergency.
• Employees should be trained in proper contamination control that includes:
  • Maintaining negative pressure in regulated areas;
  • Following decontamination procedures; and
  • Not dry sweeping or dry mopping 4-Nitrobiphenyl, alpha-Naphthylamine, 3,3’-Dichlorobenzidine and its salts, beta-Naphthylamine, Benzidine, 4-Aminodiphenyl, 2-Acetylaminofluorene, 4-Dimethylaminoazo-benzene, and N-Nitrosodimethylamine.
• Employees should be trained in proper contamination control that involves direct contact by:
  • Decontaminating the employee before removal of PPE and hood, and
  • Showering upon removal of PPE and hood.

Properties

• Acrylonitrile is corrosive to metals, some plastics and rubber, and can penetrate leather.
• AN is explosive and highly flammable, and emits highly toxic fumes when heated.

This chemical is corrosive to metals, and will corrode some forms of plastics, rubber, and coatings. It can penetrate leather and at high concentrations will corrode aluminum. It is explosive and highly flammable and, when heated to decomposition, emits highly toxic fumes of hydrogen cyanide gas, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide.

This chemical may polymerize (its molecules may chain together with simple molecules to form a more complex molecule with different physical properties) spontaneously and violently.

Acrylonitrile evaporates when exposed to air. It dissolves when mixed with water. Most releases of acrylonitrile to the environment are to underground sites or to air. Acrylonitrile evaporates from water and soil exposed to air. Once in air, AN breaks down to other chemicals. Microorganisms living in water and in soil can also break down AN.

Because it is a liquid that does not bind well to soil, acrylonitrile that makes its way into the ground can move through the ground and enter groundwater. Plants and animals are not likely to store acrylonitrile.

Exposure/Effects

• Health effects from acrylonitrile vary depending on the amount of the substance and the length and frequency of exposure.
• Exposure may cause adverse effects to the nervous system, skin and eye irritation, nausea, vomiting, and more. At high levels, exposure can cause damage to blood cells and the liver, or can be fatal.
• Long-term occupational exposure has been associated with cancer in humans.

Acrylonitrile is highly toxic by ingestion, inhalation, and skin absorption. It is readily absorbed through intact skin and is an irritant of the skin, eyes, and nose. Exposure to acrylonitrile can occur in the workplace or in the environment following releases to air, water, land, or groundwater. Exposure can also occur when people smoke cigarettes or breathe automobile exhaust. Acrylonitrile enters the body when people breathe air or consume water or food contaminated with AN. It can also be absorbed through skin contact. It does not remain in the body due to its breakdown and removal.

Effects on human health depend on how much acrylonitrile is present and the length and frequency of exposure. Effects also depend on the health of a person when exposure occurs.

Exposure to large amounts of acrylonitrile for a short time results mainly in adverse effects to the nervous system. Symptoms of exposure may include irritation of the eyes and skin, nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, or difficulty breathing. At higher concentrations, there may be temporary damage to red blood cells and the liver. If the levels are high enough, or if the exposure is for a long enough period, acrylonitrile can cause death.

Breathing acrylonitrile for short periods of time adversely affects the nervous system, the blood, the kidneys, and the liver. These effects subside when exposure stops. Nervous system effects of AN range from headaches and dizziness to irritability, rapid heartbeat, and death. If ingested, symptoms may include abdominal pain, headache, nausea, shortness of breath, vomiting, and weakness. Symptoms of acrylonitrile poisoning may occur quickly after exposure or after levels of breakdown products like cyanide build up in the body.

Direct contact with acrylonitrile liquid severely damages the skin. It may be absorbed and cause redness, pain, and blisters. Acrylonitrile liquid or vapor irritates the eyes, nose, and throat. It can cause redness or pain in the eyes, or blurred vision. These effects are not likely to occur at levels of acrylonitrile that are normally found in the environment.

Long-term occupational exposure to acrylonitrile has been associated with cancer in humans. Urine, blood, or breath samples can be tested to determine exposure to acrylonitrile. OSHA requires medical tests that include chest X-rays and fecal occult blood screening for employees that have been exposed to acrylonitrile. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) also indicates that a pulmonary function test may be in order.

Protections

• The OSHA standard that regulates acrylonitrile is 1910.1045.
• The permissible exposure limit is two parts per million parts of air as an eight-hour TWA.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations that limit employee exposure to acrylonitrile are found at 1910.1045. The permissible exposure limit (PEL) is two parts per million parts of air (ppm) as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA).

Administrative or engineering controls must first be determined and implemented whenever feasible. When these controls are not feasible to achieve full compliance, protective equipment or any other protective measures must be used to keep the exposure of employees to air contaminants within the limits prescribed in the regulation. Any equipment and/or technical measures used for this purpose must be approved for each particular use by a competent industrial hygienist or other technically qualified person.

PPE includes protective gloves and clothing, safety goggles or other effective eye protection, and respiratory protection. Employees should not be allowed to eat, drink, or smoke while working around acrylonitrile.

Fire/Explosion

• Acrylonitrile is highly flammable and gives off toxic fumes in a fire.
• A closed system, ventilation, explosion-proof electrical equipment and lighting can be used to prevent explosion.

In case of fire, responders should use powder, alcohol-resistant foam, water spray, or carbon dioxide. Acrylonitrile is highly flammable. It gives off irritating or toxic fumes or gases in a fire. To prevent fire, no open flames, sparks, smoking or contact with strong oxidants or strong bases should be allowed.

In case of explosion and subsequent fire, it is necessary to keep drums etc., cool by spraying them with water. The vapor/air mixtures of acrylonitrile are explosive. The risk of fire and explosion occurs upon polymerization on contact with strong bases and strong oxidants. A closed system, ventilation, explosion-proof electrical equipment and lighting can be used to prevent explosion.

Acrylonitrile should be stored in unbreakable, fireproof containers away from strong oxidants, strong bases, food, and light. AN should be ventilated along the floor and stored only if stabilized.

If acrylonitrile should spill, personnel should evacuate the danger area and consult an expert. The area should be ventilated, if possible, and leaking liquid collected in covered containers. The remaining liquid should be absorbed in sand or inert absorbent and removed to a safe place. It is important not to wash this chemical into the sewer or let it enter the environment.

Warnings and training

• Employers must properly label any containers of acrylonitrile and acrylonitrile-based materials.
• Employees who work around acrylonitrile should be trained on how to avoid exposure.
• Training should be completed before work begins, and at least once annually thereafter.

Employees who have contact with this chemical must understand the hazards and the methods of control associated with these hazards.

To warn employees of the existence of acrylonitrile, precautionary labels must be affixed to all containers of liquid acrylonitrile and non-exempt, acrylonitrile-based materials. The labels must remain affixed when materials are sold, distributed, or leave the employer’s workplace.

A training program must be established and encompass the following:

• All employees exposed to acrylonitrile above the action level are protected.
• All employees subject to potential skin or eye contact with liquid acrylonitrile are protected.
• Employee exposures are maintained below the action level by engineering and work practice controls.
• Training is conducted at least once annually after initial training, and each employee is informed of the following:
  • The information contained in 1910.1045, Appendix A and Appendix B.
  • The quantity, location, manner of use, release, or storage of acrylonitrile, and the specific nature of operations which could result in exposure to acrylonitrile, as well as any necessary protective steps.
  • The purpose, proper use, and limitations of respirators and protective clothing.
  • The purpose and a description of the medical surveillance program.
  • Emergency procedures.
  • Engineering and work practice controls, their function, and the employee’s relationship to these controls.
  • A review of the acrylonitrile standard.

Key definitions

• Key definitions for air contaminants may be found in this section.

Acceptable ceiling concentrations: The standard’s Table Z-2 sets acceptable ceiling concentrations for many substances. An employee’s exposure to these substances may not exceed at any time during an eight-hour shift the acceptable ceiling concentration limit given for the substance in the table.

Acceptable maximum peak above the acceptable ceiling concentration for an eight-hour shift: For some substances, the standard’s Table Z-2 allows an exception to the acceptable ceiling concentration requirements. An employee’s exposure may exceed a substance’s acceptable ceiling concentration if Table Z-2 lists an acceptable maximum peak above the acceptable ceiling concentration for an eight-hour shift. This maximum peak concentration is only allowed for the maximum duration as shown in the table.

Ceiling values: In the standard’s Table Z-1, some substances show a “C” in front of the chemical’s exposure limit. This means that an employee’s exposure may at no time exceed the substance’s exposure limit. If instantaneous monitoring is not feasible, then the ceiling is to be assessed as a 15-minute time-weighted average exposure that is not to be exceeded at any time during the working day.

Fumes: Tiny particles that become suspended in the air, especially during welding or cutting operations (e.g., zinc fumes).

Milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3): The weight of the contaminant (in milligrams) in one cubic meter of air.

Millions of particles per cubic foot of air (Mppcf): A measurement used for mineral dusts. These exposure limit measurements are based on impinger samples counted by light-field techniques.

Mists: Tiny droplets of a liquid that has been atomized and dispersed into the air (e.g., paint sprays).

Parts per million (ppm): The number of equivalent parts of the contaminant per one million parts of air. For example, if the concentration of acetone is 50 ppm, there are 50 molecules of acetone per one million molecules of air.

Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs): Limits that establish the acceptable amount or concentration of a substance in the air in the workplace. They are intended to protect workers from adverse health effects related to hazardous chemical exposure.

Skin designation: If Table Z-1 shows an “X” in a substance’s entry in the column marked “skin designation,” that means the substance is able to absorb through the skin to contribute to an employee’s exposure.

Vapors: Created when volatile liquids evaporate into the air (e.g., gasoline vapor).

PELs and TLVs

• OSHA regulates hundreds of toxic air contaminants, setting enforceable limits on the magnitude and duration of employee exposure.
• Some states have more stringent permissible exposure limits than federal OSHA.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enforces hundreds of permissible exposure limits (PELs) for toxic air contaminants. These PELs set enforceable limits on the magnitude and duration of employee exposure to each contaminant. The amount of exposure permitted by a given PEL depends on the toxicity and other characteristics of the particular substance. Two different types of measurement are used for PEL determination. The concentration of gases and liquids in the air is measured in parts per million (ppm). Solids and liquids in the form of mists, dusts, or fumes are measured in milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3).

For General Industry, OSHA’s PELs for air contaminants are located in 1910.1000, Tables Z-1, Z-2, and Z-3. The air contaminant limits were adopted by OSHA in 1971 and have not been updated since.

For Construction, OSHA’s PELs for air contaminants are located in 1926.55, Appendix A. The air contaminant limits were adopted by OSHA in 1970 and have not been updated since.

Exposure limits called Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) were developed by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). TLVs represent the level of chemicals in the ambient air that most workers can be exposed to on a daily basis without harmful effects. ACGIH continuously updates their TLVs so, although not regulatory, they are more protective than the OSHA PELs.

In 2010, OSHA launched an initiative to seek creative solutions, both long term and short term, to address what it believes are inadequacies in many PELs. As an initial step, OSHA solicited comments from the public to identify the chemicals of concern. Additionally, in October 2013, OSHA released the Annotated PEL tables, which enable employers to voluntarily adopt newer, more protective workplace exposure limits. To access the tables, visit www.osha.gov/dsg/annotated-pels/index.html.

Some states have more stringent PELs than federal OSHA. For example, California’s PELs are more restrictive. In addition, some states adopted OSHA’s 1989 changes, but did not vacate them when Federal OSHA was forced to — so they remain as more stringent limits.

Pitfalls of exposure limits

There are over 600,000 chemicals in use today. Information available for selecting an exposure limit is very scant. Only a small percentage of chemicals is even evaluated. Therefore, supporting data can be weak. Exposure limits change when new information becomes available. What is considered “safe” today may be viewed in a different light tomorrow.

Individual sensitivity is a factor. A given chemical may have a negative effect on certain people. Even if the exposure limit protects most people, it cannot be relied upon to protect everyone.

Synergistic effects should also be considered. Single substances are assigned individual ratings. Seldom in the real world is only one chemical in use at a time. What happens when several chemicals combine to produce effects far more harmful than those of any one substance?

Worker protection

• When possible, work processes should be altered so that air contaminants are not produced.
• Engineering controls such as local or general ventilation should be used, along with PPE to protect workers.

The most desirable way to deal with an air contaminant is to alter the process so that the contaminant is no longer produced. If the process cannot be changed or materials substituted, engineering controls and work practices are preferred over personal protective equipment.

Engineering controls involve local exhaust ventilation, general ventilation, isolation of the worker and enclosure of the source of emissions, process modifications, equipment modifications, and substitution of nonhazardous or less hazardous chemicals. These methods may be used alone or in combination, depending upon the processes involved.

General ventilation uses the movement of air within the work space to displace or dilute the contaminant with fresh outside air. General ventilation may require moving large volumes of air. If ventilation would require too large a volume of air to reduce the concentration of the contaminant, then respiratory protection may be a necessary short-term solution.

Local exhaust ventilation uses a much smaller volume of air and controls emissions at the point or source from which contaminants are generated.

Isolation involves placing a physical barrier between the hazardous operation and the worker. Many manufacturing processes are now fully enclosed in ventilated cabinets. The effectiveness depends on the frequency with which the workers enter the enclosure. In some situations, the worker can be placed in an enclosure having a controlled atmosphere. Many processes are operated remotely by operators from air-conditioned booths isolated from the hazardous materials.

Substitution refers to the replacement of a toxic chemical in a particular process or work area with another, less toxic or non-toxic product. Any possible substitute must be evaluated carefully to ensure that another hazard is not inadvertently introduced. The substitute must also be compatible with existing manufacturing equipment and processes.

The success of engineering controls will depend on the physical properties of the chemicals and emissions (boiling point, vapor pressure, etc.) and the process operating conditions. In some cases, particularly with cleaning solvents, substitution may provide the quickest and most effective means of reducing exposure. In other situations, a major effort may be required to alter processes or install or expand local or general ventilation.

When controls are not feasible to achieve full compliance, personal protective equipment (PPE) or any other protective measures must be used to keep exposure within limits prescribed in the regulation. Identification and quantification of air contaminants through air monitoring is essential. Reliable measurements of airborne contaminants are useful for the following: protective equipment; where protection is needed; potential health effects of exposure; and the need for specific medical monitoring.

Training

• There are no specific training requirements for air contaminants, but employers must inform employees about the hazards they are exposed to, how to protect themselves, and what to do if they have been exposed.

While there are no specified training requirements, education and communication are important elements in both remedial and preventative indoor air quality management.

For General Industry, employers must review 1910.1000 to determine what substances from Tables Z-1, Z-2, and Z-3 are present. For Construction, employers must review 1926.55 and Appendix A to 1926.55 to determine what substances are present. Employers must inform employees of the presence of these substances and what the PELs are for each substance. Employers should explain the symptoms of exposure and what employees are expected to do if they believe they have been exposed. Employees should be shown the equipment used for testing and trained on how to test air samples, if employees will be responsible for that task. If PPE is used in addition to engineering controls, employees should be shown examples of the appropriate PPE and how to properly use that equipment.

Exposure/Effects

• Inorganic arsenic is more harmful to humans than organic arsenic.
• Lower levels of arsenic exposure may cause gastrointestinal illness, abnormal heart rhythm, blood vessel damage, skin abnormalities, and more.
• Arsenic is a known carcinogen following long-term exposure.

Workers can be exposed to arsenic by breathing sawdust or burning smoke from wood containing arsenic, breathing workplace air, ingesting contaminated water, soil, or air at waste sites, or ingesting contaminated water, soil, or air near areas naturally high in arsenic If exposed to arsenic, people may expect negative effects. Inorganic arsenic is a human poison. Organic arsenic is less harmful. High levels of inorganic arsenic in food or water can be fatal. A high level is 60 parts of arsenic per million parts of food or water (60 ppm). Arsenic damages many tissues including nerves, stomach and intestines, and skin. Breathing high levels can cause a sore throat and irritated lungs.

Lower levels of exposure to inorganic arsenic may cause:

• Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea;
• Decreased production of red and white blood cells;
• Abnormal heart rhythm;
• Blood vessel damage; and
• A “pins and needles” sensation in hands and feet.

When arsenic is ingested, a common side effect is irritation of the digestive tract, leading to pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Other effects include decreased production of red and white blood cells, abnormal heart function, blood vessel damage, liver and/or kidney injury, and impaired nerve function causing a tingling feeling in the feet and hands.

The most characteristic effect of oral exposure to inorganic arsenic is a pattern of skin abnormalities, including the appearance of dark and light spots on the skin, and small corns on the palms, soles, and trunk, which may progress to skin cancer. Direct skin contact may cause redness and swelling. Arsenic ingestion has also been reported to increase the risk of cancer of the liver, bladder, kidney, and lung.

Long-term exposure to inorganic arsenic may lead to a darkening of the skin and the appearance of small “corns” or “warts” on the palms, soles, and torso. The Department of Health and Human Services has determined that arsenic is a known carcinogen. Breathing inorganic arsenic increases the risk of lung cancer. Ingesting inorganic arsenic increases the risk of skin cancer and tumors of the bladder, kidney, liver, and lung.

Protections

• The maximum permissible exposure limit for arsenic is 10 micrograms per cubic meter.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has promulgated regulations that limit employee exposure. According to 1910.1018, the maximum permissible exposure limit for workplace airborne arsenic is 10 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³).

Administrative or engineering controls must first be determined and implemented whenever feasible. When these controls are not feasible to achieve full compliance, protective equipment or any other protective measures must be used to keep the exposure of employees to air contaminants within the limits prescribed in the regulation. Any equipment and/or technical measures used for this purpose must be approved for each particular use by a competent industrial hygienist or other technically qualified person.

Employees who have contact with this chemical must understand the hazards and the methods of control associated with these hazards.

Training

• Training must be offered to all employees who are exposed to inorganic arsenic above the action level.

The employer must institute a training program for all employees who are subject to exposure to inorganic arsenic above the action level without regard to respirator use, or for whom there is the possibility of skin or eye irritation from inorganic arsenic. The employer must ensure that employees participate in the training program.

Training must be provided for employees who are covered under 1910.1018 and at least annually thereafter. The employer must ensure that each employee is informed of the following:

• The information contained in 1910.1018 Appendix A.
• The quantity, location, manner of use, storage, sources of exposure, and the specific nature of operations that could result in exposure to inorganic arsenic as well as any necessary protective steps.
• The purpose, proper use, and limitation of respirators.
• The purpose and a description of the medical surveillance program.
• The engineering controls and work practices associated with the employer’s job assignment.
• A review of the inorganic arsenic standard.

The employer must make readily available to all affected employees a copy of the Inorganic Arsenic Standard and its appendices.

Arsenic checklist

• Compliance with OSHA requirements on arsenic exposure will require employee training, warning labels, regulated areas, proper storage, medical surveillance when needed, and more.

The following checklist can help ensure compliance with The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s requirements:

• A written compliance program is in place.
• Employees are aware of the hazards involved with arsenic if they may be exposed to it in their work environment.
• A training program has been instituted for all employees who are subject to exposure to arsenic.
• Employee exposure to arsenic is monitored and kept within acceptable levels.
• Employees are provided with proper protective equipment when working with arsenic.
• Engineering and work practice controls are used to reduce exposures to arsenic to a permissible level.
• Proper precautions are taken when handling arsenic.
• Caution labels and signs are used to warn of arsenic.
• A regulated area has been established and marked where arsenic is manufactured, processed, used, repackaged, released, handled, or stored.
• Employees who work with arsenic wash their hands after assigned tasks are completed and before engaging in other activities.
• Arsenic is stored and used appropriately.
• Containers used to store arsenic are appropriately marked.
• All employees who work with arsenic have had an initial medical examination.
• A medical surveillance program is in place for employees who become exposed to arsenic.
• Appropriate records are maintained (exposure monitoring, medical surveillance, etc.).
• Employees are instructed in proper first aid and other emergency procedures.
• Emergency procedures are in place for dealing with emergency situations involving arsenic.

Key definitions

• Key definitions for asbestos (general industry) may be found in this section.

Asbestos: Includes chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, tremolite asbestos, anthophyllite asbestos, actinolite asbestos, and any of these minerals that have been chemically treated and/or altered.

Asbestos-containing material (ACM): Any material containing more than one percent asbestos.

Authorized person: Any person authorized by the employer and required by work duties to be present in regulated areas.

Building/facility owner: The legal entity, including a lessee, which exercises control over management and record keeping functions relating to a building and/or facility in which activities covered by this standard take place.

Certified industrial hygienist (CIH): A person certified in the practice of industrial hygiene by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene.

Employee exposure: The amount of exposure to airborne asbestos that would occur if the employee were not using respiratory protective equipment.

Fiber: A particulate form of asbestos 5 micrometers or longer, with a length-to-diameter ratio of at least 3 to 1.

High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA): A filter capable of trapping and retaining at least 99.97 percent of 0.3 micrometer diameter mono-disperse particles.

Homogeneous area: An area of surfacing material or thermal system insulation that is uniform in color and texture.

Industrial hygienist: A professional qualified by education, training, and experience to anticipate, recognize, evaluate and develop controls for occupational health hazards.

Presumed asbestos containing material (PACM): Thermal system insulation and surfacing material found in buildings constructed no later than 1980. The designation of a material as “PACM” may be rebutted pursuant to paragraph (j)(8) of 1910.1001.

Regulated area: An area established by the employer to demarcate areas where airborne concentrations of asbestos exceed, or there is a reasonable possibility they may exceed, the permissible exposure limit.

Surfacing ACM: Surfacing material which contains more than one percent asbestos.

Surfacing material: Material that is sprayed, troweled on or otherwise applied to surfaces (such as acoustical plaster on ceilings and fireproofing materials on structural members, or other materials on surfaces for acoustical, fireproofing, and other purposes).

Thermal System Insulation (TSI): Asbestos-containing material applied to pipes, fittings, boilers, breeching, tanks, ducts or other structural components to prevent heat loss or gain.

Thermal System Insulation ACM: Thermal system insulation which contains more than one percent asbestos.

Summary of requirements for asbestos

• Employers whose work involves asbestos must observe the PEL, monitor as needed, use proper hazard communication, train workers, provide medical surveillance, and more.

Employers must:

• Assess the workplace to determine if asbestos is present and if the work will generate airborne fibers by a specific method under each standard.
• Observe the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for asbestos, which is 0.1 fiber per cubic centimeter of air as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA), with an excursion limit (EL) of 1.0 asbestos fibers per cubic centimeter over a 30-minute period. The employer must ensure that no one is exposed above these limits.
• Monitor as necessary to detect if asbestos exposure is at or above the PEL or EL for workers who are, or may be expected to be, exposed to asbestos. Frequency depends on work classification and exposure. The construction and shipyard standards require assessment and monitoring by a competent person. If the exposure has the potential to be above the PEL or EL, employers must use proper engineering controls and work practices to the extent feasible to keep it at or below the PEL and EL. Where feasible engineering controls and work practices do not ensure worker protection at the exposure limits, employers must reduce the exposures to the lowest level achievable and then supplement with proper respiratory protection to meet the PEL. The construction and shipyard standards contain specific control methods depending on work classification, and the general industry standard has specific controls for brake and clutch repair work.
• Use proper hazard communication and demarcation with warning signs containing specified language in areas that have exposures above the PEL or EL. No smoking, eating, or drinking should occur in these areas and proper PPE must be provided and used to prevent exposure. Separate decontamination and lunch areas with proper hygiene practices must be provided to workers exposed above the PEL to avoid contamination.
• Train workers. Training requirements depend on the workplace exposure and classification. Training must be provided to all workers exposed at or above the PEL before work begins and yearly thereafter. All training must be conducted in a manner and language which the worker is able to understand. Workers who perform housekeeping operations in buildings with presumed asbestos-containing material but not at the PEL must also be provided asbestos awareness training. Medical surveillance requirements are different depending on the industry.
• Provide medical surveillance for workers who engage in certain classifications of work, or experience exposures at or above the PEL in construction and shipyards. In general industry, medical examinations must be provided for workers who experience exposure at or above the PEL.
• Keep records on exposure monitoring for asbestos for at least 30 years, and worker medical surveillance records for the duration of employment plus 30 years. Training records must be kept for at least one year beyond the last date of employment.

Employers and building owners are required to treat installed thermal system insulation (TSI) and sprayed-on and troweled-on surfacing materials as asbestos-containing material (ACM). Treat asphalt and vinyl flooring material installed no later than 1980 as asbestos containing.

Employers and building and facility owners must exercise due diligence in complying with requirements to inform employers and employees about the presence and location of ACM and presumed asbestos-containing material (PACM).

Hazards of asbestos

• Employees who are exposed to asbestos in the workplace are at risk of several dangerous diseases, including lung cancer and asbestosis, which often appear years after the exposure.

Asbestos minerals tend to separate into microscopic-size particles that can remain in the air and are easily inhaled. These fibers can become embedded in the tissues of the lung and digestive system. Once the fibers become trapped in the lung’s alveoli (air sacs), they cannot be removed. Persons occupationally exposed to asbestos have developed several types of life-threatening diseases, including lung cancer. Although the use of asbestos and asbestos products has dramatically decreased, they are still found in many residential and commercial settings and continue to pose a health risk to workers and others.

Asbestos workers have increased chances of getting two principal types of cancer:

• Cancer of the lung tissue itself; and
• Mesothelioma, a cancer of the thin membrane that surrounds the lung and other internal organs.

Other diseases related to asbestos exposure are asbestosis, an emphysema-like condition, and gastrointestinal cancer which is caused by ingesting asbestos-contaminated food. These diseases do not develop immediately following exposure to asbestos, but appear only after a number of years.

Asbestos monitoring

• OSHA requires employers to assess and monitor the levels of asbestos to which their employees may be exposed.
• Employers must share the results of asbestos monitoring with affected employees.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires employers to perform initial monitoring for each job classification to determine the airborne concentrations of asbestos to which employees may be exposed. If exposures exceed the time-weighted average (TWA) permissible exposure limit and/or excursion limit, periodic monitoring must be conducted at intervals no greater than every six months.

If either initial or periodic monitoring indicates that employee exposures are below the TWA permissible exposure limit and/or excursion limit, monitoring can be stopped for those employees whose exposures are represented by such monitoring.

The employer must initiate monitoring whenever there has been a change in the production, process, control equipment, personnel or work practices that may result in new or additional exposures to asbestos.

Monitoring should also occur when the employer has any reason to suspect that a change may result in new or additional exposures above the PEL.

Employees must be notified of the results of asbestos monitoring, in writing, either individually or by a posted notice, within 15 working days after receiving the test results.

The employer must provide affected employees or their designated representatives an opportunity to observe any monitoring of employee exposure to asbestos. When observation of the monitoring of exposure to asbestos necessitates entry into an area where the use of protective clothing or equipment is required, the observer must be provided with, and be required to use, such clothing and equipment. The observer must comply with all other applicable safety and health procedures.

Regulated areas

• Employers must establish regulated areas where asbestos exposure may occur and allow only authorized personnel to enter such areas.
• Warning signs must be posted at all approaches to a regulated area.

Covered employers must establish a regulated area(s) where airborne concentrations of asbestos exceed the permissible exposure limit (PEL). Only authorized personnel may enter regulated areas and they must use respirators. No smoking, eating, drinking, chewing tobacco or gum, or applying cosmetics is permitted in regulated areas. Warning signs must be displayed at each regulated area and must be posted at all approaches to regulated areas.

Employers must ensure that employees working in and around regulated areas comprehend the warning signs. Methods to ensure employee comprehension may include the use of languages other than English, pictographs, and graphics. These signs must contain the following information:

• DANGER
• ASBESTOS
• MAY CAUSE CANCER CAUSES DAMAGE TO LUNGS
• AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY

In addition, where the use of respirators and protective clothing is required in the regulated area under this section, the warning signs shall include the following:

WEAR RESPIRATORY PROTECTION AND PROTECTIVE CLOTHING IN THIS AREA

Warning labels must be placed on all raw materials, mixtures, scrap, waste, debris, and other products containing asbestos fibers. The label must include the following information:

• DANGER
• CONTAINS ASBESTOS
• FIBERS MAY CAUSE CANCER
• CAUSES DAMAGE TO LUNGS
• DO NOT BREATHE DUST
• AVOID CREATING DUST

Engineering and work practice controls

• Engineering and work practice controls must be used, to the extent feasible, to reduce employee exposure to asbestos.
• The employer must implement a written program.

To help reduce exposure, asbestos must be handled, mixed, applied, removed, cut, scored or otherwise worked in a wet state. This “wet” method must also be used when products containing asbestos are removed from bags, cartons, or containers. If this is not possible, removal must be done in an enclosed or well-ventilated area.

Asbestos-containing material (ACM) must not be applied by spray methods. Compressed air can be used to remove asbestos or ACM only if the compressed air is used in conjunction with an enclosed ventilated system designed to capture the dust cloud created by the compressed air.

To the extent feasible, engineering and work practice controls need to be used to reduce employee exposure to within the PEL. Respirators may be used where engineering controls have been instituted but are insufficient to reduce exposure to the required level.

It is the employer’s responsibility to implement a written program to reduce employee exposure to or below the PEL by means of engineering and work practice controls and by the use of respirators. Written plans must be reviewed and updated as necessary to reflect significant changes in the asbestos program. Employee rotation cannot be used as a means of compliance with the permissible exposure limit.

Respiratory protection

• Employees exposed to asbestos must wear respirators when feasible engineering and work practice controls are not sufficient to reduce exposure.
• Employers must ensure that respirators fit properly and that employees are able to function normally while wearing them.

Exposed employees must wear respirators:

• While feasible engineering and work practice controls are being installed or implemented;
• During maintenance and repair activities or other activities where engineering and work practice controls are not feasible;
• If feasible engineering and work practice controls are insufficient to reduce employee exposure; and
• In emergencies.

Employees who use an air-purifying respirator must change filters whenever an increase in breathing resistance is detected. Employees who wear respirators must be allowed to wash their faces and respirator face pieces whenever necessary to prevent skin irritation.

An employee must not be assigned to tasks requiring the use of respirators if a physician determines that the employee is unable to function normally wearing a respirator or that the employee’s safety and health or that of others would be affected by the employee’s use of a respirator. In this case, the employer must assign the employee to another job or give the employee the opportunity to transfer to a different job which does not require the use of a respirator. The job must be with the same employer, in the same geographical area, and with the same seniority, status, and rate of pay, if such a position is available.

The employer must ensure that a respirator issued to an employee fits properly and exhibits minimum facepiece leakage. Following a medical evaluation, each employee who will wear a respirator on the job must have a quantitative or qualitative fit test. This must be done at the time of initial fitting and at least every six months for each employee wearing a negative pressure respirator.

Protective clothing

• Protective clothing must be worn where airborne concentrations exceed PEL.
• Asbestos-contaminated clothing must be removed in change rooms and stored in a way to prevent dispersion of asbestos.

For any employee exposed to airborne concentrations of asbestos that exceed the permissible exposure limit (PEL), protective clothing must be provided and required to be worn. The clothing may include coveralls or similar full-body clothing, head coverings, gloves, and foot coverings. Wherever the possibility of eye irritation exists, face shields, vented goggles, or other appropriate protective equipment must be provided and worn.

Asbestos-contaminated work clothing must be removed in change rooms and placed and stored in closed containers which prevent dispersion of asbestos into the ambient environment. Protective clothing and equipment must be cleaned, laundered, repaired or replaced to maintain its effectiveness.

The employer must inform any person who launders or cleans asbestos-contaminated clothing or equipment of the potentially harmful effects of exposure to asbestos. Contaminated clothing and equipment needs to be transported in sealed impermeable bags or other closed impermeable containers and appropriately labeled.

Hygiene facilities and practices

• Employees who work in regulated areas need clean change rooms, shower facilities, and lunch facilities.

Employees who work in regulated areas must be provided with clean change rooms, shower facilities, and lunchrooms.

• Change rooms must contain at least two lockers — one for contaminated clothing, the other for street clothing.
• Employees must shower at the end of the shift and cannot leave the workplace wearing any clothing or equipment used during the shift.
• Lunchroom facilities must be readily accessible to employees and have a positive pressure filtered air supply.

Employees must wash their hands prior to eating, drinking, or smoking. Employers must set up a system to ensure that employees do not enter lunchroom facilities with protective work clothing or equipment unless surface asbestos fibers have been removed from the clothing or equipment by vacuuming or other method that removes dust without causing the asbestos to become airborne. Do not allow employees to smoke in work areas where they are occupationally exposed to asbestos because of activities in that work area.

Building owner responsibilities

• Building and facility owners must maintain records of the presence, location and quantity of asbestos-containing material in the facility, and must inform employees who are at risk of exposure.

Building and facility owners must maintain records of all information required concerning the presence, location and quantity of asbestos-containing material (ACM) and presumed asbestos-containing material (PACM) in the building/facility. Such records need to be kept for the duration of ownership and must be transferred to successive owners.

Building and facility owners must inform employers of employees with potential exposure risks. Those employers must inform their employees who will perform housekeeping activities in areas which contain ACM and/or PACM of the presence and location of ACM and PACM in these areas. Identification of ACM and PACM should be made by industrial hygienists, or by persons whose skill and experience in identifying asbestos hazards is the equivalent to that of industrial hygienists.

Information and training

• Employees who are exposed to asbestos in the workplace must be trained in the health hazards of asbestos.

All employees who are exposed to airborne concentrations of asbestos at or above the action level must be properly trained about asbestos hazards. Training must be provided prior to or at the time of initial assignment, and at least yearly thereafter.

An effective training program must provide employees with information about the health hazards of asbestos exposures and include the following elements:

• Relationship between asbestos and smoking in producing lung cancer;
• Operations which could result in asbestos exposure;
• Engineering controls and appropriate work practices associated with the employee’s job assignment;
• Purpose, proper use, and limitations of respirators and protective clothing;
• Medical surveillance program;
• Emergency and clean-up procedures;
• Names, addresses, and phone numbers of public health organizations which provide information, materials, and/or conduct programs concerning smoking cessation; and
• A review of the procedures contained in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s asbestos standard at 1910.1001.

All training materials must be available to the employee without cost and, upon request, to OSHA and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) representatives.

Housekeeping

• Careful housekeeping can help reduce the risk of accumulations of asbestos-containing material in the workplace.

Conscientious housekeeping is one way to ensure that the workplace is risk free by ensuring that:

• All surfaces are maintained as free as practicable of accumulations of dusts and waste containing asbestos,
• All spills and sudden releases of material containing asbestos are cleaned up as soon as possible,
• Surfaces contaminated with asbestos are not cleaned by the use of compressed air,
• High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA)-filtered vacuuming equipment is used for vacuuming.

The vacuum equipment must be used and emptied in a manner which minimizes the reentry of asbestos into the workplace.

Shoveling, dry sweeping, and dry cleanup of asbestos may be used only where vacuuming and/or wet cleaning are not feasible. Waste, scrap, debris, bags, containers, equipment, and clothing contaminated with asbestos consigned for disposal should be collected, recycled, and disposed of in sealed impermeable bags, or other closed, impermeable containers.

Medical surveillance

• Employers must provide a medical surveillance program for employees exposed to asbestos.
• Employees must have a pre-placement medical examination before starting a job where asbestos exposure is likely, and exams provided annually following the employees’ first exposure.
• Employers must obtain a written, signed opinion from a physician with the results of examinations and any determination of an employee’s increased risk from exposure to asbestos.

A medical surveillance program must be developed for all employees who are exposed to airborne concentrations of asbestos at or above the action level. All examinations must be performed under the supervision of a licensed physician at no cost to the employee and at a reasonable time and place.

Before an employee is assigned to a job with airborne concentration exposures of asbestos fibers at or above the time-weighted average (TWA) and/or excursion limit, a pre-placement medical examination must be provided or made available by the employer. Examinations must include a complete physical examination with medical and work histories with emphasis on the:

• Respiratory system,
• Cardiovascular system,
• Digestive tract,
• Chest X-ray, and
• Pulmonary function test.

Each employee also must complete the respiratory disease questionnaire found in Appendix D to 1910.1001. Part 1 of the appendix contains the Initial Medical Questionnaire for all new hires who will be covered by the medical surveillance requirements. Part 2 of the appendix includes the abbreviated Periodical Medical Questionnaire, which must be administered to all employees who are provided periodic medical examinations under the medical surveillance provisions in 1910.1001.

These examinations must be made available annually following the employee’s first exposure to asbestos. Any employee who is terminated must be examined within 30 days before or after the date of termination. The employer must give the examining physician a copy of the standard and appendices; a description of the employee’s duties relating to the employee’s asbestos exposure; the exposure level or anticipated exposure level; a description of any personal protective and respiratory equipment used or to be used; and information from previous medical examinations.

The employer is further responsible to get a written, signed opinion from the physician which contains:

• The results of the medical examination and the physician’s opinion as to whether the employee has any detected medical conditions that would place the employee at an increased risk from exposure to asbestos;
• Any recommended limitations on the employee or upon the use of personal protective equipment such as clothing or respirators;
• A statement that the employee has been informed by the physician of the increased risk of lung cancer attributable to the combined effect of smoking and asbestos exposure; and
• A statement that the employee has been informed by the physician of the results of the medical examination.

The physician is not to reveal in the written opinion given to the employer specific findings or diagnoses unrelated to occupational exposure to asbestos. The employer must provide a copy of the physician’s written opinion to the affected employee within 30 days after its receipt.

Recordkeeping

• Employers must keep accurate records of measurements taken to monitor employee exposure to asbestos.
• Medical surveillance records must be retained for the duration of employment plus 30 years.

Each employer having exposed employees is responsible for keeping accurate records of all measurements taken to monitor employee exposure to asbestos. These documents must be kept for 30 years and include the following information:

• Date of measurement, operation involving exposure, sampling and analytical methods used, and evidence of their accuracy;
• Number, duration, and results of samples taken;
• Type of respiratory protective devices worn;
• Name and the results of all employee exposure measurements.

It is essential to keep an accurate record for each employee subject to medical surveillance. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that medical surveillance records include:

• Name of the employee,
• Physician’s written opinions,
• Any employee medical complaints related to exposure to asbestos, and
• Additional information provided to the examining physician.

Medical surveillance records must be retained for the duration of employment plus 30 years.

According to the asbestos standard, the employer must maintain all employee training records for one year beyond the last date of employment by that employee.

Records must be made available to OSHA, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), affected employees, former employees, and designated representatives. In addition, the employer must comply with the requirements concerning transfer of records set forth in 1910.1020(h).

NOTE: The employer may use the services of competent organizations such as industry trade associations and employee associations to maintain the records required.

Key definitions

• Key definitions for asbestos (construction) may be found in this section.

Asbestos: Includes chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, tremolite asbestos, anthophyllite asbestos, actinolite asbestos, and any of these minerals that have been chemically treated and/or altered.

Asbestos-containing material (ACM): Any material containing more than 1 percent asbestos.

Authorized person: Any person authorized by the employer and required by work duties to be present in regulated areas.

Building/facility owner: The legal entity, including a lessee, which exercises control over management and record keeping functions relating to a building and/or facility in which activities covered by this standard take place.

Certified industrial hygienist (CIH): A person certified in the practice of industrial hygiene by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene.

Employee exposure: That exposure to airborne asbestos that would occur if the employee were not using respiratory protective equipment.

Fiber: A particulate form of asbestos 5 micrometers or longer, with a length-to-diameter ratio of at least 3 to 1.

High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA): A filter capable of trapping and retaining at least 99.97 percent of 0.3 micrometer diameter mono-disperse particles.

Homogeneous area: An area of surfacing material or thermal system insulation that is uniform in color and texture.

Industrial hygienist: A professional qualified by education, training, and experience to anticipate, recognize, evaluate and develop controls for occupational health hazards.

Presumed asbestos containing material (PACM): Thermal system insulation and surfacing material found in buildings constructed no later than 1980. The designation of a material as “PACM” may be rebutted pursuant to paragraph (k)(5) of this 1926.1101.

Regulated area: An area established by the employer to demarcate areas where airborne concentrations of asbestos exceed, or there is a reasonable possibility they may exceed, the permissible exposure limit.

Surfacing ACM: Surfacing material which contains more than 1 percent asbestos.

Surfacing material: Material that is sprayed, troweled on or otherwise applied to surfaces (such as acoustical plaster on ceilings and fireproofing materials on structural members, or other materials on surfaces for acoustical, fireproofing, and other purposes).

Thermal System Insulation (TSI): ACM applied to pipes, fittings, boilers, breeching, tanks, ducts or other structural components to prevent heat loss or gain.

Thermal System Insulation ACM: Thermal system insulation which contains more than one percent asbestos.

Summary of requirements for asbestos

• Employers whose work involves asbestos must observe the PEL, designate a competent person, monitor as needed, use proper hazard communication, train workers, provide medical surveillance, and more.

Employers must:

• Assess the workplace to determine if asbestos is present and if the work will generate airborne fibers by a specific method under each standard.
• Observe the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for asbestos, which is 0.1 fiber per cubic centimeter of air as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA), with an excursion limit (EL) of 1.0 asbestos fibers per cubic centimeter over a 30-minute period. The employer must ensure that no one is exposed above these limits.
• Designate a competent person. On all construction sites with asbestos operations, employers must designate a competent person who can identify asbestos hazards and has the authority to correct them.
• Monitor as necessary to detect if asbestos exposure is at or above the PEL or EL for workers who are, or may be expected to be exposed to, asbestos. Frequency depends on work classification and exposure. The construction and shipyard standards require assessment and monitoring by a competent person. If the exposure has the potential to be above the PEL or EL, employers must use proper engineering controls and work practices to the extent feasible to keep it at or below the PEL and EL. Where feasible engineering controls and work practices do not ensure worker protection at the exposure limits, employers must reduce the exposures to the lowest level achievable and then supplement with proper respiratory protection to meet the PEL. The construction and shipyard standards contain specific control methods depending on work classification, and the general industry standard has specific controls for brake and clutch repair work.
• Use proper hazard communication and demarcation with warning signs containing specified language in areas that have exposures above the PEL or EL. No smoking, eating, or drinking should occur in these areas and proper PPE must be provided and used to prevent exposure. Separate decontamination and lunch areas with proper hygiene practices must be provided to workers exposed above the PEL to avoid contamination.
• Train workers. Training requirements depend on the workplace exposure and classification. Training must be provided to all workers exposed at or above the PEL before work begins and yearly thereafter. All training must be conducted in a manner and language in which the worker is able to understand. Workers who perform housekeeping operations in buildings with presumed asbestos-containing material (ACM) but not at the PEL must also be provided asbestos awareness training. Medical surveillance requirements are different depending on the industry.
• Provide medical surveillance for workers who engage in certain classifications of work, or experience exposures at or above the PEL in construction and shipyards.
• Keep records on exposure monitoring for asbestos for at least 30 years, and worker medical surveillance records for the duration of employment plus 30 years. Training records must be kept for at least one year beyond the last date of employment.

Permissible exposure limit for asbestos

• No employee can be exposed to asbestos in excess of 0.1 fiber per cubic centimeter of air as an eight-hour TWA.

Employers must ensure that no employee is exposed to an airborne concentration of asbestos in excess of 0.1 fiber per cubic centimeter of air as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA). In addition, employees must not be exposed to an airborne concentration of asbestos in excess of 1.0 asbestos fibers per cubic centimeter as averaged over a sampling period of 30 minutes.

Employers must assess all asbestos operations for the potential to generate airborne fibers, and use exposure monitoring data to assess employee exposures. They must also designate a competent person to help ensure the safety and health of workers.

Work classification

• OSHA breaks down asbestos construction work into four classes for purposes of control requirements, with Class I activities having the highest risk and Class IV having lower risk.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard establishes a classification system for asbestos construction work that spells out mandatory, simple, technological work practices that employers must follow to reduce worker exposures. Under this system, the following four classes of construction work are matched with control requirements:

• Class I asbestos work is the most potentially hazardous class of asbestos jobs. This work involves the removal of asbestos-containing thermal system insulation and sprayed-on or troweled-on surfacing materials. Employers must presume that thermal system insulation and surfacing material found in pre-1981 construction is asbestos-containing material (ACM). That presumption, however, is rebuttable. If the employer believes that the surfacing material or thermal system insulation is not ACM, the OSHA standard specifies the means to rebut that presumption. Thermal system insulation includes ACM applied to pipes, boilers, tanks, ducts, or other structural components to prevent heat loss or gain. Surfacing materials include decorative plaster on ceilings and walls; acoustical materials on decking, walls, and ceilings; and fireproofing on structural members.
• Class II work includes the removal of other types of ACM that are not thermal system insulation such as resilient flooring and roofing materials. Examples of Class II work include removal of asbestos-containing floor or ceiling tiles, siding, roofing, or transite panels.
• Class III asbestos work includes repair and maintenance operations where ACM or presumed ACM (PACM) are disturbed.
• Class IV work includes custodial activities where employees clean up asbestos-containing waste and debris produced by construction, maintenance, or repair activities. This work involves cleaning dust-contaminated surfaces, vacuuming contaminated carpets, mopping floors, and cleaning up ACM or PACM from thermal system insulation or surfacing material.

Competent person

• A competent person is one who is able to identify asbestos hazards in the workplace and has the authority to correct them.

On all construction sites with asbestos operations, employers must designate a competent person — one who can identify asbestos hazards in the workplace and has the authority to correct them. This person must be qualified and authorized to ensure worker safety and health as required by Subpart C, General Safety and Health Provisions for Construction (1926.20). Under these requirements for safety and health prevention programs, the competent person must frequently inspect jobsites, materials, and equipment.

The competent person must attend a comprehensive training course for contractors and supervisors certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or a state-approved training provider, or complete a course that is equivalent in length and content.

For Class III and IV asbestos work, training must include a course equivalent in length, stringency, and content to the 16-hour Operations and Maintenance course developed by EPA for maintenance and custodial workers. For more specific information, see 763.92(a)(2).

Duties

For Class II, III, and IV jobs, the competent person must inspect often enough to assess changing conditions and upon employee request.

For Class I or II asbestos work, the competent person must ensure the integrity of the enclosures or other containments by on-site inspection and supervise the following activities:

• Setup of regulated areas, enclosures, or other containments.
• Setup procedures to control entry to and exit from the enclosure or area.
• Employee exposure monitoring by ensuring it is properly conducted.
• Use of required protective clothing and equipment by employees working within the enclosure or using glove bags (a plastic bag-like enclosure affixed around asbestos-containing material (ACM), with glove-like appendages through which materials and tools may be handled).
• Setup, removal, and performance of engineering controls, work practices, and personal protective equipment through on-site inspection.
• Use of hygiene facilities by employees.
• Required decontamination procedures.
• Notification requirements.

Initial exposure assessment

• A competent person must perform an initial exposure assessment of asbestos hazards before an operation begins.

To determine expected exposures, a competent person must perform an initial exposure assessment to assess exposures immediately before or as the operation begins. This person must perform the assessment in time to comply with all standard requirements triggered by exposure data or the lack of a negative exposure assessment and to provide the necessary information to ensure all control systems are appropriate and work properly. A negative exposure assessment demonstrates that employee exposure during an operation is consistently below the permissible exposure limit (PEL).

The initial exposure assessment must be based on the following criteria:

• Results of employee exposure monitoring, unless a negative exposure assessment has been made.
• Observations, information, or calculations indicating employee exposure to asbestos, including any previous monitoring.

For Class I asbestos work, until employers document that employees will not be exposed in excess of the eight-hour TWA PEL and short-term exposure limit (STEL), employers must assume that employee exposures are above those limits.

For any specific asbestos job that trained employees perform, employers may show that exposures will be below the PELs (i.e., negative exposure assessment) through the following:

• Objective data demonstrating that asbestos-containing material (ACM), or activities involving it, cannot release airborne fibers in excess of the eight-hour TWA PEL or STEL.
• Exposure data obtained within the past 12 months from prior monitoring of work operations closely resembling the employer’s current work operations (the work operations that were previously monitored must have been conducted by employees whose training and experience were no more extensive than that of current employees, and the data must show a high degree of certainty that employee exposures will not exceed the eight-hour TWA PEL or STEL under current conditions).
• Current initial exposure monitoring that used breathing zone air samples representing the eight-hour TWA and 30-minute short-term exposures for each employee in those operations most likely to result in exposures over the eight-hour TWA PEL for the entire asbestos job.

Exposure monitoring

• Employers must take one or more air quality samples to determine the eight-hour TWA and short-term exposure levels for each work area.
• Changes in process, equipment, personnel, or work practice may require employers to do additional monitoring.

Employers must determine employee exposure measurements from breathing zone air samples representing the eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA) and 30-minute short-term exposures for each employee.

Employers must take one or more samples representing full-shift exposure to determine the eight-hour TWA exposure in each work area. To determine short-term employee exposures, take one or more samples representing 30-minute exposures for the operations most likely to expose employees above the excursion limit in each work area.

Employers must also allow affected employees and their designated representatives to observe any employee exposure monitoring. When observation requires entry into a regulated area, provide and require the use of protective clothing and equipment.

Changes in processes, control equipment, personnel, or work practices that could result in new or additional exposures above the eight-hour TWA permissible exposure limit (PEL) or short-term exposure limit (STEL) require additional monitoring regardless of a previous negative exposure assessment for a specific job.

Periodic monitoring

For Class I and II jobs, employers must conduct monitoring daily that is representative of each employee working in a regulated area, unless the employer produced a negative exposure assessment for the entire operation and nothing has changed. When all employees use supplied-air respirators operated in positive-pressure mode, however, employers may discontinue daily monitoring. When employees perform Class I work using control methods not recommended in the standard, continue daily monitoring even when employees use supplied-air respirators.

For operations other than Class I and II, employers must monitor all work where exposures can possibly exceed the PEL often enough to validate the exposure prediction.

If periodic monitoring shows that certain employee exposures are below the eight-hour TWA PEL and the STEL, employers may discontinue monitoring these employees’ exposures.

Medical surveillance programs

• A medical surveillance program must be developed for all employees who are engaged in Class I, II or III work, are exposed at or above the PEL for 30 days or more per year, or who wear negative-pressure respirators.

Employers must provide a medical surveillance program for all employees who do the following:

• Engage in Class I, II, or III work or are exposed at or above the permissible exposure limit (PEL) or short-term exposure limit (STEL) for a combined total of 30 or more days per year; or
• Wear negative-pressure respirators.

In addition, a licensed physician must perform or supervise all medical exams and procedures that employers provide at no cost to their employees and at a reasonable time.

Employers must make medical exams and consultations available to employees as follows:

• Prior to employee assignment to an area where negative pressure respirators are worn.
• Within 10 working days after the 30th day of combined engagement in Class I, II, and III work and exposure at or above a PEL, and at least annually thereafter.
• When an examining physician suggests them more frequently.

If an employee was examined within the past 12 months and that exam meets the criteria of the standard, however, another medical exam is not required.

Medical exams must include the following:

• Medical and work histories.
• Completion of a standardized questionnaire with the initial exam (see 1926.1101 Appendix D, Part 1) and an abbreviated standardized questionnaire with annual exams (see 1926.1101 Appendix D, Part 2).
• Physical exam focusing on the pulmonary and gastrointestinal systems.
• Any other exams or tests deemed necessary by the examining physician.

Employers must provide the examining physician with the following:

• Copy of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s asbestos standard and its appendices D, E, and I.
• Description of the affected employee’s duties relating to exposure.
• Employee’s representative exposure level or anticipated exposure level.
• Description of any personal protective equipment and respiratory equipment used.
• Information from previous medical exams not otherwise available.

It is the employer’s responsibility to obtain the physician’s written opinion containing results of the medical exam as well as the following information:

• Any medical conditions of the employee that increase health risks from asbestos exposure.
• Any recommended limitations on the employee or protective equipment used.
• A statement that the employee has been informed of the results of the medical exam and any medical conditions resulting from asbestos exposure.
• A statement that the employee has been informed of the increased risk of lung cancer from the combined effect of smoking and asbestos exposure.

Note: A physician’s written opinion must not reveal specific findings or diagnoses unrelated to occupational exposure to asbestos. Employers must provide a copy of the physician’s written opinion to the employee involved within 30 days after receipt.

Employee records

• Employers must keep accurate records of measurements taken to monitor employee exposure to asbestos.
• Employers must keep records of all employee exposure monitoring for at least 30 years.

Employers must maintain employee records concerning objective data, exposure monitoring, and medical surveillance.

If using objective data to demonstrate that products made from or containing asbestos cannot release fibers in concentrations at or above the permitted exposure limit (PEL) or short-term exposure limit (STEL), employers must keep an accurate record for as long as it is relied on and include the following information:

• Exempt products.
• Objective data source.
• Testing protocol, test results, and analysis of the material for release of asbestos.
• Exempt operation and support data descriptions.
• Relevant data for operations, materials, processes, or employee exposures.

Employers must keep records of all employee exposure monitoring for at least 30 years, including the following information:

• Date of measurement.
• Operation involving asbestos exposure that were monitored.
• Methods of sampling and analysis that were used and evidence of their accuracy.
• Number, duration, and results of samples taken.
• Type of protective devices worn.
• Name and exposures of the employees involved.

Exposure records

• Employers must make exposure records available to affected employees on request.
• Employers must retain copies of medical surveillance records for the duration of employment plus 30 years.
• Employers must also keep records related to employee training, and building owners must keep records related to the location and quantity of asbestos in their facilities.

Employers must also make exposure records available when requested to affected employees, former employees, their designated representatives, and/or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s Assistant Secretary.

In addition to retaining a copy of the information provided to the examining physician, employers must keep all medical surveillance records for the duration of an employee’s employment plus 30 years, including the following information:

• Employee’s name.
• Employee’s medical exam results, including the medical history, questionnaires, responses, test results, and physician’s recommendations.
• Physician’s written opinions.
• Employee’s medical complaints related to asbestos exposure.

Employers must also make employees’ medical surveillance records available to them, as well as to anyone having specific written consent of an employee, and to OSHA’s Assistant Secretary.

Also, employers must maintain other records. Employers must maintain all employee training records for one year beyond the last date of employment.

If data demonstrate asbestos-containing material (ACM) does not contain asbestos, building owners or employers must keep associated records for as long as they rely on them. Building owners must maintain written notifications on the identification, location, and quantity of any ACM or presumed ACM for the duration of ownership, and transfer the records to successive owners.

When employers cease to do business without a successor to keep their records, employers must notify the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) at least 90 days prior to their disposal and transmit them as requested.

Regulated areas

• Class I, II and III asbestos work must be performed within regulated areas, with a competent person to supervise the asbestos work performed in that area.
• Regulated areas must be well-marked with signs and restricted to authorized personnel only.

A regulated area is a marked-off site where employees work with asbestos, including any adjoining areas where debris and waste from asbestos work accumulates or where airborne concentrations of asbestos exceed, or can possibly exceed, the permissible exposure limit (PEL).

All Class I, II, and III asbestos work, or any other operations where airborne asbestos exceeds the PEL, must be performed within regulated areas. Only persons permitted by an employer and required by work duties to be present in regulated areas may enter a regulated area. The designated competent person supervises all asbestos work performed in this area.

Employers must mark off the regulated area in a manner that minimizes the number of persons within the area and protects persons outside the area from exposure to airborne asbestos. Employers may use critical barriers (i.e., plastic sheeting placed over all openings to the work area to prevent airborne asbestos from migrating to an adjacent area) or negative pressure enclosures to mark off a regulated area.

Posted warning signs demarcating the area must be easily readable and understandable. The signs must bear the following information:

• DANGER
• ASBESTOS
• CANCER AND LUNG DISEASE HAZARD
• AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY
• RESPIRATORY AND PROTECTIVE CLOTHING ARE REQUIRED IN THIS AREA

Employers must supply a respirator to all persons entering regulated areas. Employees must not eat, drink, smoke, chew (tobacco or gum), or apply cosmetics in regulated areas.

An employer performing work in a regulated area must inform other employers on-site of the following:

• Nature of the work.
• Regulated area requirements.
• Measures taken to protect on-site employees.

The contractor creating or controlling the source of asbestos contamination must abate the hazards. All employers with employees working near regulated areas, must daily assess the enclosure’s integrity or the effectiveness of control methods to prevent airborne asbestos from migrating.

General contractors on a construction project must oversee all asbestos work, even though they may not be the designated competent person. As supervisor of the entire project, the general contractor determines whether asbestos contractors comply with the standard and ensures that they correct any problems.

Communicating hazards to employees

• Building/facility owners are often the only or best source of information about asbestos materials in a facility.
• Employers who discover asbestos-containing material on a worksite must notify owners, other employers, and employees working nearby of the presence, location and quantity of asbestos.

Most asbestos-related construction involves previously installed building materials. Building/facility owners often are the only or best source of information concerning these materials. Building/facility owners, as well as employers of workers who may be exposed to asbestos hazards, have specific duties under the standard.

Before work begins, building/facility owners must identify all thermal system insulation at the worksite, sprayed or troweled-on surfacing materials in buildings, and resilient flooring material installed before 1981. They also must notify the following persons of the presence, location, and quantity of asbestos-containing material (ACM) or presumed ACM (PACM):

• Prospective employers applying or bidding for work in or adjacent to areas containing asbestos.
• Building owners’ employees who work in or adjacent to these areas.
• Other employers on multi-employer worksites with employees working in or adjacent to these areas.
• All tenants who will occupy the areas containing ACM.

Employers that discover ACM on a worksite must notify the building/facility owner and other employers on-site within 24 hours regarding its presence, location, and quantity. Employers also must inform owners and employees working in nearby areas of the precautions taken to confine airborne asbestos. Within 10 days of project completion, inform building/facility owners and other employers on-site of the current locations and quantities of remaining ACM and any final monitoring results.

At any time, employers or building and facility owners may demonstrate that a PACM does not contain asbestos by inspecting the material in accordance with the requirements of the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) (Part 763 Subpart E) or by performing tests of bulk samples collected in the manner described in 763.86. See 1926.1101 for specific testing requirements.

Employers do not have to inform employees of asbestos-free building materials present, but must retain the information, data, and analysis supporting the determination.

Warning signs and labels

• Employers must post warning signs in regulated areas notifying others of the presence of asbestos-containing material.

At the entrance to mechanical rooms or areas with asbestos-containing material (ACM) or presumed ACM (PACM), the building/facility owner must post signs identifying the material present, its specific location, and appropriate work practices that ensure it is not disturbed.

Also, employers must post warning signs in regulated areas to inform employees of the dangers and necessary protective steps to take before entering.

Employers must attach warning labels to all products and containers of asbestos, including waste containers, and all installed asbestos products, when possible. Labels must be printed in large, bold letters on a contrasting background and used in accordance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s Hazard Communication Standard (1910.1200). All labels must contain a warning statement against breathing asbestos fibers and contain the following legend:

• DANGER
• CONTAINS ASBESTOS FIBERS
• AVOID CREATING DUST
• CANCER AND LUNG DISEASE HAZARD

Labels are not required if asbestos is present in concentrations less than one percent by weight. They also are not required if bonding agents, coatings, or binders have altered asbestos fibers, prohibiting the release of airborne asbestos over the permissible exposure limit (PEL) or short-term exposure limit (STEL) during reasonable use, handling, storage, disposal, processing, or transportation.

When building owners or employers identify previously installed asbestos or PACM, employers must attach or post clearly noticeable and readable labels or signs to inform employees which materials contain asbestos.

Training

• Employees who are likely to be exposed to asbestos above the PEL must be trained prior to working in those areas.
• Training requirements will vary based on the work class involved.

Employers must provide a training program for all employees who are likely to be exposed in excess of a permissible exposure limit (PEL) and for all employees performing Class I through IV asbestos operations. Employees must be trained prior to or at initial assignment and at least annually thereafter. Training courses must be easily understandable and include the following information:

• Ways to recognize asbestos.
• Adverse health effects of asbestos exposure.
• Relationship between smoking and asbestos in causing lung cancer.
• Operations that could result in asbestos exposure and the importance of protective controls to minimize exposure.
• Purpose, proper use, fitting instruction, and limitations of respirators.
• Appropriate work practices for performing asbestos jobs.
• Medical surveillance program requirements.
• Contents of the standard.
• Names, addresses, and phone numbers of public health organizations that provide information and materials or conduct smoking cessation programs.
• Sign and label requirements and the meaning of their legends.
• Written materials relating to employee training and self-help smoking cessation programs at no cost to employees.

The following additional training requirements apply depending on the work class involved:

• For Class I operations and for Class II operations that require the use of critical barriers (or equivalent isolation methods) and/or negative pressure enclosures, training must be equivalent in curriculum, method, and length to the EPA Model Accreditation Plan (MAP) asbestos abatement worker training (see Part 763 Subpart E Appendix C).
• For employees performing Class II operations involving one generic category of building materials containing asbestos (e.g., roofing, flooring, or siding materials or transite panels), training may be covered in an eight-hour course that includes hands-on experience.
• For Class III operations, training must be equivalent in curriculum and method to the 16-hour Operations and Maintenance course developed by EPA for maintenance and custodial workers whose work disturbs asbestos-containing material (ACM) (see 763.92). The course must include hands-on training on proper respirator use and work practices.
• For Class IV operations, training must be equivalent in curriculum and method to EPA awareness training (see 1926.1101 for more information). Training must focus on the locations of ACM or presumed ACM (PACM) and the ways to recognize damage and deterioration and avoid exposure. The course must be at least two hours long.

Note: Employers must provide the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s Assistant Secretary and the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) all information and training materials as requested.

Controlling asbestos exposure levels

• Control methods to reduce asbestos exposure may include ventilation that includes a HEPA filter, and isolation of processes producing asbestos dust.
• Employers must use some engineering controls and work practices regardless of exposure levels, including vacuum cleaners equipped with HEPA filers, and wet methods or wetting agents to control employee exposure.

For all covered work, employers must use the following control methods to comply with the permissible exposure limit (PEL) and short-term exposure limit (STEL):

• Local exhaust ventilation equipped with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter dust collection system. A HEPA filter is capable of trapping and retaining at least 99.97 percent of all mono-dispersed particles of 0.3 micrometers in diameter.
• Enclosure or isolation of processes producing asbestos dust.
• Ventilation of the regulated area to move contaminated air away from the employees’ breathing zone and toward a filtration or collection device equipped with a HEPA filter.
• Feasible engineering and work practice controls to reduce exposure to the lowest possible levels, supplemented by respirators to reach the PEL or STEL or lower.

Employers must use the following engineering controls and work practices for all operations regardless of exposure levels:

• Vacuum cleaners equipped with HEPA filters to collect all asbestos-containing or presumed asbestos-containing debris and dust.
• Wet methods or wetting agents to control employee exposures except when infeasible (e.g., due to the creation of electrical hazards, equipment malfunction, and slipping hazards).
• Prompt cleanup and disposal in leak-tight containers of asbestos-contaminated wastes and debris.

The following work practices and engineering controls are prohibited for all asbestos-related work or work that disturbs asbestos or presumed asbestos-containing material (PACM) regardless of measured exposure levels or the results of initial exposure assessments:

• High-speed abrasive disc saws not equipped with a point-of-cut ventilator or enclosure with HEPA-filtered exhaust air.
• Compressed air to remove asbestos or asbestos-containing material (ACM) unless the compressed air is used with an enclosed ventilation system.
• Dry sweeping, shoveling, or other dry cleanup of dust and debris.
• Employee rotation to reduce exposure.

In addition, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s asbestos standard has specific requirements for each class of asbestos work in construction.

Compliance requirements for Class I work

• Employers must place critical barriers over all openings to regulated areas during Class I asbestos work.
• If other barriers or isolation methods are used, employers must perform perimeter area surveillance during each work shift.
• Employers may use different or modified engineering and work practice controls if they adhere to certain provisions.

A designated competent person must supervise all Class I work, including installing and operating the control system, and must inspect on-site at least once during each work shift and upon employee request.

Employers must place critical barriers over all openings to regulated areas or use another barrier or isolation method to prevent airborne asbestos from migrating for the following jobs:

• All Class I jobs removing more than 25 linear or 10 square feet of thermal system insulation or surfacing material.
• All other Class I jobs without a negative exposure assessment.
• All jobs where employees are working in areas adjacent to a Class I regulated area.

If using other barriers or isolation methods instead of critical barriers, employers must perform perimeter area surveillance during each work shift. No asbestos dust should be visible. Perimeter monitoring must show that clearance levels are met (as contained in Part 763 Subpart E of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Asbestos in Schools rule) or that perimeter area levels are no greater than background levels.

Employers must ensure the following for all Class I jobs:

• Isolating heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems in regulated areas by sealing with a double layer of 6 mil plastic or the equivalent.
• Placing impermeable drop cloths on surfaces beneath all removal activity.
• Covering and securing all objects within the regulated area with impermeable drop cloths or plastic sheeting.
• Ventilating the regulated area to move the contaminated air away from the employee breathing zone and toward a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration or collection device for jobs without a negative exposure assessment or where exposure monitoring shows the permissible exposure limit (PEL) is exceeded.

In addition, employees performing Class I work must use one or more of the following control methods:

• Negative-pressure enclosure systems when the configuration of the work area does not make it infeasible to erect the enclosure.
• Glove bag systems to remove asbestos-containing material (ACM) or presumed ACM (PACM) from piping.
• Negative-pressure glove bag systems to remove asbestos or PACM from piping.
• Negative-pressure glove box systems to remove asbestos or ACM from pipe runs.
• Water spray process systems to remove asbestos or PACM from cold-line piping if employees carrying out the process have completed a 40-hour training course on its use in addition to training required for all employees performing Class I work.
• Small walk-in enclosure that accommodates no more than two people (mini-enclosure) if the disturbance or removal can be completely contained by the enclosure.

For the specifications, limitations, and recommended work practices of these required control methods, refer to 1926.1101.

Employers may use different or modified engineering and work practice controls if they adhere to the following provisions:

• The control method encloses, contains, or isolates the process or source of airborne asbestos dust, or captures and redirects the dust before it enters into the employees’ breathing zone.
• A certified industrial hygienist or licensed professional engineer qualified as a project designer evaluates the work area, the projected work practices, and the engineering controls and certifies, in writing, that based on evaluations and data the planned control method adequately reduces direct and indirect employee exposure to or below the PEL under worst-case conditions. The planned control method also must prevent asbestos contamination outside the regulated area, as measured by sampling meeting the requirements of the EPA Asbestos in Schools rule or perimeter monitoring.
• The employer sends a copy of the evaluation and certification to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) National Office, Office of Technical Support, Room N3653, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20210, before using alternative methods to remove more than 25 linear or 10 square feet of thermal system insulation or surfacing material.

Compliance requirements for Class II work

• Employers must use critical barriers over all openings to the regulated area where Class II asbestos work is occurring.
• All Class II asbestos work can use the same work practices and requirements as Class I asbestos jobs.

In addition to all indoor Class II jobs without a negative exposure assessment, employers must use critical barriers over all openings to the regulated area or another barrier or isolation method to prevent airborne asbestos from migrating for the following:

• When changing conditions indicate exposure above the permissible exposure limit (PEL), or
• When asbestos-containing material (ACM) is not removed substantially intact.

If using other barriers or isolation methods instead of critical barriers, employers must perform perimeter area monitoring to verify that the barrier works properly. In addition, impermeable drop cloths must cover all surfaces beneath removal activities.

All Class II asbestos work can use the same work practices and requirements as Class I asbestos jobs. Alternatively, Class II work can be performed using work practices set out in the standard for specific jobs.

Compliance requirements for Class III work

• Employers must use wet methods and local exhaust ventilation during Class III asbestos work.

Employers must use wet methods and local exhaust ventilation, to the extent feasible, during Class III work. When drilling, cutting, abrading, sanding, chipping, breaking, or sawing of asbestos-containing thermal system insulation or surfacing materials occurs, employers must use impermeable drop cloths as well as mini-enclosures, glove bag systems, or other effective isolation methods and ensure that workers wear respirators.

If the material is not thermal system insulation or surfacing material and a negative exposure assessment has not been produced or monitoring shows the PEL is exceeded, employers must contain the area with impermeable drop cloths and plastic barriers or other isolation methods and ensure that employees wear respirators. In addition, the competent person must inspect often enough to assess changing conditions and upon employee request.

Compliance requirements for Class IV work

• Employees engaged in Class IV asbestos work should have asbestos awareness training, use wet methods and HEPA vacuums, and wear respirators in regulated areas.

Employees conducting Class IV asbestos work must have attended an asbestos awareness training program.

They must use wet methods and high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) vacuums to promptly clean asbestos-containing or presumed asbestos-containing debris.

When cleaning debris and waste in regulated areas, employees must wear respirators.

In areas where thermal system insulation or surfacing material is present, workers must assume that all waste and debris contain asbestos.

Respirator use

• Employees must wear respirators, supplied by the employer, during all classes of asbestos work under certain conditions.

Employees must use respirators during the following activities:

• Class I asbestos jobs.
• Class II work where asbestos-containing material (ACM) is not removed substantially intact.
• Class II and III work not using wet methods.
• Class II and III work without a negative exposure assessment.
• Class III jobs where thermal system insulation or surfacing ACM or presumed ACM (PACM) is cut, abraded, or broken.
• Class IV work within a regulated area where respirators are required.
• Work where employees are exposed above the time-weighted average (TWA) or excursion limit.
• Emergencies.

Employers must provide respirators at no cost to workers, selecting the appropriate type from among those certified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

Employers must provide employees performing Class I work with full-facepiece supplied air respirators operated in pressure-demand mode and equipped with an auxiliary positive-pressure, self-contained breathing apparatus when exposure levels exceed 1 f/cc as an eight-hour TWA.

Employers must provide half-mask purifying respirators — other than disposable respirators — equipped with high-efficiency filters for Class II and III asbestos jobs where work disturbs thermal system insulation or surfacing ACM or presumed ACM.

If a particular job is not Class I, II, or III and exposures are above the permissible exposure limit (PEL) or short-term exposure limit (STEL), the standard at 1926.1101 contains a table specifying types of respirators to use.

Employers must institute a respiratory program as required by 1926.103 (which refers to 1910.134).

Employers must not assign any employee to tasks requiring respirator use who, based on the most recent physical exam and the examining physician’s recommendations, would be unable to function normally. Employers must assign such employees to other jobs or give them the opportunity to transfer to different positions in the same geographical area and with the same seniority, status, pay rate, and job benefits as they had before transferring, if such positions are available.

Protective clothing

• Employers must supply protective clothing for asbestos workers and ensure that such clothing is handled and laundered properly so that it does not release asbestos into the air.

Employers must provide and require the use of protective clothing (such as coveralls or similar whole-body clothing, head coverings, gloves, and foot coverings) for the following:

• Employees exposed to airborne asbestos exceeding the permissible exposure limit (PEL) or short-term exposure limit (STEL).
• Work without a negative exposure assessment.
• Employees performing Class I work involving the removal of over 25 linear or 10 square feet of thermal system insulation or surfacing asbestos-containing material (ACM) or presumed ACM (PACM).

Employers must ensure that the laundering of contaminated clothing does not release airborne asbestos in excess of the PEL or STEL. Employers who give contaminated clothing to other persons for laundering must inform them of the requirement to follow procedures that do not release airborne asbestos in excess of the PEL or STEL.

Employers must transport contaminated clothing in sealed, impermeable bags or other closed impermeable containers bearing appropriate labels. A competent person must examine employee work suits at least once per work shift for rips or tears. Rips or tears found while an employee is working must be mended or replaced immediately.

Housekeeping responsibilities

• Asbestos waste and other contaminated materials must be collected and disposed of in sealed, labeled, impermeable bags or containers.

Asbestos waste, scrap, debris, bags, containers, equipment, and contaminated clothing consigned for disposal must be collected and disposed of in sealed, labeled, impermeable bags or other closed, labeled impermeable containers. When vacuuming methods are selected, employees must use and empty high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA)-filtered vacuuming equipment carefully and in a way that will minimize asbestos reentry into the workplace.

Unless the building/facility owner demonstrates that the flooring does not contain asbestos, all vinyl and asphalt flooring material must be maintained in accordance with the following conditions:

• Sanding flooring material is prohibited.
• Employees stripping finishes must use wet methods and low abrasion pads at speeds lower than 300 revolutions per minute.
• Burnishing or dry buffing may be done only on flooring with enough finish that the pad cannot contact the flooring material.
• Employees must not dust, dry sweep, or vacuum without a HEPA filter in an area containing thermal system insulation or surfacing material or visibly deteriorated asbestos-containing material (ACM).

Employees must promptly clean up the waste and debris and accompanying dust, and dispose of it in leak-tight, labeled containers.

Key definitions

• Key definitions for benzene may be found in this section.

Action level: An airborne concentration of benzene of 0.5 ppm calculated as an eight-hour time-weighted average.

Authorized person: Any person specifically authorized by the employer whose duties require the person to enter a regulated area, or any person entering such an area as a designated representative of employees for the purpose of exercising the right to observe monitoring and measuring procedures under paragraph (l) of 1910.1028, or any other person authorized by the Occupational Safety and Health Act or regulations issued under the Act.

Benzene (C6H6) (CAS Registry No. 71-43-2): Liquefied or gaseous benzene. It includes benzene contained in liquid mixtures and the benzene vapors released by these liquids. It does not include trace amounts of unreacted benzene contained in solid materials.

Bulk wholesale storage facility: A bulk terminal or bulk plant where fuel is stored prior to its delivery to wholesale customers.

Container: Any barrel, bottle, can, cylinder, drum, reaction vessel, storage tank, or the like, but does not include piping systems.

Day: Any part of a calendar day.

Emergency: Any occurrence such as, but not limited to, equipment failure, rupture of containers, or failure of control equipment which may or does result in an unexpected significant release of benzene.

Employee exposure: Exposure to airborne benzene which would occur if the employee were not using respiratory protective equipment.

Regulated area: Any area where airborne concentrations of benzene exceed or can reasonably be expected to exceed, the permissible exposure limit, either the eight-hour time-weighted average exposure of 1 ppm or the short-term exposure limit of 5 ppm for 15 minutes.

Vapor control system: Any equipment used for containing the total vapors displaced during the loading of gasoline, motor fuel or other fuel tank trucks and the displacing of these vapors through a vapor processing system or balancing the vapor with the storage tank. This equipment also includes systems containing the vapors displaced from the storage tank during the unloading of the tank truck which balance the vapors back to the tank truck.

Summary of requirements

• Employers whose work involves benzene must observe the PEL, train workers, establish regulated areas, follow proper hygiene practices, provide PPE and respiratory protection, implement medical surveillance, and more.

Employers must:

• Observe permissible exposure limits (PELs). No employee may be exposed to an airborne concentration of benzene in excess of one part of benzene per million parts of air (1 ppm) as an eight-hour time-weighted average. The short-term exposure limit (STEL) must also be observed. No employee is exposed to an airborne concentration of benzene in excess of five (5) ppm as averaged over any 15-minute period.
• Institute a training program for all employees who are exposed to airborne concentrations of benzene at or above the permissible exposure limit.
• Establish regulated areas wherever the airborne concentration of benzene exceeds or can reasonably be expected to exceed the PELs, either the eight-hour time-weighted average exposure of 1 ppm or the STEL of 5 ppm for 15 minutes.
• Follow proper hygiene practices and provide a clean room.
• Implement appropriate monitoring and medical surveillance.
• Ensure appropriate medical evaluation.
• Provide adequate personal protective equipment and clothing.
• Implement a respiratory protection program when employees must use respirators.
• Implement appropriate engineering controls and work practices.
• Provide appropriate signs and labels to warn of and identify hazards.

Exposure effects

• Brief exposures to benzene are most likely to cause drowsiness, dizziness, headaches, and unconsciousness. Symptoms subside after exposure stops.
• Long-term exposure to benzene can cause cancer, blood production issues, immune system deficiency and genetic changes.

The most common exposure to benzene comes from breathing air containing benzene. Dermal exposure is also possible.

Brief oral or inhalation exposure to benzene at high levels can cause death; however, the main effects of exposures are drowsiness, dizziness, headaches, and unconsciousness. These symptoms subside after exposure stops.

Long-term exposures at various levels can cause cancer and may affect normal blood production, possibly resulting in severe anemia and internal bleeding. Studies show that benzene is harmful to the immune system, increasing the chance for infections and possibly lowering the body’s defense against tumors. Exposure to benzene has also been linked with genetic changes.

The Department of Health and Human Services has determined that benzene is a known human carcinogen. Long-term exposure to high levels of benzene in the air can cause leukemia, cancer of the blood-forming organs.

In the body, benzene is converted to products called metabolites. Certain metabolites can be measured in the urine. However, this test must be done shortly after exposure and is not a reliable indicator of how much benzene a person has been exposed to, since the metabolites may be present in urine from other sources.

Protection and training

• The OSHA permissible exposure limit for benzene is one part benzene per million parts of air.
• Employers must provide employees with training before permitting them to work with benzene.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets a permissible exposure limit of one part of benzene per million parts of air (1 ppm) in the workplace during an eight-hour workday, 40-hour work week at 1910.1028.

To achieve compliance, administrative or engineering controls must first be determined and implemented whenever feasible. When these controls are not feasible to achieve full compliance, protective equipment or any other protective measures must be used to keep the exposure of employees to air contaminants within the limits prescribed in the regulation. Any equipment and/or technical measures used for this purpose must be approved for each particular use by a competent industrial hygienist or other technically qualified person.

Employees who have contact with this chemical must understand the hazards and the methods of control associated with these hazards.

Training

The employer must provide employees with information and training at the time that they are initially assigned to a work area where benzene is present. If exposure is above the action level, employees must be provided with information and training at least annually thereafter.

The employer must also:

• Provide employees with an explanation of the benzene standard, Appendix A and Appendix B;
• Indicate to them where the standard is available; and
• Describe the medical surveillance program and information contained in 1910.1028, Appendix C.

Key definitions

• Key definitions for beryllium (general industry) may be found in this section.

Action level: A concentration of airborne beryllium of 0.1 micrograms per cubic meter of air (µg/m3) calculated as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA).

Beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test (BeLPT): The measurement of blood lymphocyte proliferation in a laboratory test when lymphocytes are challenged with a soluble beryllium salt. Beryllium work area: Any work area where materials that contain at least 0.1 percent beryllium by weight are processed either: (1) During any of the operations listed in Appendix A of 1910.1024; or (2) Where employees are, or can reasonably be expected to be, exposed to airborne beryllium at or above the action level.

CBD diagnostic center: A medical diagnostic center that has an on-site pulmonary specialist and on-site facilities to perform a clinical evaluation for the presence of chronic beryllium disease (CBD). This evaluation must include pulmonary function testing (as outlined by the American Thoracic Society criteria), bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), and transbronchial biopsy. The CBD diagnostic center must also have the capacity to transfer BAL samples to a laboratory for appropriate diagnostic testing within 24 hours. The on-site pulmonary specialist must be able to interpret the biopsy pathology and the BAL diagnostic test results.

Chronic beryllium disease (CBD): A chronic lung disease associated with airborne exposure to beryllium.

Competent person: An individual who is capable of identifying existing and foreseeable beryllium hazards in the workplace and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate or minimize them. The competent person must have the knowledge, ability, and authority necessary to fulfill the responsibilities set forth in paragraph (e) of 1910.1024.

Confirmed positive: The person tested has had two abnormal BeLPT test results, an abnormal and a borderline test result, or three borderline test results, obtained from tests conducted within a three-year period. It also means the result of a more reliable and accurate test indicating a person has been identified as having beryllium sensitization.

Emergency: Any uncontrolled release of airborne beryllium.

High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter: A filter that is at least 99.97 percent efficient in removing particles 0.3 micrometers in diameter.

Objective data: Information, such as air monitoring data from industry-wide surveys or calculations based on the composition of a substance, demonstrating airborne exposure to beryllium associated with a particular product or material or a specific process, task, or activity. The data must reflect workplace conditions closely resembling or with a higher airborne exposure potential than the processes, types of material, control methods, work practices, and environmental conditions in the employer’s current operations.

Physician or other licensed health care professional (PLHCP): An individual whose legally permitted scope of practice (i.e., license, registration, or certification) allows the individual to independently provide or be delegated the responsibility to provide some or all of the health care services required by paragraph (k) of 1910.1024.

Summary of requirements

• Employers whose work involves beryllium must assess their employees’ exposure level, reduce the PEL to acceptable limits, train workers, establish a written exposure control plan, follow proper hygiene practices, implement medical surveillance, and more.

The employer must:

• Assess the airborne exposure of each employee who is or may reasonably be expected to be exposed to airborne beryllium
• Reduce the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for beryllium to 0.2 micrograms per cubic meter of air, averaged over eight hours.
• Establish and implement a written exposure control plan that identifies tasks that involve exposure and methods used to protect workers, including but not limited to procedures to restrict access to work areas where high exposures may occur.
• Designate an administrator to implement the written exposure control plan.
• Provide engineering and work practice controls to reduce exposure levels.
• Provide hygiene areas and practices including proper housekeeping.
• Offer medical surveillance/medical exams at no cost to employees.
• Train employees initially and annually on health hazards, the exposure control plan, personal protective equipment, and additional topics.
• Keep records of air monitoring data, objective data, and medical surveillance.

The 2020 revisions to the standard:

• Established an action level of a concentration of airborne beryllium of 0.1 micrograms per cubic meter of air (µg/m3) calculated as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA).
• Reduces the PEL for beryllium to 0.2 micrograms per cubic meter of air, averaged over eight hours.
• Established a short-term exposure limit for beryllium of 2.0 micrograms per cubic meter of air, over a 15-minute sampling period.
• Requires employers to:
  • Use engineering and work practice controls (such as ventilation or enclosure) to limit worker exposure to beryllium.
  • Provide respirators when controls cannot adequately limit exposure.
  • Develop a written exposure control plan.
  • Train workers on beryllium hazards.
  • Make available medical exams to monitor exposed workers and provides medical removal protection benefits to workers identified with a beryllium-related disease.

Exposure

• Employers must assess and monitor employee exposure to airborne beryllium.
• Beryllium may cause Chronic Beryllium Disease or lung cancer in workers who are exposed to it.

Employee exposure monitoring must be repeated within six months where exposures are at or above the action level but at or below the time-weighted average (TWA) permissible exposure limit (PEL), and within three months where employee exposures are above the TWA PEL or short-term exposure limit (STEL). The employer can discontinue exposure monitoring where employee exposures fall below the action level and STEL.

Employers can assess employee exposures using any combination of air monitoring data and objective data sufficient to accurately characterize airborne exposure to beryllium (i.e., the “performance option”).

Exposure to beryllium and beryllium compounds can result in the following:

• Chronic Beryllium Disease (CBD) is a serious pulmonary disease that can cause serious debilitation or death. Signs and symptoms of CBD can include shortness of breath, an unexplained cough, fatigue, weight loss, fever, and night sweats. Some workers may develop severe symptoms very quickly, while others may not experience signs and symptoms until months or years after their exposure to beryllium. CBD can continue to progress even after a worker has been removed from exposure. An individual must become sensitized to beryllium through inhalation or skin exposure before it is possible to develop CBD.
• Lung cancer is associated with occupational exposure to beryllium by inhaling beryllium- containing dust, fumes or mist. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) lists beryllium as a Group 1 carcinogen (causes cancer in humans), and the National Toxicology Program (NTP) lists beryllium as a known human carcinogen.

Medical surveillance

• OSHA requires employers to offer medical surveillance to workers who are exposed to beryllium above the action level, who show signs of CBD, who receive a recommendation from a health care professional, and others.
• Employees who show signs of beryllium exposure may need further treatment, medical removal, and more.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires employers to offer medical surveillance to workers who meet one of the following conditions:

• Is or is reasonably expected to be exposed above the action level of 0.1 µg/m3 for 30 days in a year;
• Show signs or symptoms of CBD;
• Were exposed to beryllium during an emergency; or
• Received a recommendation for continued medical surveillance from a physician or other licensed health care professional (PLHCP) from the most recent exam.

These are referred to as triggers for medical surveillance. The medical surveillance program is voluntary for workers. However, once a worker meets any of the triggers, the employer is required to offer medical surveillance.

The medical surveillance requirements include the following:

• Employers must offer medical surveillance to a worker within 30 days of meeting the criteria set forth in paragraph (k)(2)(i) of 1910.1024 and then at least every two years thereafter for those who continue to meet the criteria in paragraph (k)(2)(ii).
• The medical examination must include:
  • Medical and work history with emphasis on past and present airborne exposure to or dermal contact with beryllium, smoking history, and any history of respiratory system dysfunction.
  • Physical examination with emphasis on the respiratory system.
  • Physical examination for skin rashes.
  • Pulmonary function tests.
  • BeLPT1 (or other equivalent test).
  • Any other test deemed appropriate by the PLHCP (including low-dose CT scan2).

OSHA requires the employer to ensure that the employee receives a written medical opinion from the licensed physician within 45 days of the medical examination.

If the worker is either confirmed positive for beryllium sensitization, diagnosed with CBD, or a licensed physician has determined it appropriate, and the worker provides written authorization, OSHA requires employers to provide a referral to a CBD Diagnostic Center, continued medical surveillance, and medical removal (upon request by worker). The employer must ensure that each employee receives a copy of the written medical opinion from the CBD diagnostic center within 30 days of any medical examination performed for that employee.

Communication and training

• Beryllium training must be done initially and repeated annually for all workers exposed to respirable beryllium.

Employers must include respirable beryllium in the Hazard Communication Program.

Beryllium training must be done initially and repeated annually. Each employee should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of at least the following:

• The health hazards associated with airborne exposure to and dermal contact with beryllium, including the signs and symptoms of CBD;
• The written exposure control plan, with emphasis on the specific nature of operations that could result in airborne exposure, especially airborne exposure above the time-weighted average (TWA) permissible exposure limit (PEL) or short-term exposure limit (STEL);
• The purpose, proper selection, fitting, proper use, and limitations of personal protective clothing and equipment, including respirators;
• Applicable emergency procedures;
• Measures employees can take to protect themselves from airborne exposure to and dermal contact with beryllium, including personal hygiene practices;
• The purpose and a description of the medical surveillance program required by 1910.1024(k) including risks and benefits of each test to be offered;
• The purpose and a description of the medical removal protection provided under 1910.1024(l);
• The contents of 1910.1024; and
• The employee’s right of access to records under the Records Access standard (1910.1020).

Recordkeeping

• Employers must keep records of air monitoring data, medical surveillance data, training activities, and more.

Air monitoring data: The employer must make and maintain a record of all exposure measurements taken to assess airborne exposure as prescribed in 1910.1024(d).

Objective data: Where an employer uses objective data to satisfy the exposure assessment requirements under 1910.1024(d)(2) the employer must make and maintain a record of the objective data relied upon.

Medical surveillance: The employer must make and maintain a record for each employee covered by medical surveillance under 1910.1024(k).

Training: At the completion of any training required, the employer must prepare a record that indicates the name and job classification of each employee trained, the date the training was completed, and the topic of the training. The employer must maintain this record for three years after the completion of training.

Key definitions

• Key definitions for beryllium (construction) may be found in this section.

Action level: A concentration of airborne beryllium of 0.1 micrograms per cubic meter of air (μg/m3) calculated as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA).

Airborne exposure and airborne exposure: The exposure to airborne beryllium that would occur if the employee were not using a respirator.

Chronic beryllium disease (CBD): A chronic lung disease associated with airborne exposure to beryllium.

Competent person: An individual who is capable of identifying existing and foreseeable beryllium hazards in the workplace and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate or minimize them. The competent person must have the knowledge, ability, and authority necessary to fulfill the responsibilities set forth in paragraph (e) of 1926.1124.

Emergency: Any uncontrolled release of airborne beryllium.

High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter: A filter that is at least 99.97 percent efficient in removing particles 0.3 micrometers in diameter.

Objective data: Information, such as air monitoring data from industry-wide surveys or calculations based on the composition of a substance, demonstrating airborne exposure to beryllium associated with a particular product or material or a specific process, task, or activity. The data must reflect workplace conditions closely resembling or with a higher airborne exposure potential than the processes, types of material, control methods, work practices, and environmental conditions in the employer’s current operations.

Physician or other licensed health care professional (PLHCP): An individual whose legally permitted scope of practice (i.e., license, registration, or certification) allows the individual to independently provide or be delegated the responsibility to provide some or all of the health care services required by paragraph (k) of 1926.1124.

Summary of requirements

• Employers whose work involves beryllium must assess their employees’ exposure level, reduce the PEL to acceptable limits, train workers, establish a written exposure control plan, follow proper hygiene practices, implement medical surveillance, and more.

The employer must assess the airborne exposure of each employee who is or may reasonably be expected to be exposed to airborne beryllium in accordance with either the performance option or the scheduled monitoring option.

Regardless of which assessment method is used, all construction employers covered by the standard are required to:

• Reduce the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for beryllium to 0.2 micrograms per cubic meter of air, averaged over eight hours.
• Perform monitoring of employees.
• Establish and implement a written exposure control plan that identifies tasks that involve exposure and methods used to protect workers, including but not limited to, procedures to restrict access to work areas where high exposures may occur.
• Designate a competent person to inspect the jobsite, implement the written exposure control plan, and verify employees use the appropriate PPE.
• Provide engineering and work practice controls to reduce exposure levels.
• Provide hygiene areas and practices including proper housekeeping.
• Offer medical surveillance/medical exams at no cost to employees.
• Train employees initially and (annually) on health hazards, the exposure control plan, personal protective equipment, and additional topics.
• Keep records of air monitoring data, objective data, and medical surveillance.

Exposure assessment and effects

• Employers must establish, implement, and maintain a written exposure control plan for workers exposed to beryllium.
• Beryllium may cause Chronic Beryllium Disease or lung cancer in workers who are exposed to it.

The employer must establish, implement, and maintain a written exposure control plan, which must contain nine items. See 1926.1124(f).

Where exposures are, or can reasonably be expected to be, at or above the action level, the employer must ensure that at least one engineering and work practice control found at 1926.1124(f)(2) is in place to reduce airborne exposure.

Employee exposure monitoring must be repeated within six months where employee exposures are at or above the action level but at or below the time-weighted average (TWA) permissible exposure limit (PEL), and within three months where employee exposures are above the TWA PEL or short-term exposure limit (STEL). The employer can discontinue exposure monitoring where employee exposures fall below the action level and STEL.

Employers can assess employee exposures using any combination of air monitoring data and objective data sufficient to accurately characterize airborne exposure to beryllium (i.e., the “performance option”).

Exposure to beryllium and beryllium compounds can result in the following:

• Chronic Beryllium Disease (CBD) is a serious pulmonary disease that can cause serious debilitation or death. Signs and symptoms of CBD can include shortness of breath, an unexplained cough, fatigue, weight loss, fever, and night sweats. Some workers may develop severe symptoms very quickly, while others may not experience signs and symptoms until months or years after their exposure to beryllium. CBD can continue to progress even after a worker has been removed from exposure. An individual must become sensitized to beryllium through inhalation or skin exposure before it is possible to develop CBD.
• Lung cancer is associated with occupational exposure to beryllium by inhaling beryllium- containing dust, fumes or mist. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) lists beryllium as a Group 1 carcinogen (causes cancer in humans), and the National Toxicology Program (NTP) lists beryllium as a known human carcinogen.

Communication and training

• Beryllium training must be done initially and repeated annually for all workers exposed to respirable beryllium.

Employers must include respirable beryllium in the Hazard Communication Program.

Beryllium training must be done initially and repeated annually. Each employee should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of at least the following:

• The health hazards associated with airborne exposure to and dermal contact with beryllium, including the signs and symptoms of CBD;
• The written exposure control plan, with emphasis on the specific nature of operations that could result in airborne exposure, especially airborne exposure above the time-weighted average (TWA) permissible exposure limit (PEL) or short-term exposure limit (STEL);
• The purpose, proper selection, fitting, proper use, and limitations of personal protective clothing and equipment, including respirators;
• Applicable emergency procedures;
• Measures employees can take to protect themselves from airborne exposure to and dermal contact with beryllium, including personal hygiene practices;
• The purpose and a description of the medical surveillance program required by 1926.1124(k) including risks and benefits of each test to be offered;
• The purpose and a description of the medical removal protection provided under 1926.1124(l);
• The contents of the 1926.1124; and
• The employee’s right of access to records under the Records Access standard (1910.1020).

Recordkeeping

• Employers must keep records of air monitoring data, medical surveillance data, training activities, and more.

Air monitoring data: The employer must make and maintain a record of all exposure measurements taken to assess airborne exposure as prescribed in 1926.1124(d).

Objective data: Where an employer uses objective data to satisfy the exposure assessment requirements under 1926.1124(d)(2) the employer must make and maintain a record of the objective data relied upon.

Medical surveillance: The employer must make and maintain a record for each employee covered by medical surveillance under 1926.1124(k).

Training: At the completion of any training required by this standard, the employer must prepare a record that indicates the name and job classification of each employee trained, the date the training was completed, and the topic of the training. The employer must maintain this record for three years after the completion of training.

Key definitions

• Key definitions for 1,3-butadiene may be found in this section.

Action level: A concentration of airborne BD of 0.5 ppm calculated as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA).

Authorized person: Any person specifically designated by the employer, whose duties require entrance into a regulated area, or a person entering such an area as a designated representative of employees to exercise the right to observe monitoring and measuring procedures under paragraph 1910.1051(d)(8), or a person designated under the Occupational Safety and Health Act or regulations issued under the Act to enter a regulated area.

Emergency situation: Any occurrence such as, but not limited to, equipment failure, rupture of containers, or failure of control equipment that may or does result in an uncontrolled significant release of BD.

Employee exposure: Exposure of a worker to airborne concentrations of BD which would occur if the employee were not using respiratory protective equipment.

Objective data: Monitoring data, or mathematical modeling or calculations based on composition, chemical and physical properties of a material, stream or product.

Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs): Either the eight-hour TWA exposure or the short-term exposure limit (STEL).

Physician or other licensed health care professional: An individual whose legally permitted scope of practice (i.e., license, registration, or certification) allows him or her to independently provide or be delegated the responsibility to provide one or more of the specific health care services required by paragraph (k) of 1910.1051.

Regulated area: Any area where airborne concentrations of BD exceed or can reasonably be expected to exceed the eight-hour TWA exposure of 1 ppm or the STEL of 5 ppm for 15 minutes.

Summary of requirements

• Employers whose work involves 1,3-butadiene must assess their employees’ exposure level, reduce the PEL to acceptable limits, train workers, establish a written exposure control plan, communicate the hazards, provide PPE, implement medical surveillance, and more.

Employers must:

• Ensure that no employee is exposed to 1,3-butadiene above the permissible exposure limit (PEL) of one part 1,3-butadiene per million parts of air (ppm) measured as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA).
• Ensure that no employee is exposed to an airborne concentration of 1,3-butadiene in excess of 5 parts of 1,3-butadiene per million parts of air (5 ppm) over a sampling period of 15 minutes.
• Determine each employee’s exposure by:
  • Taking a 15-minute personal breathing zone air sample of each employee’s short-term exposure limit (STEL) exposure; and
  • Taking personal breathing zone air samples that are representative of each employee’s eight-hour TWA exposure.
• Establish regulated areas where airborne concentrations of 1,3-butadiene exceed, or may reasonably be expected to exceed the PEL, the TWA, or the STEL.
• Establish and implement a written compliance program to reduce employee exposure (to the PEL or below) by the use of engineering and work practice controls, and by the use of respiratory protection where permitted.
• Establish and implement an exposure goal program to limit employee exposure to below the action level during normal operations.
• Provide a respirator that complies with the requirements of the standard at no cost to each affected employee, and ensure its proper use.
• Provide at no cost to each affected employee personal protective equipment (PPE) and clothing to prevent contact with 1,3-butadiene.
• Develop a written plan for emergency situations, or modify an existing plan to include information regarding employee emergency plans and fire prevention plans, and hazardous waste operations and emergency responses, for each workplace where the possibility of an emergency exists.
• Make medical surveillance available for employees who are or may be exposed to 1,3-butadiene.
• Communicate the hazards of 1,3-butadiene through the use of labels and in safety data sheets (SDSs) in accordance with the requirements of the Hazard Communication Standard (1910.1200).
• Provide information and training for each affected employee before, or at the time of initial assignment to a job involving potential exposure to 1,3-butadiene.
• Establish and maintain an accurate record of all monitoring data, as well as objective data, used to demonstrate that the processing, use, or handling of 1,3-butadiene products is exempt from requirements of the standard for initial monitoring.
• Require employees to wear a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) when working with 1,3-butadiene.

Key definitions

• Key definitions for cadmium may be found in this section.

Action level: The action level for workplace exposure to cadmium is 2.5 micrograms per cubic meter of air (2.5 µg/m3) calculated as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA) exposure.

Permissible exposure limit (PEL): The PEL is a TWA concentration that must not be exceeded during any eight-hour work shift of a 40-hour work week. The standard sets a PEL of 5 micrograms of cadmium per cubic meter of air (5 µg/m3) for all cadmium compounds, dust, and fumes.

Separate Engineering Control Air Limit, or SECAL: The SECAL is a separate exposure limit to be achieved in specified processes and workplaces where it is not possible to achieve the PEL of 5 µg/m3 through engineering and work practices alone. The SECAL for cadmium is 15 µg/m3 or 50 µg/m3, depending on the processes involved. The employer covered by the SECAL is required to achieve that limit by engineering and work practice controls to the extent feasible and to protect employees from exposures above the PEL by any combination of compliance methods, including engineering and work practice controls and respirators.

Summary of requirements

• Employers whose work involves cadmium must assess their employees’ exposure level, reduce the PEL to acceptable limits, train workers, establish a written exposure control plan, follow proper hygiene practices, implement medical surveillance, and more.

Employers must:

• Determine if any employee may be exposed to cadmium at or above the action level.
• Observe exposure limits. There are three exposure limits an employer must observe under the OSHA cadmium standard.
• Establish a regulated area wherever an employee’s exposure to airborne concentrations of cadmium is or can reasonably be expected to be in excess of the permissible exposure limit (PEL).
• Implement engineering and work practice controls to reduce and maintain employee exposure to cadmium at or below the PEL, except to the extent that the employer can demonstrate that such controls are not feasible.
• Implement a respiratory protection program where employees are required to use respirators.
• Develop and implement a written plan for dealing with emergency situations involving substantial releases of airborne cadmium.
• Provide protective clothing. If an employee is exposed to airborne cadmium above the PEL or where skin or eye irritation is associated with cadmium exposure at any level, the employer must provide at no cost to the employee, and ensure that the employee uses, appropriate protective work clothing and equipment that prevents contamination of the employee and the employee’s garments.
• Ensure hygiene areas and practices. For employees whose airborne exposure to cadmium is above the PEL, the employer must provide clean change rooms, handwashing facilities, showers, and lunchroom facilities that comply with 1910.141.
• Use effective housekeeping practices.
• Implement a medical surveillance program.
• Communicate hazards through effective hazard communication and labeling/signage.
• Keep medical and exposure records.

Exposure limits for cadmium

• There are three exposure limits under the OSHA cadmium standard: action level, permissible exposure level, and SECAL.

There are three exposure limits an employer must observe under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cadmium standard. The first is the action level, or AL, which is defined as the airborne level of cadmium that creates a need for airborne exposure monitoring, a medical surveillance program for employees who are at or above the action level on 30 or more days per year, and the provision of a respirator to any employee that requests one. The second limit is the permissible exposure limit, or PEL, which defines the limit to which an employee may be exposed to cadmium in the workplace. The third limit level is known as a Separate Engineering Control Air Limit, or SECAL, and may be one of several specific and unique exposure limits that apply to select and defined industries and processes.

The employer must achieve the PEL through engineering controls and work practices in all industries not designated with a separate SECAL.

The action level for workplace exposure to cadmium is 2.5 micrograms per cubic meter of air (2.5 µg/m3) calculated as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA) exposure.

The PEL is a TWA concentration that must not be exceeded during any eight-hour work shift of a 40-hour work week. The standard sets a PEL of 5 micrograms of cadmium per cubic meter of air (5 µg/m3) for all cadmium compounds, dust, and fumes.

The SECAL is a separate exposure limit to be achieved in specified processes and workplaces where it is not possible to achieve the PEL of 5 µg/m3 through engineering and work practices alone. The SECAL for cadmium is 15 µg/m3 or 50 µg/m3, depending on the processes involved. The employer covered by the SECAL is required to achieve that limit by engineering and work practice controls to the extent feasible and to protect employees from exposures above the PEL by any combination of compliance methods, including engineering and work practice controls and respirators. The industries that have separate SECALs identified for specific processes include nickel cadmium battery production, zinc/cadmium refining, pigment and stabilizer manufacturing, lead smelting, and plating.

The SECAL is set at 50 µg/m3 for the following industries and processes:

• Nickel cadmium battery industry — Plate making, plate preparation process.
• Zinc/cadmium refining — Cadmium refining, casting melting, oxide production, sinter plant.
• Pigment manufacturing — Calcine, crushing, milling, and blending.
• Stabilizer production — Cadmium oxide charging, crushing, drying, and blending.
• Lead smelting — Sinter plant, blast furnace, baghouse, and yard area.

The SECAL is set at 15 µg/m3 for the following industries and processes:

• Nickel cadmium battery industry — All processes not identified above.
• Pigment manufacturing — All processes not identified above.
• Plating manufacturing — Mechanical plating.

Communicating hazards to employees

• Employees who work with cadmium must be made aware of the hazards of exposure under the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard.

Employees must be made aware of the dangers associated with exposure to cadmium in the workplace. The employer must comply with the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard, including the placement of warning signs and labels in visible locations, access to safety data sheets (SDS), and providing appropriate employee training. Warning signs must be displayed in regulated areas and in all approaches to regulated areas. (A regulated area is defined as the area in which an employee may face exposure to cadmium at levels above the PEL.) The signs must be illuminated, cleaned, and maintained so that the legend is readily visible, and they must include the language specified in the standard.

Shipping and storage containers that contain cadmium, cadmium compounds, or cadmium-contaminated clothing, equipment, waste, scrap, or debris must be labeled.

Installed cadmium products must have a visible label or other indication that cadmium is present, where feasible.

Training

• Training must be done initially and repeated annually for all workers exposed to cadmium in the workplace.

Employees must receive training prior to or at the time of their initial assignment to a position that involves potential exposure to cadmium and at least annually thereafter. Required training elements include:

• Explanation of the health hazards associated with cadmium exposure (See Appendix A of the cadmium standard at 1910.1027).
• Information about where and how cadmium is used, stored, and released at the worksite, including processes or operations that involve potential cadmium exposure, especially above the PEL.
• Explanation of engineering controls and work practices for the employee’s job assignment to control exposure to cadmium associated with the employee’s job assignment.
• Description of measures employees can take to protect themselves from cadmium exposure, such as modification of smoking, personal hygiene precautions, and appropriate work practices.
• Explanation of emergency procedures.
• Information on the purpose, selection, fitting, use, and limitations of personal protective equipment.
• Explanation of the medical surveillance program.
• Make a copy of the cadmium standard and its appendices readily available and provide employees with a copy of the standard if requested.
• Informing employees of their rights of access to records.

The employer must ensure that employees understand that they are prohibited from eating, drinking, smoking, chewing tobacco or gum, or applying cosmetics of any kind in regulated areas. This also includes a prohibition on carrying or storing these materials or items in a regulated area.

Monitoring

• Employers must monitor for cadmium by taking breathing zone air samples that reflect exposure during an eight-hour TWA.
• If employees are exposed above the action level, repeat monitoring must be performed at least every six months.

If a business or workplace has the potential to expose employees to cadmium, the first step is to determine whether that exposure will be at or above the action level of 2.5 µg/m3. Levels of exposure are measured by taking breathing zone air samples that reflect an employee’s regular, daily time-weighted average (TWA) exposure over an eight-hour period.

The monitoring method and analysis must have an accuracy rate of not less than plus or minus 25 percent with a confidence level of 95 percent.

The breathing zone samples must be taken for every employee on each shift, for each job classification, in each work area. Where several employees perform the same job tasks, in the same job classification, on the same shift, in the same work area, for the same duration, and levels of cadmium exposures are similar, the employer may sample a representative fraction of employees instead of all employees. Those selected for sampling are expected to have the highest exposure levels.

If air monitoring shows that employees are exposed at or above the action level, periodic monitoring must be performed at least every six months. If periodic air monitoring shows levels of exposure below the action level and a repeat test at least seven days later also shows levels below the action level, the employer may discontinue the semi-annual air monitoring for those employees whose exposures are represented by such monitoring.

If new equipment is added, raw materials are changed, new personnel are hired, or work practices and final products are altered that may result in additional employees being exposed to cadmium at or above the action level, additional monitoring must be performed. If, at any time, the employer has reason to suspect that exposure to cadmium may increase and employees already exposed to cadmium at or above the action level will be exposed above the permissible exposure limit (PEL), additional air monitoring should be undertaken.

If the employer has objective data (information that demonstrates that a specific product, material, or process involving cadmium cannot release dust or fumes in concentrations at or above the action level based on an industry-wide study or laboratory product test results that closely resemble conditions in the employer’s facilities), the employer may rely on this data instead of implementing initial monitoring as described above.

Within 15 days after the receipt of the air monitoring results, each affected employee must be notified of these results individually and in writing. The results must also be posted where all affected employees can view them. Employees exposed to cadmium above the PEL must be informed in writing that the PEL has been exceeded, along with a written explanation of the corrective actions being taken by the employer to reduce the employee exposure level to or below the PEL.

Ventilation

• If mechanical ventilation is used, measurements must be made to demonstrate its effectiveness.

If mechanical ventilation is used to control exposure, measurements that demonstrate the effectiveness of the system in controlling exposure, such as capture velocity, duct velocity, or static pressure, must be made as necessary, to maintain the system’s effectiveness. Any change in production processes or controls that might increase cadmium exposure requires the effectiveness of the ventilation system to be reevaluated within five working days of the change. If air is recirculated from exhaust ventilation into the workplace, the system must be equipped with a high-efficiency filter and be monitored periodically to ensure effectiveness.

Written program

• A written compliance program must be implemented in any workplace where exposures exceed acceptable limits.

In any workplace or business that experiences exposure levels above the permissible exposure limit (PEL) or separate engineering control air limit (SECAL), a written compliance program must be established and implemented to reduce employee exposure to or below the PEL by means of engineering and work practice controls.

If engineering and work practice controls cannot reduce exposure to or below the PEL, the employer must include the use of appropriate respiratory protection in the written compliance program to achieve compliance with the PEL. This written program must be updated at least annually (more often, if necessary).

Personal protective equipment (PPE)

• Employees who are exposed to cadmium in the workplace must be provided with respiratory and other protective equipment, including coveralls, gloves, head coverings, face shields, and more.

Employees working in areas where exposure to cadmium is expected to exceed the permissible exposure limit (PEL) or where skin or eye irritation can result from cadmium exposure at any level must be provided with respiratory protection and other protective work clothing and equipment to prevent contamination of both the employee and the employee’s clothes. If skin or eye irritation is associated with cadmium exposure at any level, the worker must be provided with equipment that protects the worker’s skin and eyes.

Examples of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) include coveralls, gloves, head coverings, boots, face shields, and goggles. The employer must provide and maintain necessary personal protective equipment to employees at no cost and provide changing rooms, hand washing facilities, and showers. The following precautions must be taken to protect workers:

• Employees must remove all protective work clothing and equipment at the end of a shift in a changing area designated for this purpose, taking care not to shake or blow any cadmium residue from the clothing or equipment.
• Changing rooms must have separate storage areas for street clothes and for cadmium-contaminated protective clothing.
• The employer must clean and maintain protective work clothing and equipment, which includes washing at least once a week and repairing or replacing as necessary; tears or rips in protective clothing must be repaired immediately or the item replaced.
• Employees exposed to cadmium above the PEL must shower at the end of a work shift when exposure occurred and may not eat, drink, smoke, chew tobacco or gum, or apply cosmetics before washing their hands and faces.

The respiratory protection program must comply with 1910.134.

Medical monitoring

• Employers must have a medical surveillance program for all employees who may be exposed to cadmium at or above the action level.

Medical surveillance begins with an initial examination for each employee covered by this requirement within 30 days of employment in a position that involves exposure to cadmium.

Additional exams are determined by exposures. In addition, periodic exams are required. See the full text of 1910.1027 for more information.

The employer must institute a medical surveillance program for all employees who are or may be exposed to cadmium at or above the action level for 30 or more days per year (or in a 12-month consecutive period). Required medical examinations must be provided at no cost to the employee at a reasonable time and convenient place, and must be performed by or under the supervision of a licensed physician who is familiar with the regulatory text of the cadmium standard, including appendices that provide details on health effects and protocols for sample handling and laboratory selection. Biological samples must be collected in a manner that assures their reliability, and analyses must be performed in laboratories with demonstrated proficiency in the testing performed.

The employer must promptly inform the employee of the option to seek a second medical opinion after any medical examination or consultation to review any findings, determinations, or recommendations or to conduct examinations, consultations, or laboratory tests. The employer may require employees to notify the employer if they intend to seek a second medical opinion and to initiate steps to make an appointment within 15 days of being told of this option or of receiving the physician’s written opinion from an employer-provided examination, whichever is later, as a condition of providing payment for a second medical opinion.

Medical and exposure records must be retained according to 1910.1020.

Hazards of carbon monoxide

Carbon monoxide is harmful when breathed because it displaces oxygen in the blood and deprives the heart, brain, and other vital organs of oxygen. Large amounts of CO can overcome employees in minutes without warning — causing them to lose consciousness and suffocate.

Besides tightness across the chest, initial symptoms of CO poisoning may include headache, fatigue, dizziness, drowsiness, or nausea. Sudden chest pain may occur in people with angina. During prolonged or high exposures, symptoms may worsen and include vomiting, confusion, and collapse in addition to loss of consciousness and muscle weakness.

Symptoms vary widely from person to person. CO poisoning may occur sooner in those most susceptible: young children, elderly people, people with lung or heart disease, people at high altitudes, or those who already have elevated CO blood levels, such as smokers. Also, CO poisoning poses a special risk to fetuses. Significant reproductive risk is also linked to CO.

CO poisoning can be reversed if caught in time. But even if you recover, acute poisoning may result in permanent damage to the parts of your body that require a lot of oxygen such as the heart and brain.

At-risk employees

Employees can be exposed to harmful levels of CO when using gasoline-powered equipment such as:

• Portable generators
• Concrete cutting saws
• Compressors
• Power trowels
• Space heaters
• Welding equipment

Permissible exposure limit (PEL) for carbon monoxide

The OSHA permissible exposure limit (PEL) for carbon monoxide is 50 ppm averaged during an 8-hour time period.

When CO poisoning is suspected, employees should promptly take the following actions:

• Move the victim immediately to fresh air in an open area.
• Call 911 or another local emergency number for medical attention or assistance.
• Administer 100 percent oxygen using a tight-fitting mask if the victim is breathing.
• Administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if the victim has stopped breathing.

Warning: Employees may be exposed to fatal levels of CO poisoning in a rescue attempt. Rescuers must be skilled at performing recovery operations and using recovery equipment. Employers must make sure that rescuers are not exposed to dangerous CO levels when performing rescue operations.

Coke oven emission compliance checklist

• Employees must not be exposed to coke oven emissions above the action level, must be aware of the associated hazards, must have their exposure monitored, must have proper PPE, and more.

• No employee in the regulated area is exposed to coke oven emissions at concentrations greater than 150 micrograms per cubic meter of air, averaged over any eight-hour period (1910.1029(c)).
• A written compliance program is in place (1910.1029(f)(6)).
• Employees are aware of the hazards involved with coke oven emissions (1910.1029(k)).
• A training program has been instituted for all employees who are subject to exposure to coke oven emissions (1910.1029(k)).
• Employee exposure to coke oven emissions is monitored and kept within acceptable levels (1910.1029(e)).
• Employees are provided with proper protective equipment (1910.1029(g)).
• Engineering and work practice controls are used to reduce exposures to a permissible level (1910.1029(f)).
• Caution labels and signs are used to warn of coke oven emissions (1910.1029(l)).
• A regulated area has been established, and marked, where coke oven emissions are released (1910.1029(d)).
• Employees who work with coke oven emissions wash their hands after assigned tasks are completed and before engaging in other activities (1910.1029(i)).
• All employees who work with coke oven emissions have had an initial medical examination (1910.1029(j)).
• A medical surveillance program is in place for employees who become exposed to coke oven emissions (1910.1029(j)).
• Appropriate records are maintained (exposure monitoring, medical surveillance, etc.) (1910.1029(m)).
• Employees are instructed in proper first aid and other emergency procedures (1910.1029(f)(5)).

Summary of requirements

• Employers whose work involves cotton dust must assess their employees’ exposure level, reduce the PEL to acceptable limits, train workers, provide respiratory protection, establish a written exposure control plan, implement medical surveillance, and more.

Some methods for complying include:

• Ensuring that no employee who is exposed to cotton dust in yarn manufacturing and cotton washing operations is exposed to airborne concentrations of lint-free respirable cotton dust over 200 micrograms per cubic meter.
• Developing an exposure monitoring and measurement program to determine if any employees are exposed to cotton dust above the action level.
• Developing methods of compliance to ensure that employee exposures to cotton dust are controlled to at or below the permissible exposure limit (PEL).
• Providing proper respiratory protection for employees where its use is required.
• Establishing and implementing a written program of work practices, which will minimize employee exposure to cotton dust.
• Developing a medical surveillance program for each employee exposed to cotton dust.
• Training employees who are exposed to cotton dust about the acute and long-term health hazards associated with exposure to cotton dust.
• Posting signs that warn employees of work areas where the permissible exposure limit for cotton dust is exceeded.
• Establishing and maintain accurate records of measurements regarding cotton dust and cotton dust exposures.
• Providing employees, or their designated representatives, an opportunity to observe any measuring or monitoring of employee exposures to cotton dust.

Cotton dust compliance checklist

• A written compliance program is in place.
• Employees are aware of the hazards involved with cotton dust.
• A training program has been instituted for all employees who are subject to exposure to cotton dust.
• Employee exposure to cotton dust is monitored and kept within acceptable levels.
• Employees are provided with proper protective equipment.
• Engineering and work practice controls are used to reduce exposures to a permissible level.
• Proper precautions are taken when handling cotton dust.
• Caution labels and signs are used to warn of cotton dust.
• A regulated area has been established and marked where cotton dust is manufactured, processed, used, repackaged, released, handled, or stored.
• Employees who work with cotton dust wash their hands after assigned tasks are completed and before engaging in other activities.
• Cotton dust is stored and used appropriately.
• Containers used to store cotton dust are appropriately marked.
• All employees who work with cotton dust have had an initial medical examination.
• A medical surveillance program is in place for employees who become exposed to cotton dust.
• Appropriate records are maintained (exposure monitoring, medical surveillance, etc.).
• Employees are instructed in proper first aid and other emergency procedures.
• Emergency procedures are in place for dealing with emergency situations involving cotton dust.

Training

• Training must be done initially and repeated annually for all workers exposed to cotton dust in the workplace.

Employers must provide a training program for all employees in all workplaces where cotton dust is present, and ensure that each employee is informed of the following:

• Acute and long-term health hazards associated with exposure to cotton dust;
• The names and descriptions of jobs and processes that could result in exposure to cotton dust at or above the permissible exposure limit (PEL);
• The measures, including work practices required by paragraph (g) of 1910.1043, necessary to protect the employee from exposures in excess of the permissible exposure limit;
• The purpose, proper use, and limitations of respirators required by paragraph (f) of 1910.1043;
• The purpose for, and a description of, the medical surveillance program required by paragraph (h) of 1910.1043, and other information that will aid exposed employees in understanding the hazards of cotton dust exposure; and
• The contents of the standard and its appendices.

The training program must be provided before initial assignment and must be repeated annually for each employee exposed to cotton dust, when job assignments or work processes change, and when employee performance indicates a need for retraining.

Employers must provide all materials relating to the employee training and information program to the Assistant Secretary and the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) upon request.

Monitoring and reporting

• Employers must post proper warning signs where cotton dust levels exceed acceptable limits.
• Employers must notify workers if their exposure to cotton dusk exceeds the PEL.

Employers must post the following warning sign in each work area where the permissible exposure limit for cotton dust is exceeded:

• DANGER
• COTTON DUST
• CAUSES DAMAGE TO LUNGS (BYSSINOSIS)
• WEAR RESPIRATORY PROTECTION IN THIS AREA

Within 20 working days after receipt of monitoring results, employers must notify each employee in writing of the exposure measurements that represent that employee’s exposure. Whenever the results indicate that the employee’s exposure exceeds the applicable permissible exposure limit (PEL) as specified in the regulation, employers must include in the written notice statement that the limit was exceeded. Include a description of the corrective action taken to reduce the exposure below the PEL.

Recordkeeping

• Employers must keep records of exposure samples taken, employee data, medical surveillance data, and more.
• Records must be made available to the NIOSH and to employees, upon request.
• If a company ceases to do business, records must be transferred to the successor employer or to NIOSH.

Employers must establish and maintain an accurate record of all measurements required by the regulation. The record must include:

• The dates, number, duration, and results of any employee exposure samples taken, including a description of the procedure used to determine representative employee exposure.
• The type of protective devices worn, if any, and length of time worn.
• The names, job classifications, and exposure levels of employees whose exposure the measurement is intended to represent.
• A copy of the medical examination results, including the medical history, questionnaire response, results of all tests, and the physician’s recommendation.
• A copy of the physician’s written opinion.
• Any employee medical complaints related to exposure to cotton dust.
• A copy of the standard and its appendices, except that an employer may keep one copy of the standard and the appendices for all employees, provided that the standard and appendices are referenced in the medical surveillance record of each employee.
• A copy of the information provided to the physician as required by the regulation. Employers must maintain this record for at least 20 years.

Availability

• Make all records available to the Assistant Secretary and the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for examination and copying.
• Employee exposure measurement records and employee medical records must be provided upon request to employees, designated representatives, and the Assistant Secretary in accordance with 1910.1043.

Transfer of records

• If a company ceases to do business, the successor employer must receive and retain all records required to be maintained by 1910.1043.
• If a company ceases to do business and there is no successor employer to receive and retain the records for the prescribed period, these records must be transmitted to the Director of NIOSH.
• •At the expiration of the retention period for the records required to be maintained by the regulation, employers must notify the Director of NIOSH at least three months prior to the disposal of such records and must transmit those records to the Director if the Director requests them within that period.
• Employers must also comply with any additional requirements involving transfer of records set forth in 1910.1020(h).

Key definitions

• Key definitions for ethylene oxide may be found in this section.

Action level: A concentration of airborne EtO of 0.5 ppm calculated as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA).

Authorized person: Any person specifically authorized by the employer whose duties require the person to enter a regulated area, or any person entering such an area as a designated representative of employees for the purpose of exercising the right to observe monitoring and measuring procedures under paragraph (l) of 1910.1047, or any other person authorized by the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act or regulations issued under the Act.

Emergency: Any occurrence such as, but not limited to, equipment failure, rupture of containers, or failure of control equipment that is likely to or does result in an unexpected significant release of EtO.

Employee exposure: Exposure to airborne EtO which would occur if the employee were not using respiratory protective equipment.

Ethylene oxide or EtO: The three-membered ring organic compound with chemical formula C(2)H(4)O.

Permissible exposure limit (PEL): One (1) part EtO per million parts of air (1 ppm) as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA). Also note the excursion limit (EL) of 5 parts of EtO per million parts of air (5 ppm) as averaged over a sampling period of 15 minutes.

Summary of requirements

• Employers whose work involves ethylene oxide must use engineering controls and work practices to reduce exposure, establish regulated areas, use proper warning labels, provide PPE and respiratory protection, establish a medical surveillance program, and more.

If employee exposures exceed either the permissible exposure limit (PEL) or the excursion limit (EL), employers must:

• Use engineering controls and work practices to control employee exposure.
• Establish and implement a written compliance program to reduce exposures to or below the time-weighted average (TWA) and exposure limit.
• Establish personal air monitoring as well as information and training programs for employees exposed to EtO at or above the action level or above the excursion limit. Conduct training upon initial job assignment and annually.
• Establish a regulated area wherever airborne concentrations of EtO are expected to exceed the eight-hour TWA or the excursion limit.
• Establish a medical surveillance program for employees exposed to EtO at concentrations above the action level of 0.5 ppm, measured as an eight-hour TWA, for more than 30 days per year.
• Place warning labels on all containers that might cause employee exposures at or above the action level or excursion limit.
• Remember that employee rotation is prohibited as a means of compliance with the eight-hour TWA or exposure limit.
• Select, provide, and maintain appropriate personal protective equipment and ensure that employees use it to prevent skin and eye contact.

Employers must ensure that workers use respirators to control EtO exposure in the following circumstances:

• During installation or implementation of feasible engineering controls and work practices;
• During maintenance, repair, and certain operations when engineering and work practice controls are not feasible;
• When engineering and work practice controls are not currently available to reduce exposures to or below the PEL; and
• During emergencies.

Exposure monitoring

• Employers must conduct initial monitoring to determine airborne concentrations of ethylene oxide, and additional monitoring if limits are above the action level, or when there has been a change in workplace conditions.
• If exposure levels exceed acceptable limits, actions must be taken to reduce those levels.

Employers must conduct the following exposure monitoring:

• Initial monitoring to determine the airborne concentrations of EtO that workers are exposed to (representative sampling of employees’ exposures is permitted).
• Periodic exposure monitoring if the airborne concentration of EtO is at or above the action level or above the 15-minute excursion limit.
• Additional monitoring if there has been a change in workplace conditions, such as a change in the process or materials used, and if the change could increase employee exposures.

If the exposure level is maintained below the action level, employers may discontinue time-weighted average (TWA) monitoring until there is a change in production, equipment, processes, personnel, or control measures that may result in new or additional exposure to EtO.

Employers must also:

• Allow affected employees or their designated representatives to observe the monitoring.
• Notify affected employees of the results of the monitoring within 15 working days of receiving the results.

If employee exposures exceed either the permissible exposure limit (PEL) or the excursion limit, employers must:

• Use engineering controls and work practices to control employee exposure.
• Establish and implement a written compliance program to reduce exposures to or below the TWA and exposure limit.
• Establish personal air monitoring as well as information and training programs for employees exposed to EtO at or above the action level or above the excursion limit. Conduct training upon initial job assignment and annually.
• Establish a regulated area wherever airborne concentrations of EtO are expected to exceed the eight-hour TWA or the excursion limit.
• Establish a medical surveillance program for employees exposed to EtO at concentrations above the action level of 0.5 ppm, measured as an eight-hour TWA, for more than 30 days per year.
• Place warning labels on all containers that might cause employee exposures at or above the action level or excursion limit.
• Remember that employee rotation is prohibited as a means of compliance with the eight-hour TWA or exposure limit.
• Select, provide, and maintain appropriate personal protective equipment and ensure that employees use it to prevent skin and eye contact.

Medical surveillance

Employers must implement a medical surveillance program, conducted or supervised by a licensed physician, for an employee under the following circumstances:

• If the employee is assigned to an area where exposure to EtO may be at or above the action level for 30 days or more during the year.
• If the employee has been exposed to EtO in an emergency situation.

Communication and training

• Training must be done initially and repeated annually for all workers exposed to ethylene oxide in the workplace.
• Employers must provide signs and labels to warn of ethylene oxide’s carcinogenic and reproductive effects.

Employers must do the following to communicate information to affected workers:

• Establish regulated areas where occupational exposure to EtO exceeds the eight-hour TWA or excursion limit, and clearly mark them to limit the number of workers in the regulated area and to allow only authorized persons to enter.
• Provide the signs and labels specified by the standard clearly indicating EtO’s carcinogenic and reproductive hazards in regulated areas.
• Train workers upon initial assignment and then annually if they are at risk of exposure at or above the action level or above the excursion limit.
• Maintain a safety data sheet for EtO that conforms to the provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s hazard communication standard, 1910.1200(g).

Recordkeeping

• Employers must keep employee exposure records for 30 years, and employee medical records for duration of employment plus 30 years.

Employers are required to maintain the following records relating to employee exposure to EtO:

• Retain employee exposure records for 30 years.
• Keep employee medical records for the duration of employment plus 30 years.
• Keep records of objective data supporting any claimed exemption from the requirements of 1910.1047.

Key definitions

• Key definitions for formaldehyde may be found in this section.

Action level: A concentration of 0.5-part formaldehyde per million parts of air (0.5 ppm) calculated as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA) concentration.

Authorized person: Any person required by work duties to be present in regulated areas, or authorized to do so by the employer, by 1910.1048, or by the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970.

Emergency: Any occurrence, such as but not limited to equipment failure, rupture of containers, or failure of control equipment that results in an uncontrolled release of a significant amount of formaldehyde.

Employee exposure: The exposure to airborne formaldehyde which would occur without corrections for protection provided by any respirator that is in use.

Summary of requirements

• Employers whose work involves formaldehyde must assess their employees’ exposure level, reassign workers who suffer adverse effects, train workers, establish engineering and work practice controls, provide PPE, implement medical surveillance, and more.

In general, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard at 1910.1048 requires covered employers to:

• Identify all workers who may be exposed to formaldehyde at or above the action level or short-term exposure limit (STEL) through initial monitoring and determine their exposure. The permissible exposure limit (PEL) for formaldehyde in the workplace is 0.75 parts formaldehyde per million parts of air (0.75 ppm) measured as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA). The standard includes a second PEL in the form of a STEL of 2 ppm which is the maximum exposure allowed during a 15-minute period. The action level — which is the standard’s trigger for increased industrial hygiene monitoring and initiation of worker medical surveillance — is 0.5 ppm when calculated as an eight-hour TWA.
• Reassign workers who suffer significant adverse effects from formaldehyde exposure to jobs with significantly less or no exposure until their condition improves. Reassignment may continue for up to six months until the worker is determined to be able to return to the original job or to be unable to return to work, whichever comes first.
• Implement feasible engineering and work practice controls to reduce and maintain worker exposure to formaldehyde at or below the eight-hour TWA and the STEL. If these controls cannot reduce exposure to or below the PELs, employers must provide workers with respirators.
• Label all mixtures or solutions composed of greater than 0.1 percent formaldehyde and materials capable of releasing formaldehyde into the air at concentrations reaching or exceeding 0.1 ppm. For all materials capable of releasing formaldehyde at levels above 0.5 ppm during normal use, the label must contain the words “potential cancer hazard.”
• Train all workers exposed to formaldehyde concentrations of 0.1 ppm or greater at the time of initial job assignment and whenever a new exposure to formaldehyde is introduced into the work area. Repeat training annually.
• Select, provide and maintain appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). Ensure that workers use PPE such as impervious clothing, gloves, aprons, and chemical splash goggles to prevent skin and eye contact with formaldehyde.
• Provide showers and eyewash stations if splashing is likely.
• Provide medical surveillance for all workers exposed to formaldehyde at concentrations at or above the action level or exceeding the STEL, for those who develop signs and symptoms of overexposure, and for all workers exposed to formaldehyde in emergencies.
• Keep adequate records. Retain exposure records for 30 years. Retain medical records for 30 years after employment ends. Allow access to medical and exposure records to current and former workers or their designated representatives upon request.

Note: Health care employers may also be subject to requirements, standards, and guidance from other agencies and organizations, such as The Joint Commission, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Public Health Administration.

Worker protection

• Employers whose work involves formaldehyde must provide PPE to employees, provide respirators when exposure is at or above the STEL, establish regulated areas with proper signage, and more.

Employers whose workers may be exposed to formaldehyde in the workplace must:

• Ensure that protective equipment and clothing that has become contaminated with formaldehyde is cleaned or laundered before its reuse.
• Ensure that only persons trained to recognize the hazards of formaldehyde remove the contaminated material from the storage area for purposes of cleaning, laundering, or disposal.
• Institute engineering and work practice controls to reduce and maintain employee exposures to formaldehyde at or below the time-weighted average (TWA) and the short-term exposure limit (STEL).
• Establish a respirator program when formaldehyde exposure is near, at, or above the STEL. Equip each air-purifying, full facepiece respirator with a canister or cartridge approved for protection against formaldehyde.
• Provide employees with one of the following respirator options: A self-contained breathing apparatus operated in the demand or pressure-demand mode; or a full facepiece respirator having a chin-style, or a front-or back-mounted industrial-size, canister or cartridge approved for protection against formaldehyde.
• Establish regulated areas where the concentration of airborne areas formaldehyde exceeds either the TWA or the STEL using signage bearing the following legend:

• DANGER
• FORMALDEHYDE
• MAY CAUSE CANCER
• CAUSES SKIN, EYE, AND RESPIRATORY IRRITATION
• AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY

• Limit access to regulated areas to authorized persons who have been trained to recognize the hazards of formaldehyde.
• Establish and maintain an accurate record of all measurements taken to monitor employee exposure to formaldehyde.
• Monitor employees to determine their exposure to formaldehyde.
• Provide conveniently located quick drench showers and ensure that affected employees use these facilities immediately if they are exposed to formaldehyde.

Key definitions

• Key definitions for hexavalent chromium may be found in this section.

Action level: A concentration of airborne chromium (VI) of 2.5 micrograms per cubic meter of air (2.5 µg/m3) calculated as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA).

Chromium (VI) [hexavalent chromium or Cr(VI)]: Chromium with a valence of positive six, in any form and in any compound.

Emergency: Any occurrence that results, or is likely to result, in an uncontrolled release of chromium (VI). If an incidental release of chromium (VI) can be controlled at the time of release by employees in the immediate release area, or by maintenance personnel, it is not an emergency.

Employee exposure: The exposure to airborne chromium (VI) that would occur if the employee were not using a respirator.

High-efficiency particulate air [HEPA] filter: A filter that is at least 99.97 percent efficient in removing mono-dispersed particles of 0.3 micrometers in diameter or larger.

Physician or other licensed health care professional [PLHCP]: An individual whose legally permitted scope of practice (i.e., license, registration, or certification) allows him or her to independently provide or be delegated the responsibility to provide some or all of the particular health care services required by 1910.1026(k).

Regulated area: An area, demarcated by the employer, where an employee’s exposure to airborne concentrations of chromium (VI) exceeds, or can reasonably be expected to exceed, the PEL.

Worker protection and training

• Employers must use engineering and work practice controls to reduce employee exposure to hexavalent chromium.
• Employees must be trained on the hexavalent chromium standard.

The employer is required to use engineering and work practice controls to reduce and maintain employee exposure to Cr(VI) to or below the permissible exposure limit (PEL) unless such controls are not feasible.

Engineering controls include:

• Substituting a less toxic material or a process that results in lower exposures;
• Isolating or enclosing the source of exposure or placing a barrier between employees and the source; and
• Ventilation that captures airborne Cr(VI) near its source and removes it from the workplace, or general ventilation that dilutes concentrations by circulating large quantities of air.

Where painting of aircraft or aircraft parts is performed, the employer shall use engineering and work practice controls to reduce and maintain employee exposures to or below 25 μg/m3 unless the employer can demonstrate such controls are not feasible.

Where the employer can demonstrate that a process or task does not result in any employee exposure to Cr(VI) above the PEL for 30 or more days per 12 consecutive months, the employer does not have to implement engineering and work practice controls to achieve the PEL to that process or task.

Employers are not permitted to rotate employees to different jobs as a means of achieving compliance with the PEL. However, there is no general prohibition on employee rotation. Employers may rotate employees for other reasons, such as to provide cross-training on different tasks or to allow employees to alternate physically demanding tasks with less strenuous activities.

Training

In addition to the requirements of the Hazard Communication standard, employees shall be trained on the hexavalent chromium standard and the purpose and a description of the medical surveillance program required by paragraph (k) of 1910.1026.

Personal protective equipment

• Employers must provide PPE to workers who are exposed to hexavalent chromium and ensure that the equipment is used.

Where hazards or likely hazards from eye or skin contact with Cr(VI) exist, the employer shall supply appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) at no cost to the employees and ensure that employees use such clothing and equipment.

The employer shall provide PPE for employees:

• While installing or implementing feasible engineering or work practice controls;
• During work operations, such as maintenance and repair, where engineering and work practice controls are not feasible;
• For work operations where all feasible engineering and work practice controls do not reduce exposure to or below the permissible exposure limit (PEL);
• For work operations where employees are exposed above the PEL for fewer than 30 days per year, and the employer has elected to not implement engineering and work practice controls to achieve the PEL; or
• During emergencies.

When observation of monitoring requires employees or their representatives to enter areas where protective clothing or equipment is required, the employer shall provide the clothing or equipment and shall ensure that the observer uses it.

All protective equipment and clothing that is contaminated with Cr(VI) shall be removed following completion of the tasks or of the job shift. No contaminated clothing may be removed from the workplace, except for laundering, cleaning, maintenance, or disposal.

Protective clothing or equipment must be stored and transported in sealed, impermeable bags or other containers, which must be labeled in accordance with 1910.1200.

The employer is responsible for maintaining and replacing all clothing and equipment required by this standard.

If protective clothing and equipment is required, the employer shall provide change rooms with separate storage facilities for protective clothing and equipment and for street clothes, and that these facilities prevent cross-contamination. Washing facilities shall be made available so that employees may wash their hands and faces.

Medical surveillance

• Medical surveillance must be made available to employees who are exposed to hexavalent chromium or who show signs and symptoms of exposure.

Medical surveillance must be made available at no cost and at a reasonable time and place for all employees who are:

• Exposed at or above the action level for 30 or more days a year;
• Exhibiting signs or symptoms associated with exposure; or
• Exposed in an emergency.

Medical examinations will be provided:

• Within 30 days of initial assignment unless a related medical examination occurred within the last twelve months;
• Annually;
• Within 30 days after a physician or other licensed health care professional’s written medical opinion that an additional examination is recommended;
• Whenever an employee shows signs or symptoms of exposure;
• Within 30 days after exposure during an emergency resulting in an uncontrolled release of Cr(VI); or
• Within six months of the date of termination.

Recordkeeping

• Employers must keep records of air monitoring data as well as employee medical records for the period set by the OSHA standard.

Employers must keep the following records:

• Employee medical records must be preserved and maintained for at least the duration of employment plus 30 years in accordance with 1910.1020.
• Air monitoring data, including dates, operations being monitored, sampling methods used, results of samples, types of personal protective equipment (PPE) used by employees being sampled, and the name and job classification of all employees represented by the monitoring.
• Historical monitoring date, when it is used to determine exposure, including data collected, methods used, characteristics of the Cr(VI)-containing material when the historical data were obtained, environmental conditions prevailing when the data were obtained, and other data relevant to the operations, materials, processing, and employee exposures.

Key definitions

• Key definitions for laboratory safety may be found in this section.

Action level: A concentration designated in Part 1910 for a specific substance, calculated as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA), which initiates certain required activities such as exposure monitoring and medical surveillance.

Chemical Hygiene Officer: An employee who is designated by the employer, and who is qualified by training or experience, to provide technical guidance in the development and implementation of the provisions of the Chemical Hygiene Plan. This definition is not intended to place limitations on the position description or job classification that the designated individual shall hold within the employer’s organizational structure.

Chemical Hygiene Plan: A written program developed and implemented by the employer which sets forth procedures, equipment, personal protective equipment and work practices that are capable of protecting employees from the health hazards presented by hazardous chemicals used in that particular workplace, and meets the requirements of paragraph (e) of 1910.1450.

Hazardous chemical: Any chemical which is classified as health hazard or simple asphyxiant in accordance with the Hazard Communication Standard (1910.1200).

Laboratory: A facility where the laboratory use of hazardous chemicals occurs. It is a workplace where relatively small quantities of hazardous chemicals are used on a non-production basis.

Laboratory scale: Work with substances in which the containers used for reactions, transfers, and other handling of substances are designed to be easily and safely manipulated by one person. Laboratory scale excludes those workplaces whose function is to produce commercial quantities of materials.

Laboratory use of hazardous chemicals: The handling or use of such chemicals in which all of the following conditions are met: Chemical manipulations are carried out on a “laboratory scale;” multiple chemical procedures or chemicals are used; the procedures involved are not part of a production process, nor in any way simulate a production process; and “Protective laboratory practices and equipment” are available and in common use to minimize the potential for employee exposure to hazardous chemicals.

Medical consultation: A consultation which takes place between an employee and a licensed physician for the purpose of determining what medical examinations or procedures, if any, are appropriate in cases where a significant exposure to a hazardous chemical may have taken place.

Protective laboratory practices and equipment: Those laboratory procedures, practices and equipment accepted by laboratory health and safety experts as effective, or that the employer can show to be effective, in minimizing the potential for employee exposure to hazardous chemicals.

Summary of requirements

• Laboratory employers must identify the hazardous chemicals they work with, designate a Chemical Hygiene Officer, implement a Chemical Hygiene Plan, train workers, keep records, and more.

Laboratory employers must:

• Identify hazardous chemicals. Each laboratory must identify which hazardous chemicals will be encountered by its workers. All containers for chemicals must be clearly labeled. An employer must ensure that workers do not use, store, or allow any other person to use or store, any hazardous substance in his or her laboratory if the container does not meet the labeling requirements outlined in the Hazard Communication standard (1910.1200).
• Designate a Chemical Hygiene Officer.
• Implement a written Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP). The CHP must include provisions for worker training, chemical exposure monitoring where appropriate, medical consultation when exposure occurs, criteria for the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and engineering controls, special precautions for particularly hazardous substances, and a requirement for a Chemical Hygiene Officer responsible for implementation of the CHP.
• Train workers on the Chemical Hygiene Plan.
• Ensure medical examination and consultation. Employers must provide all exposed workers with an opportunity to receive medical attention by a licensed physician, including any follow-up examinations which the examining physician determines to be necessary. Employers must also provide an opportunity for a medical consultation by a licensed physician whenever a spill, leak, explosion or other occurrence results in the likelihood that a laboratory worker experienced a hazardous exposure in order to determine whether a medical examination is needed. In addition, medical surveillance must be provided for a worker as required by the particular standard when exposure monitoring reveals exposure levels routinely exceeding the OSHA action level or, in the absence of an action level, the permissible exposure limit (PEL).
• Keep adequate records. Employers must maintain an accurate record of exposure monitoring activities and exposure measurements as well as medical consultations and examinations, including medical tests and written opinions. Employers generally must maintain worker exposure records for 30 years and medical records for the duration of the worker’s employment plus 30 years, unless one of the exemptions listed in 1910.1020(d)(1)(i)(A)-(C) applies. Such records must be maintained, transferred, and made available, in accord with 1910.1020, to an individual’s physician or made available to the worker or his/her designated representative upon request.

Program requirements

• The Laboratory standard consists of hazard identification, Chemical Hygiene Plan, training, exposure monitoring, and medical examinations.

The Laboratory standard consists of five major elements:

• Hazard identification,
• Chemical Hygiene Plan,
• Information and training,
• Exposure monitoring, and
• Medical consultation and examinations.

Each covered laboratory must appoint a Chemical Hygiene Officer (CHO) to develop and implement a Chemical Hygiene Plan. The CHO is responsible for duties such as monitoring processes, procuring chemicals, helping project directors upgrade facilities, and advising administrators on improved chemical hygiene policies and practices. A worker designated as the CHO must be qualified, by training or experience, to provide technical guidance in developing and implementing the provisions of the Chemical Hygiene Plan.

Recordkeeping

• Employers must keep records of monitoring activities and exposure measurement, as well as medical consultations and examinations.

Employers must maintain an accurate record of exposure monitoring activities and exposure measurements as well as medical consultations and examinations, including medical tests and written opinions. Employers generally must maintain worker exposure records for 30 years and medical records for the duration of the worker’s employment plus 30 years, unless one of the exemptions listed in 1910.1020(d)(1)(i)(A)-(C) applies.

Such records must be maintained, transferred, and made available, in accordance with 1910.1020, to an individual’s physician or made available to the worker or his/her designated representative upon request.

Key definitions

• Key definitions for lead (general industry) may be found in this section.

Action level: Employee exposure, without regard to the use of respirators, to an airborne concentration of lead of 30 micrograms per cubic meter of air (30 μg/m3) averaged over an eight-hour period.

Permissible exposure limit (PEL): 50 micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air, as averaged over an eight-hour period.

Summary of requirements

• Employers whose work involves lead must assess their employees’ exposure level, reduce the PEL to acceptable limits, provide respirators, train workers, establish cleaning and disposal procedures for contaminated clothing and equipment, implement medical surveillance, and more.

Employers must:

• Monitor employee exposures and determine if any employee may be exposed to lead at concentrations at or above the action level.
• Establish and implement a written compliance program to reduce exposures at or below the permissible exposure limit (PEL), and interim levels if applicable, by means of engineering and work practice controls.
• Provide exposed employees with respirators and train according to 1910.134.
• Provide exposed employees with protective work clothing and equipment.
• Establish cleaning, laundering, or disposal procedures for contaminated protective clothing and equipment.
• Where employees are exposed to lead above the PEL, do not allow the presence or consumption of food or beverages, tobacco products, or the application of cosmetics.
• Provide separate change rooms, shower facilities, and lunchrooms.
• Post warning signs in each area where the PEL is exceeded.
• Institute a medical surveillance program for affected employees.
• Establish and maintain an accurate record for each employee subject to medical surveillance.
• Provide the physician conducting a medical examination or consultation with the information required in the Lead standard and furnish the employee with a copy of the written medical opinion.
• Establish a training program for all affected employees. Provide the training prior to the initial job assignment and at least annually thereafter.
• If ventilation is used to control lead exposure, take measurements at least every three months which demonstrate the effectiveness of the system in controlling exposure. Additionally, take measurements when there is a change in production, process, or control which could alter the lead level within five days of the change.
• If administrative controls are used to control lead exposure, implement a job rotation schedule.

Lead work area restrictions

• Employers must provide employees with clean change rooms and separate lunchroom facilities to help limit cross-contamination.
• Employees must shower at the end of their work shift, and wash hands and faces prior to eating, drinking, smoking, or applying cosmetics.

There are a variety of location restrictions for lead work areas.

All protective clothing must be removed at the completion of a work shift only in change rooms equipped with separate storage facilities for protective work clothing and equipment and for street clothes, which helps to prevent cross-contamination. Contaminated protective clothing that is to be cleaned, laundered, or disposed of must be placed in a closed container in the change room, which prevents dispersion of lead outside the container.

Employers must provide lunchroom facilities for employees who work in areas where their airborne exposure to lead is above the permissible exposure limit (PEL), without regard to the use of respirators. Lunchroom facilities must have a temperature controlled, positive pressure, filtered air supply, and be readily accessible to employees. Employees must not enter lunchroom facilities with protective work clothing or equipment unless surface lead dust has been removed by vacuuming, downdraft booth, or another cleaning method.

In areas where employees are exposed to lead above the PEL, without regard to the use of respirators, employers must ensure that:

• Food or beverage is not present or consumed, tobacco products are not present or used, and cosmetics are not applied, except according to 1910.1025(i)(2) through (i)(4).
• Employees shower at the end of the work shift. Employees who are required to shower must not leave the workplace wearing any clothing or equipment worn during the work shift.
• Employees wash their hands and faces prior to eating, drinking, smoking or applying cosmetics.

Exposure assessment

• Employees may not be exposed to lead at amounts greater than 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air in an eight-hour period.

No employee may be exposed to lead at concentrations greater than 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air (50 μg/m3) averaged over an eight-hour period. If an employee is exposed to lead for more than eight hours in any workday, the permissible exposure limit (PEL), as a time-weighted average (TWA) for that day, must be reduced according to the formula in the standard.

When respirators are used to supplement engineering and work practice controls to comply with the PEL and all the requirements for respiratory protection under 1910.1025(f) have been met, employee exposure, for the purpose of determining whether the employer has complied with the PEL, may be considered to be at the level provided by the protection factor of the respirator for those periods the respirator is worn. Those periods may be averaged with exposure levels during periods when respirators are not worn to determine the employee’s daily TWA exposure.

Determine if any employee may be exposed to lead at or above the action level. A representative sample of the exposed employees who the employer reasonably believes are exposed to the greatest airborne concentrations of lead must be taken. If the results show the possibility of any employee exposure at or above the action level, extensive monitoring is required according to 1910.1025.

Whenever there has been a production, process, control, or personnel change which may result in new or additional exposure to lead, or whenever the employer has any other reason to suspect a change which may result in new or additional exposures to lead, additional monitoring must be conducted.

Employee notification

• Employers must notify employees whenever their exposure is found to exceed the permissible exposure limit, or when an employee’s blood lead level exceeds 40 micrograms per 100 grams.

Notification requirements for lead include the following: Employers must notify employees in writing of monitoring results which represent that employee’s exposure within five working days after receipt of the results. If the results indicate that the representative employee exposure, without regard to respirators, exceeds the permissible exposure limit (PEL), include in the written notice a statement that the PEL was exceeded and a description of the corrective action that was taken or will be taken to reduce exposure to or below the PEL.

Employers must notify in writing any employee whose blood lead level exceeds 40 μg/100 g within five working days after receipt of biological monitoring results of that employee’s blood lead level. Employers must also notify in writing that the standard requires temporary medical removal with Medical Removal Protection benefits when an employee’s blood lead level is at or above the numerical criterion for medical removal under 1910.1025(k).

Notify any person who cleans or launders protective clothing or equipment in writing of the potentially harmful effects of exposure to lead.

Labeling and posting

• Work areas where lead exposure may exceed acceptable limits, and containers of lead-contaminated clothing and equipment, must be properly marked with labels or signs.

Containers of contaminated protective clothing and equipment must be labeled as follows:

• DANGER:
• CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT CONTAMINATED WITH LEAD.
• MAY DAMAGE FERTILITY OR THE UNBORN CHILD.
• CAUSES DAMAGE TO THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM.
• DO NOT EAT, DRINK OR SMOKE WHEN HANDLING.
• DO NOT REMOVE DUST BY BLOWING OR SHAKING.
• DISPOSE OF LEAD CONTAMINATED WASH WATER IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LOCAL, STATE, OR FEDERAL REGULATIONS

Post the following warning signs in each work area where the permissible exposure limit (PEL) is exceeded:

• DANGER
• LEAD MAY DAMAGE FERTILITY OR THE UNBORN CHILD
• CAUSES DAMAGE TO THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
• DO NOT EAT, DRINK OR SMOKE IN THIS AREA

Written documentation

• Employers must establish a written compliance program to reduce lead exposure to acceptable levels.
• If administrative controls are used, employers must establish a job rotation schedule for employees.
• Employers must establish a respiratory protection program for workers exposed to lead.

The following table lays out the required written documentation for lead:

Training

• Training must be done initially and repeated annually for all workers exposed to lead at or above the action level in the workplace.

Employers must institute a training program for all employees who are subject to exposure to lead at or above the action level or for whom the possibility of skin or eye irritation exists. Training must be provided prior to the time of initial job assignment for those employees. The training program should be repeated at least annually for each employee. Training includes the topics listed here:

• The content of 1910.1025 and its appendices. Each employer who has a workplace in which there is a potential exposure to airborne lead at any level must inform employees of the content of Appendices A and B. This training should include, among other things, coverage of lead hazards, the danger of lead to the body, and employee rights under the rule.
• The specific nature of the operations which could result in exposure to lead above the action level.
• The purpose, proper selection, fitting, use, and limitations of respirators.
• The purpose and a description of the medical surveillance program, and the medical removal protection program including information concerning the adverse health effects associated with excessive exposure to lead (with particular attention to the adverse reproductive effects on both males and females).
• The engineering controls and work practices associated with the employee’s job assignment.
• The contents of any compliance plan in effect.
• Instructions to employees that chelating agents must not routinely be used to remove lead from their bodies and must not be used at all except under the direction of a licensed physician.
• Distribute to employees any materials pertaining to the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act, the regulations, and 1910.1025 which are made available to the employer by the Department of Labor.

Worker protection

• Worker protection may include proper housekeeping, engineering and work practice controls, and proper hygiene facilities and practices to reduce their exposure to lead in the workplace.

Worker protection includes the following:

Housekeeping

• All surfaces must be maintained as free as practicable of accumulations of lead.
• Floors and other surfaces where lead accumulates may not be cleaned by the use of compressed air.
• Shoveling, dry or wet sweeping, and brushing may be used only where vacuuming or other equally effective methods have been tried and found not to be effective.
• Where vacuuming methods are selected, the vacuums must be used and emptied in a manner which minimizes the reentry of lead into the workplace.

Engineering and work practice controls

• Where any employee is exposed to lead above the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for more than 30 days per year, employers must implement engineering and work practice controls (including administrative controls) to reduce and maintain employee exposure to lead in accordance with the implementation schedule in Table I in 1910.1025(e)(1), except to the extent that the employer can demonstrate that such controls are not feasible. Wherever the engineering and work practice controls can be instituted are not sufficient to reduce employee exposure to or below the PEL, the employer must nonetheless use them to reduce exposures to the lowest feasible level and supplement them by the use of respiratory protection which complies with the requirements of 1910.1025(f).
• Where any employee is exposed to lead above the PEL, but for 30 days or less per year, employers may implement engineering controls to reduce exposures to 200 μg/m3, but thereafter may implement any combination of engineering, work practice (including administrative controls), and respiratory controls to reduce and maintain employee exposure to lead to or below 50 μg/m3.
• Examples of engineering controls include:
  • Exhaust ventilation;
  • Encapsulation of lead surfaces;
  • Substitution coatings instead of lead-containing coatings;
  • Mobile hydraulic shears cutting instead of torch cutting;
  • Chemical removal instead of hand scraping;
  • High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) vacuum filtration systems;
  • Replacement of lead-based painted building components;
  • Brush roller lead paint application rather than spraying; and
  • Isolation/distancing of abrasive blasting operations from other employees.
• Examples of good work practices include the use of protective work clothing and equipment and personal hygiene practices, and housekeeping.

Hygiene facilities and practices

Employers must:

• Provide clean change rooms for employees who work in areas where their airborne exposure to lead is above the PEL, without regard to the use of respirators.
• Provide shower facilities in accordance with 1910.141(d)(3).
• Provide an adequate number of lavatory facilities which comply with 1910.141(d)(1) and (2).

Personal protective equipment

• Personal protective equipment for workers who face lead exposure may include respirators, coveralls, gloves, hats, and shoes, and goggles or face shields.

Respirators — Where engineering and work practice controls do not reduce employee exposure to or below the 50 μg/m3 permissible exposure limit, employers must supplement engineering and work practice controls with respirators. Employers should implement a respiratory program according to 1910.134(b) through (d) (except (d)(1)(iii)), and (f) through (m)).

Where respirators are required, employers must provide them at no cost to the employee and ensure their appropriate use during:

• Periods necessary to install or implement engineering or work practice controls.
• Work operations for which engineering and work practice controls are not sufficient to reduce exposures to or below the permissible exposure limit; and
• Periods when an employee requests a respirator.

Protective work clothing and equipment — If an employee is exposed to lead above the permissible exposure limit (PEL), without regard to the use of respirators, or where the possibility of skin or eye irritation exists, employers must provide protective work clothing and equipment at no cost to the employee and ensure that the employee uses the appropriate protective work clothing and equipment such as, but not limited to:

• Coveralls or similar full-body work clothing;
• Gloves, hats, and shoes or disposable shoe coverlets; and
• Face shields, vented goggles, or other appropriate protective equipment.

Employers must provide the protective clothing in a clean and dry condition at least weekly, and daily to employees whose exposure levels without regard to a respirator are over 200 μg/m3 of lead as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA).

The removal of lead from protective clothing or equipment by blowing, shaking, or any other means which disperses lead into the air is prohibited.

Medical surveillance

• Employers must institute a medical surveillance program for employees who are exposed to lead at or above the action level for more than 30 days per year.
• If an employee refuses blood testing, another test may not be substituted. Employers should document any employee refusal of a blood test.

Employers must institute a medical surveillance program for all employees who are or may be exposed at or above the action level for more than 30 days per year. The program must include:

• Blood lead and zinc protoporphyrin level sampling and analysis;
• Medical examinations and consultations prior to assignment for each employee:
  • Being assigned for the first time to an area in which airborne concentrations of lead are at or above the action level, and
  • As soon as possible upon notification by an employee either that the employee has developed signs or symptoms commonly associated with lead intoxication, that the employee desires medical advice concerning the effects of current or past exposure to lead on the employee’s ability to procreate a health child, or that the employee has demonstrated difficulty in breathing during a respirator fitting test or during use.

Employers must provide an initial physician conducting a medical examination or consultation with information listed in 1910.1025. Do the same upon request of the second and third physicians.

Employers should follow 1910.1025(k) with regard to employee removal requirements due to elevated blood lead levels, medical determination, protective measures or limitations, removal protection benefits, follow-up medical surveillance, workers’ compensation claims, or other reason noted.

If an employee refuses blood lead testing

The Lead standard requires blood testing to comply with 1910.1025(j). However, neither the lead standard, nor any other Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard, makes participation in the medical surveillance program mandatory for the employee.

The employer’s obligation is to provide medical tests and examinations as required, whether or not an employee cooperates. Substitution of other tests is not acceptable. A non-invasive test (such as urinary lead or hair lead) cannot be substituted for the blood lead and zinc protoporphyrin sampling and analyses.

Employers should document any employee refusal to undergo testing while proceeding with any other medical procedures that are required by OSHA with which the employee will cooperate.

Review and follow-up

• Employers must follow the recommended schedule for reviewing written programs, conducting blood level testing, and performing medical examinations and consultations.

Employers must:

• Review written programs every six months.
• Perform blood lead and zinc protoporphyrin level sampling and analysis availability:
  • Every six months to each employee exposed above the action level for more than 30 days per year; o
  • Every two months for each employee whose last blood sampling and analysis indicated a blood lead level at or above 40 μg/100 g of whole blood (and continue this frequency until two consecutive blood samples and analyses indicate a blood lead level below 40 μg/100 g of whole blood); and
  • Monthly during the removal period of each employee removed from exposure to lead due to an elevated blood lead level.
• Perform follow-up blood sampling tests availability whenever the results of a blood lead level test indicate that an employee’s blood lead level is at or above the numerical criterion for medical removal (at or above 60 μg/100 g), and provide a second (follow-up) blood sampling test within two weeks after the employer receives the results of the first blood sampling test.
• Perform medical examinations and consultations availability for each employee exposed above the action level for more than 30 days per year: o
  • At least annually for each employee for whom a blood sampling test conducted at any time during the preceding 12 months indicated a blood lead level at or above 40 μg/100 g.
  • As medically appropriate for each employee either removed from exposure to lead due to a risk of sustaining material impairment to health, or otherwise limited pursuant to a final medical determination.

Recordkeeping

• Employers must establish and maintain records of all required monitoring activities, and retain them for at least 40 years or the duration of employment plus 20 years, whichever is longer.

Specific recordkeeping requirements for lead require the employer to:

Where an initial exposure monitoring determination is made that no employee is exposed to airborne concentrations of lead at or above the action level, make a record of such a determination.

Obtain and furnish the employee with a copy of a written medical opinion from each examining or consulting physician including items listed in 1910.1025(j).

Establish and maintain (at least 40 years or for the duration of employment plus 20 years, whichever is longer) an accurate record of all monitoring required, including items listed in 1910.1025(n). Provide exposure monitoring records upon request to employees, designated representatives, and the Department of Labor.

Establish and maintain an accurate record for each employee subject to medical surveillance, including items listed in 1910.1025(n).

Keep (for at least 40 years, or for the duration of employment plus 20 years, whichever is longer), or ensure that the examining physician keeps, the medical records listed in 1910.1025(n). Provide medical records upon request to employees, designated representatives, and the Department of Labor.

Establish and maintain (for at least the duration of an employee’s employment) an accurate record for each employee removed from current exposure to lead, including items listed in 1910.1025(n). Provide medical removal records upon request to employees, designated representatives, and the Department of Labor.

Key definitions

• Key definitions for lead (construction) may be found in this section.

Action level: Employee exposure, without regard to the use of respirators, to an airborne concentration of lead of 30 micrograms per cubic meter of air (30 mg/m3) calculated as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA).

Competent person: One who is capable of identifying existing and predictable lead hazards in the surroundings or working conditions and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.

Lead: Includes metallic lead, all inorganic lead compounds, and organic lead soaps. Excluded from this definition are all other organic lead compounds.

Summary of requirements

• Employers whose work involves lead must assess employees’ exposure level, perform medical surveillance, install engineering and work practice controls, provide respirators and other PPE, provide worker training, and more.

Employers must:

• Perform hazard determination, including exposure assessment.
• Perform medical surveillance and include provisions for medical removal.
• Initiate job-specific compliance programs.
• Install engineering and work practice controls.
• Provide necessary respiratory protection.
• Provide protective clothing and equipment.
• Perform required housekeeping.
• Provide required hygiene facilities and practices.
• Provide the proper signage.
• Provide necessary information and training.
• Keep the required records.

Exposure limits

• The permissible exposure limit for lead is 50 micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air averaged over an eight-hour period.

The standard establishes maximum limits of exposure to lead for all workers covered, including a permissible exposure limit (PEL) and action level.

The PEL sets the maximum worker exposure to lead at 50 micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air (50μg/m3) averaged over an eight-hour period. If employees are exposed to lead for more than eight hours in a workday, their allowable exposure as a time-weighted average (TWA) for that day must be reduced according to this formula: Employee exposure (in μg/m3) = 400 divided by the hours worked in the day.

The action level, regardless of respirator use, is an airborne concentration of 30μg/m3, averaged over an eight-hour period. The action level is the level at which an employer must begin specific compliance activities outlined in the standard.

Exposure assessment

• Employers must conduct initial exposure assessments when information, observation, previous measurement, or employee complaints of symptoms indicate lead exposure.
• Employers must notify affected employees of the results of any monitoring as soon as possible but no later than five working days after receiving the results.

An employer must conduct an initial exposure assessment of whether employees are exposed to lead at or above the action level based on:

• Any information, observation, or calculation that indicates employee exposure to lead.
• Any previous measurements of airborne lead.
• Any employee complaints of symptoms attributable to lead exposure.

Initial monitoring may be limited to a representative sample of employees exposed to the greatest concentrations of airborne lead. This is permitted when a number of employees perform the same job, with lead exposure of similar duration and level, under essentially the same conditions. The monitoring result is then attributed to the other employees of the group.

Instead of performing initial monitoring, the employer may in some cases rely on objective data that demonstrate that a particular lead-containing material or product cannot result in employee exposure at or above the action level when it is processed, used, or handled (more information is available at 1926.62(n)(4)).

The employer must establish and maintain an accurate record documenting the nature and relevancy of previous exposure data.

Pending employee exposure assessment

Until the employer performs an exposure assessment and documents that employees are not exposed above the permissible exposure limit (PEL), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires some degree of interim protection for employees. This means providing respiratory protection, protective work clothing and equipment, hygiene facilities, biological monitoring, and training — as specified by the standards — for certain tasks prone to produce high exposure. These include:

• Manual demolition of structures such as drywall, manual scraping, manual sanding, and use of a heat gun where lead-containing coatings or paints are present.
• Power tool cleaning with or without local exhaust ventilation.
• Spray painting with lead-containing paint.
• Lead burning.
• Use of lead-containing mortar.
• Abrasive blasting, rivet busting, welding, cutting, or torch burning on any structure where lead-containing coatings or paint are present.
• Abrasive blasting enclosure movement and removal.
• Cleanup of activities where dry expendable abrasives are used.
• Any other task the employer believes may cause exposures in excess of the PEL.

Test results showing no overexposures

If the initial assessment indicates that no employee is exposed above the action level, the employer may discontinue monitoring. Further exposure testing is not required unless there is a change in processes or controls that may result in additional employees being exposed to lead at or above the action level, or may result in employees already exposed at or above the action level being exposed above the PEL. The employer must keep a written record of the determination, including the date, location within the worksite, and the name of each monitored employee.

Notification of monitoring results

The employer must, as soon as possible but no later than five working days after receiving the results of any monitoring, notify each affected employee of the results either individually in writing or by posting the results in a location that is accessible to employees.

Whenever the results indicate that the representative employee exposure, without the use of respirators, is above the PEL, the employer must include a written notice stating that the employee’s exposure exceeded the PEL and describing corrective action taken or to be taken to reduce exposure to or below the PEL.

Compliance program elements

• Employers who work with lead should work with a qualified safety and health professional to develop a worker protection program.

The employer should, as needed, consult a qualified safety and health professional to develop and implement an effective, site-specific worker protection program. These professionals may work independently or may be associated with an insurance carrier, trade organization, or on-site consultation program.

For each job where employee exposure exceeds the permissible action limit (PEL), the employer must establish and implement a written compliance program to reduce employee exposure to the PEL or below. The compliance program must provide for frequent and regular inspections of job sites, materials, and equipment by a competent person. Written programs, which must be reviewed and updated at least annually to reflect the current status of the program, must include:

• A description of each activity in which lead is emitted (such as equipment used, material involved, controls in place, crew size, employee job responsibilities, operating procedures, and maintenance practices).
• The means to be used to achieve compliance and engineering plans and studies used to determine the engineering controls selected where they are required.
• Information on the technology considered to meet the PEL.
• Air monitoring data that document the source of lead emissions.
• A detailed schedule for implementing the program, including copies of documentation (such as purchase orders for equipment, construction contracts).
• A work practice program.
• An administrative control schedule, if applicable.
• Arrangements made among contractors on multi-contractor sites to inform employees of potential lead exposure.

Medical surveillance

• Employers must make medical surveillance available to employees who are exposed to lead.
• Analysis of blood lead samples must be conducted by an OSHA-approved laboratory.

Employers must make available, at no cost to the employee, initial medical surveillance for employees exposed to lead on the job at or above the action level on any one day per year. This initial medical surveillance consists of biological monitoring in the form of blood sampling and analysis for lead and zinc protoporphyrin levels

In addition, a medical surveillance program with biological monitoring must be made available to any employee exposed at or above the action level for more than 30 days in any consecutive 12 months.

When an employee’s airborne exposure is at or above the action level for more than 30 days in any consecutive 12 months, an immediate medical consultation is required when the employer is notified that:

• The employee has developed signs or symptoms commonly associated with lead-related disease.
• The employee has demonstrated difficulty breathing during respirator use or a fit test.
• The employee desires medical advice concerning the effects of past or current lead exposure on the employee’s ability to have a healthy child.
• The employee is under medical removal and has a medically appropriate need.

A medical exam must also include:

• Detailed work and medical histories, with particular attention to past lead exposure (occupational and nonoccupational), personal habits (smoking and hygiene), and past gastrointestinal, hematologic, renal, cardiovascular, reproductive, and neurological problems.
• A thorough physical exam, with particular attention to gums, teeth, hematologic, gastrointestinal, renal, cardiovascular, and neurological systems; evaluation of lung function if respirators are used.
• A blood pressure measurement.
• A blood sample and analysis to determine blood lead level.
  • Hemoglobin and hematocrit determinations, red cell indices, and an exam of peripheral smear morphology; and
  • Zinc protoporphyrin; blood urea nitrogen; and serum creatinine.
• A routine urinalysis with microscopic exam.
• Any lab or other test the examining physician deems necessary.

The employer must provide all examining physicians with a copy of the lead in construction standard (1926.62), including all appendices, a description of the affected employee’s duties as they relate to the employee’s exposure, the employee’s lead exposure level or anticipated exposure level, a description of personal protective equipment used or to be used, prior blood lead determinations, and all prior written medical opinions for the employee.

Analysis of blood lead samples must be conducted by an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)-approved lab and be accurate (to a confidence level of 95 percent) within plus or minus 15 percent, or six μg/dl, whichever is greater. If an employee’s airborne lead level is at or above the action level for more than 30 days in any consecutive 12 months, the employer must make biological monitoring available on the following schedule:

• At least every two months for the first six months and every six months thereafter for employees exposed at or above the action level for more than 30 days annually.
• At least every two months for employees whose last blood sampling and analysis indicated a blood lead level at or above 40 μg/dl.
• At least monthly while an employee is removed from exposure due an elevated blood lead level.

Medical removal provisions

• Employees whose blood sampling tests indicate their lead exposure is above acceptable limits must be removed from work. Employers must provide up to 18 months of medical removal protection for removed employees.

Temporary medical removal can result from an elevated blood level or a written medical opinion. The employer is required to remove from work an employee with a lead exposure at or above the action level each time periodic and follow-up (within two weeks of the periodic test) blood sampling tests indicate that the employee’s blood level is at or above 50 μg/dl. The employer also must remove from work an employee with lead exposure at or above the action level each time a final medical determination indicates that the employee needs reduced lead exposure for medical reasons. If the physician implementing the medical program makes a final written opinion recommending the employee’s removal or other special protective measures, the employer must implement the physician’s recommendation.

For an employee removed from exposure to lead at or above the action level due to a blood lead level at or above 50 μg/dl, the employer may return that employee to former job status when two consecutive blood sampling tests indicate that the employee’s blood lead level is below 40 μg/dl. For an employee removed from exposure to lead due to a final medical determination, the employee must be returned when a subsequent final medical determination results in a medical finding, determination, or opinion that the employee no longer has a detected medical condition that places the employee at increased risk of lead exposure.

The employer must remove any limitations placed on employees or end any special protective measures when a subsequent final medical determination indicates they are no longer necessary. If the former position no longer exists, the employee is returned consistent with whatever job assignment discretion the employer would have had if no removal occurred.

The employer must provide up to 18 months of medical removal protection (MRP) benefits each time an employee is removed from lead exposure or medically limited. As long as the position/job exists, the employer must maintain the earnings, seniority, and other employment rights and benefits as though the employee had not been removed from the job or otherwise medically limited. The employer may condition medical removal protection benefits on the employee’s participation in follow-up medical surveillance.

If a removed employee files a worker’s compensation claim or other compensation for lost wages due to a lead-related disability, the employer must continue MRP benefits until the claim is resolved. However, the employer’s MRP benefits obligation will be reduced by the amount that the employee receives from these sources. Also, the employer’s MRP benefits obligation will be reduced by any income the employee receives from employment with another employer made possible by the employee’s removal.

In the case of medical removal, the employer’s records must include:

• The worker’s name.
• The date of each occasion the worker was removed from current exposure to lead.
• The date the worker was returned to the former job status.
• A brief explanation of how each removal was or is being accomplished.
• A statement indicating whether the reason for the removal was an elevated blood lead level.

Worker protection

• Engineering controls, work practices and training, and use of PPE are the most effective methods for protecting workers from lead exposure.

The most effective way to protect workers is to minimize their exposure through engineering controls, good work practices and training, and use of personal protective clothing and equipment, including respirators, where required. The employer needs to designate a competent person capable of identifying existing and predictable lead hazards and who is authorized to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate such problems

The employer should, as needed, consult a qualified safety and health professional to develop and implement an effective worker protection program. These professionals may work independently or may be associated with an insurance carrier, trade organization, or on-site consultation program.

Engineering measures include local and general exhaust ventilation, process and equipment modification, material substitution, component replacement, and isolation or automation. Examples of recommended engineering controls that can help reduce worker exposure to lead include:

• Equipping power tools used to remove lead-based paint with dust collection shrouds or other attachments so that paint is exhausted through a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) vacuum system.
• Using local exhaust ventilation for operations such as welding, cutting/burning, or heating.
• For abrasive blasting operations, building a containment structure designed to optimize the flow of clean ventilation air past the workers’ breathing zones. Although it is not feasible to enclose and ventilate some abrasive blasting operations completely, it is possible to isolate many operations to help reduce the potential for lead exposure. Isolation consists of keeping employees not involved in the blasting operations as far away from the work area as possible, reducing the risk of exposure.
• Choosing materials and chemicals that do not contain lead for construction projects.

Housekeeping practices

• An effective housekeeping program will remove accumulations of lead dust and lead-containing debris.

An effective housekeeping program involves a regular schedule to remove accumulations of lead dust and lead-containing debris. The schedule should be adapted to exposure conditions at a particular worksite. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s Lead Standard for Construction (1926.62) requires employers to maintain all surfaces as free of lead contamination as practicable.

Vacuuming lead dust with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA)-filtered equipment or wetting the dust with water before sweeping are effective control measures. Compressed air may not be used to remove lead from contaminated surfaces unless a ventilation system is in place to capture the dust generated by the compressed air.

In addition, it is necessary to put all lead-containing debris and contaminated items accumulated for disposal into sealed, impermeable bags or other closed impermeable containers. Bags and containers must be labeled as lead-containing waste.

Personal hygiene practices

• Employers must provide clean change areas, showers and washing facilities, and lunchroom facilities to prevent employees from contaminating other areas with lead.

Employers must emphasize workers’ personal hygiene such as washing their hands and faces after work and before eating to minimize their exposure to lead. Employers should provide and ensure that workers use washing facilities. Clean change areas and readily accessible eating areas must be provided. If possible, employers should provide a parking area where cars will not be contaminated with lead. These measures reduce workers’ exposure to lead and the likelihood that they will ingest lead, and ensure that the exposure does not extend beyond the worksite.

Change areas

The employer must provide a clean changing area for employees whose airborne exposure to lead is above the permissible exposure limit (PEL). The area must be equipped with storage facilities for street clothes and a separate area with facilities for the removal and storage of lead-contaminated protective work clothing and equipment. This separation prevents cross contamination of the employee’s street and work clothing.

Employees must use a clean change area for taking off street clothes, suiting up in clean protective work clothing, donning respirators before beginning work, and dressing in street clothes after work. No lead-contaminated items should enter this area.

Under no circumstances should lead-contaminated work clothes be laundered at home or taken from the worksite, except to be laundered professionally or for disposal following applicable federal, state, and local regulations.

Showers and washing facilities

When feasible, employers must provide showers for employees whose airborne exposure to lead is above the PEL so they can shower before leaving the worksite. Where showers are provided, employees must change out of their work clothes and shower before changing into street clothes and leaving the worksite. If employees do not change into clean clothing before leaving the worksite, they may contaminate their homes and automobiles with lead dust, extending their exposure and exposing other members of their household to lead.

In addition, employers must provide adequate washing facilities. These facilities must be close to the worksite and furnished with water, soap, and clean towels so employees can remove lead contamination from their skin.

Contaminated water from washing facilities and showers must be disposed of in accordance with applicable local, state, or federal regulations.

Personnel practices

The employer must ensure that employees do not enter lunchroom facilities or eating areas with protective work clothing or equipment unless surface lead dust has been removed. In all areas where employees are exposed to lead above the PEL, employees must observe the prohibition on the presence and consumption or use of food, beverages, tobacco products, and cosmetics. Employees whose airborne exposure to lead is above the PEL must wash their hands and faces before eating, drinking, smoking, or applying cosmetics.

End-of-day procedures

Employers must ensure that workers who are exposed to lead above the PEL follow these procedures at the end of their workday:

• Place contaminated clothes, including work shoes and personal protective equipment to be cleaned, laundered, or disposed of, in a properly labeled closed container.
• Sshower and wash hair. Where showers are not provided, employees must wash hands and faces at the end of the shift.
• Change into street clothes in clean change areas.

Protective clothing and equipment

• Personal protective equipment for workers who face lead exposure may include respirators, coveralls, gloves, hats, and shoes, and goggles or face shields.
• Workers must not be allowed to leave the worksite while wearing contaminated clothing and equipment. Such equipment must be handled and cleaned or laundered properly.

Employers must provide workers who are exposed to lead above the permissible exposure limit (PEL) or for whom the possibility of skin or eye irritation exists with clean, dry protective work clothing and equipment that are appropriate for the hazard. Employers must provide these items at no cost to employees. Appropriate protective work clothing and equipment includes:

• Coveralls or other full-body work clothing.
• Gloves, hats, and shoes or disposable shoe coverlets.
• Vented goggles or face shields with protective spectacles or goggles.
• Welding or abrasive blasting helmets.
• Respirators.

Clean work clothing must be issued daily for employees whose exposure levels to lead are above 200 μg/m3, weekly if exposures are above the PEL but at or below 200 μg/m3 or where the possibility of skin or eye irritation exists.

Handling contaminated protective clothing

Workers must not be allowed to leave the worksite wearing lead-contaminated protective clothing or equipment. This reduces the movement of lead contamination from the workplace into the worker’s home and provides added protection for employees and their families.

Disposable coveralls and separate shoe covers may be used, if appropriate, to avoid the need for laundering. Workers must remove protective clothing in change rooms provided for that purpose.

Employers must ensure that employees leave the respirator use area to wash their faces and respirator facepieces as necessary. In addition, employers may require their employees to use high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) vacuuming, damp wiping, or another suitable cleaning method before removing a respirator to clear loose particle contamination on the respirator and at the face-mask seal.

Place contaminated clothing that is to be cleaned, laundered, or disposed of by the employer in closed containers. Label containers with the warning:

Caution: Clothing contaminated with lead. Do not remove dust by blowing or shaking. Dispose of lead-contaminated wash water in accordance with applicable local, state, or federal regulations.

Workers responsible for handling contaminated clothing, including those in laundry services or subcontractors, must be informed in writing of the potential health hazard of lead exposure. At no time shall lead be removed from protective clothing or equipment by brushing, shaking, or blowing. These actions disperse the lead into the work area.

Employee information and training

• Employers must inform their employees about the hazards associated with lead exposure.
• Training must be done initially and repeated annually for all workers exposed to lead at or above the action level in the workplace.

The employer must inform employees about lead hazards according to the requirement of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s Hazard Communication standard for the construction industry, including, but not limited to, the requirements for warning signs and labels, safety data sheets (SDSs), and employee information and training (refer to 1910.1200).

Employers must institute an information and training program and ensure that all employees subject to exposure to lead or lead compounds at or above the action level on any day participate. Also covered under information and training are employees who may suffer skin or eye irritation from lead compounds.

Initial training must be provided before the initial job assignment. Training must be repeated at least annually and, in brief summary, must include:

• The content of the OSHA lead standard and its appendices.
• The specific nature of operations that could lead to lead exposure above the action level.
• The purpose, proper selection, fit, use, and limitations of respirators.
• The purpose and a description of the medical surveillance program, and the medical removal protection program.
• Information concerning the adverse health effects associated with excessive lead exposure.
• The engineering and work practice controls associated with employees’ job assignments.
• The contents of any lead-related compliance plan in effect.
• Instructions to employees that chelating agents must not be used routinely to remove lead from their bodies and when necessary only under medical supervision and at the direction of a licensed physician.
• The right to access records under Access to Employee Exposure and Medical Records, 1910.1020.

All materials relating to the training program and a copy of the standard and its appendices must be made readily available to all affected employees.

Warning signs

• Employers must post warning signs in each work area where workers may be exposed to lead above permissible limits.

Employers are required to post these warning signs in each work area where employee exposure to lead is above the permissible exposure limit (PEL):

• WARNING
• LEAD WORK AREA
• POISON
• NO SMOKING OR EATING

All signs must be well lit and kept clean so that they are easily visible. Statements that contradict or detract from the signs’ meaning are prohibited. Signs required by other statutes, regulations, or ordinances, however, may be posted in addition to, or in combination with, this sign.

Recordkeeping

• Employers must maintain records of exposure assessments, medical surveillance data, individual records for employees subject to medical removal, and any objective data used to initially assess employee exposure.

Maintain any employee exposure and medical records to document ongoing employee exposure, medical monitoring, and medical removal of workers. Make all records — including exposure monitoring, objective data, medical removal, and medical records — available upon request to affected employees, former employees, and their designated representatives and to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Assistant Secretary and the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for examination and copying in accordance with 1910.1020.

When an employer ceases to do business, the successor employer must receive and retain all required records. If no successor is available, these records must be sent to the Director of NIOSH.

Exposure assessment records

Establish and maintain an accurate record of all monitoring and other data used to conduct employee exposure assessments as required by this standard and in accordance with 1910.1020. The exposure assessment records must include:

• The dates, number, duration, location, and results of each sample taken, including a description of the sampling procedure used to determine representative employee exposure.
• A description of the sampling and analytical methods used and evidence of their accuracy.
• The type of respiratory protection worn, if any.
• The name and job classification of the monitored employee and all others whose exposure the measurement represents.
• Environmental variables that could affect the measurement of employee exposure.

Medical surveillance records

The employer must maintain an accurate record for each employee subject to medical surveillance, including:

• The name and description of the employee’s duties.
• A copy of the physician’s written opinions.
• The results of any airborne exposure monitoring done for the employee and provided to the physician.
• Any employee medical complaints related to lead exposure.

In addition, the employer must keep or ensure that the examining physician keeps the following medical records.

• A copy of the medical examination results including medical and work history.
• A description of the laboratory procedures and a copy of any guidelines used to interpret the test results.
• A copy of the results of biological monitoring.

The employer or physician or both must maintain medical records in accordance with 1910.1020.

Employees subject to medical removal

The employer must maintain — for at least the duration of employment — an accurate record for each employee subject to medical removal, including:

• The name of the employee.
• The date on each occasion that the employee was removed from current exposure to lead and the corresponding date which the employee was returned to former job status.
• A brief explanation of how each removal was or is being accomplished.
• A statement about each removal indicating whether the reason for removal was an elevated blood level.

Objective data

The employer must establish and maintain an accurate record documenting the nature and relevancy of objective data relied on to assess initial employee exposure in lieu of exposure monitoring. The employer must maintain the record of objective data relied on for at least 30 years.

Key definitions

• Key definitions for methylene chloride may be found in this section.

Action level: A concentration of airborne methylene chloride of 12.5 parts per million (ppm) calculated as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA).

Authorized person: Any person specifically authorized by the employer and required by work duties to be present in regulated areas, or any person entering such an area as a designated representative of employees for the purpose of exercising the right to observe monitoring and measuring procedures under 1910.1052(d), or any other person authorized by the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act or regulations issued under the Act.

Emergency: Any occurrence such as, but not limited to, equipment failure, rupture of containers, or failure of control equipment, which results, or is likely to result in an uncontrolled release of methylene chloride. If an incidental release can be controlled by employees such as maintenance personnel at the time of release and in accordance with the leak/spill provisions required by 1910.1052(f), it is not considered an emergency.

Employee exposure: Exposure to airborne methylene chloride which occurs or would occur if the employee were not using respiratory protection.

Permissible exposure limit (PEL): 25 parts methylene chloride per million parts of air (ppm) as an eight-hour TWA. This refers to the average exposure during an eight-hour period. Employers must use engineering and work practice controls to limit employee exposures. Respiratory protection must be used in addition if these controls are insufficient to reduce exposures to below the limits.

Physician or other licensed health care professional: An individual whose legally permitted scope of practice (i.e., license, registration, or certification) allows him or her to independently provide or be delegated the responsibility to provide some or all of the health care services required by paragraph (j) of 1910.1052.

Regulated area: An area, demarcated by the employer, where an employee’s exposure to airborne concentrations of methylene chloride exceeds or can reasonably be expected to exceed either the eight-hour TWA PEL or the short-term exposure limit (STEL).

Symptom: Central nervous system effects such as headaches, disorientation, dizziness, fatigue, and decreased attention span; skin effects such as chapping, erythema, cracked skin, or skin burns; and cardiac effects such as chest pain or shortness of breath.

Summary of requirements

• Employers whose work involves methylene chloride must observe the PEL, train workers, establish regulated areas, set up a monitoring program, follow proper hygiene practices, implement a respiratory protection program, implement medical surveillance, and more.

Employers must:

• Survey the operations for methylene chloride.
• Observe the permissible exposure limit or PEL, which is 25 parts methylene chloride per million parts of air (ppm) as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA). This refers to the average exposure during an eight-hour period. Employers must use engineering and work practice controls to limit employee exposures. Respiratory protection must be used in addition if these controls are insufficient to reduce exposures to below the limits.
• Establish a regulated area where exposure to airborne concentrations of methylene chloride exceeds or can be expected to exceed either the PEL or the short-term exposure limit (STEL).
• Set up a monitoring program to obtain adequate information on exposure levels.
• Train employees on hazards and controls of methylene chloride.
• Establish a medical surveillance program for all employees exposed to methylene chloride.
• Provide hygiene areas for washing and changing clothes.
• Provide engineering and work practice controls where feasible.
• Implement a respiratory protection program meeting the requirements of 1910.134 when exposures are not controlled adequately by engineering and administrative controls.
• Keep exposure and medical records.

Exposure monitoring

• Employers must determine methylene chloride exposure through air sampling and monitoring, which can help identify the source and select the correct control methods.

Through air sampling and monitoring, employers can determine methylene chloride exposure, identify the source, and select the control methods. Exposure monitoring also is key to determining which requirements of the standard must be met.

The standard sets a permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 25 parts methylene chloride per million parts of air (ppm) as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA). This refers to the average exposure during an eight-hour period.

The action level is 12.5 ppm, calculated as an eight-hour TWA. Reaching or exceeding the action level signals that employers must begin compliance activities such as exposure monitoring and medical surveillance. There is also a short-term exposure limit (STEL) of 125 ppm, as measured over a 15-minute period.

To measure exposure to methylene chloride, the employer must use breathing zone air samples representative of the employee’s eight-hour TWA as well as a short-term, 15-minute exposure.

To determine how exposures relate to the STEL through representative sampling, employers must take one or more samples covering the highest likely 15-minute exposures associated with those operations for each shift for at least one employee in each job classification in each work area. Employees sampled must be those expected to have the highest exposure. When the employer can document comparable exposure levels for similar operations in different work shifts, the employer needs to determine only representative employee exposures for the one shift when the highest exposure is expected.

To determine eight-hour TWA exposures by representative sampling, employers must take one or more personal breathing zone air samples covering the full-shift exposure for each shift for at least one employee in each job classification in each work area. Employees sampled must be those who are expected to have the highest exposure.

Initial monitoring can be waived when:

• Objective data representing the highest methylene chloride exposure likely to occur during processing, using, or handling demonstrates that methylene chloride cannot be released in airborne concentrations above the action level or the STEL, or
• Employees are exposed to methylene chloride for fewer than 30 days per year (for example, on a construction site) and the employer uses direct-reading instruments such as a detector tube that gives immediate results, providing enough information to determine what control measures are necessary to reduce exposure to acceptable levels.

Employers must notify employees of all monitoring results, in writing, either individually or by posting the results in an accessible location, within 15 working days after receipt. When monitoring results show exposures above the PEL or STEL, the notification also must describe the corrective action being taken to reduce exposures to or below these limits.

Employers must allow affected employees or their designated representatives to observe any monitoring. The employer also must provide employees with appropriate protective clothing or equipment needed to enter regulated areas where the monitoring is performed.

Regulated areas

• Employers must establish a regulated area wherever airborne concentrations of methylene chloride are above the permissible exposure limit.

Section 1910.1052 requires that the employer establish a regulated area where exposure to airborne concentrations of methylene chloride exceeds or can be expected to exceed either the permissible exposure limit (PEL) or the short-term exposure limit (STEL).

Employers must mark regulated areas to alert employees to the hazard and minimize the number of authorized employees exposed to methylene chloride. Employers at multi-employer worksites must notify other employers at the workplace of the locations of all regulated areas and access restrictions.

The employer must supply appropriate respiratory protection for each person entering a regulated area. In addition, the employer must ensure that employees wearing respirators do not take medication, chew gum or tobacco, drink, smoke, or apply cosmetics in regulated areas. Employees cannot store any products associated with these activities in a regulated area where the items can become contaminated.

The extent of a regulated area may vary depending on the work activity involved. For example, an area in which employee exposures are not normally over the eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA) or STEL because the methylene chloride is contained inside sealed equipment may need to be designated as a regulated area during work which requires opening the equipment.

Medical surveillance

• Employers must implement a medical surveillance program for all employees who are exposed to methylene chloride in the workplace.

Employers must put a medical surveillance program in place for all employees exposed to methylene chloride. The only exception is when affected employees will be exposed to methylene chloride at or above:

• The action level for fewer than 30 days per year, and
• The permissible exposure limit (PEL) or short-term exposure limit (STEL) for fewer than 10 days during the year.

Employers also must provide medical surveillance to:

• Any employee exposed above the PEL or STEL whom a physician or other licensed health care professional has identified as being at risk for cardiac disease or some other serious methylene chloride-related health condition and who requests inclusion, regardless of the duration of methylene chloride exposure; and
• All employees during an emergency.

Employers must provide medical surveillance at no cost to the employee, without loss of pay, and at a reasonable time and place. Medical surveillance must be available:

• Before initial work assignment, unless adequate records show an affected employee has received appropriate medical surveillance within the past 12 months.
• Within one year of any initial or subsequent medical surveillance. The frequency of required periodic medical exams varies by age of the employee.
• At the end of employment or reassignment to an area where methylene chloride exposure is consistently below the action level and STEL, if six months or more have elapsed since the last medical surveillance.
• When recommended in the physician’s or other licensed health care professional’s written opinion.

For employees working in an atmosphere with methylene chloride concentrations that require a respirator, the examining physician or licensed health care professional must determine each employee’s ability to wear an air-supplied respirator in a negative-pressure mode or a gas mask with an organic vapor canister for emergency escape. The examiner must state this in a written opinion to both the employee and employer.

A physician or licensed health care professional must perform all medical surveillance procedures. Medical exams must include at least:

• A comprehensive medical and work history; and
• A physical exam with special emphasis on the lungs, cardiovascular system including blood pressure and pulse, liver, nervous system, and skin. The extent of laboratory surveillance is based on the employee’s observed health status and medical and work history.

Control measures

• Engineering controls, work practices, and administrative controls should be used to reduce employee exposure to methylene chloride.
• When these control measures are not enough to reduce employee exposure, respirators should be used to supplement the controls.

Employers must use engineering controls and work practices to reduce employee exposure to methylene chloride to or below the permissible exposure limit (PEL) and to maintain exposure at these levels. The only exception is when the employer can demonstrate that this is infeasible and that other controls are necessary.

When a combination of engineering, work practice, and administrative controls does not reduce methylene chloride exposure to or below the PEL and short-term exposure limit (STEL), employers must supplement these controls by providing respirators that offer the additional protection.

Hygiene facilities

In cases where employees could possibly have skin contact with solutions containing 0.1 percent or more methylene chloride through splashes, spills, or improper work practices, the employer must provide conveniently located washing facilities and ensure that employees use them as needed. Similarly, where there is a potential for eye contact with solutions containing 0.1 percent or more methylene chloride, the employer must provide eyewash facilities within the immediate work area for emergency use and ensure their use when necessary.

Employees must use personal protective clothing and equipment where needed to prevent skin or eye irritation due to exposure to methylene chloride. The employer must provide methylene chloride-resistant clothing and equipment at no cost to the employees and ensure that they use it. The employer also must clean, launder, and repair the protective clothing and equipment to keep it effective, and when necessary, replace and dispose of it properly.

Training

• Training must be done initially and repeated as necessary for all workers exposed to methylene chloride in the workplace.

The methylene chloride standard at 1910.1052 requires employers to inform employees that they are working with methylene chloride and ensure they understand the hazards of exposure. Specifically, the rule requires the employer to use labels and safety data sheets (SDSs) to let employees know about the health hazards of working with methylene chloride. These include cancer, cardiac effects (including the elevation of carboxyhemoglobin), central nervous system effects, and skin and eye irritation.

The employer must provide information and training to all employees in a manner they understand before or when they are initially assigned to a job in which they could potentially be exposed to methylene chloride. In addition to information required under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s Hazard Communication standard at 1910.1200, the employer must inform each affected employee of:

• Requirements of the standard, information available in the standard’s appendices, and how to access a copy of it in the workplace;
• The quantity, location, manner of use, release, and storage of methylene chloride in cases where exposures could exceed the action level, and the specific nature of operations that could result in such exposure; and
• Where exposures may be above the eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA) permissible exposure limit (PEL) or short-term exposure limit (STEL).

The employer must retrain employees as needed to ensure that each worker exposed at or above the action level or STEL maintains a good understanding of the principles of safe use and handling of methylene chloride. Also, when changes in workplace procedures could potentially increase employee exposures so that they might exceed the action level, the employer must update the training to ensure a continued understanding of hazards and control measures.

Employers at multi-employer worksites must notify other employers on-site about methylene chloride use in accordance with OSHA’s Hazard Communication standard (1910.1200).

Key definitions for ionizing radiation

• Key definitions for ionizing radiation may be found in this section.

Dose: The quantity of ionizing radiation absorbed, per unit of mass, by the body or by any portion of the body. When the provisions in 1910.1096 specify a dose during a period of time, the dose is the total quantity of radiation absorbed, per unit of mass, by the body or by any portion of the body during such period of time. Several different units of dose are in current use. Definitions of units are set forth in paragraphs (a)(6) and (7).

Radiation: Includes alpha rays, beta rays, gamma rays, X-rays, neutrons, high-speed electrons, high-speed protons, and other atomic particles; but such term does not include sound or radio waves, or visible light, or infrared or ultraviolet light.

Radioactive material: Any material which emits, by spontaneous nuclear disintegration, corpuscular or electromagnetic emanations.

Restricted area: Any area access to which is controlled by the employer for purposes of protection of individuals from exposure to radiation or radioactive materials.

Unrestricted area: Any area access to which is not controlled by the employer for purposes of protection of individuals from exposure to radiation or radioactive materials.

Rad: A measure of the dose of any ionizing radiation to body tissues in terms of the energy absorbed per unit of mass of the tissue. One rad is the dose corresponding to the absorption of 100 ergs per gram of tissue (1 millirad (mrad)=0.001 rad).

Symbol: As used in the non-ionizing radiation standard, refers to the overall design, shape, and coloring of the rf radiation sign shown in 1910.97 figure G-11.

Summary of requirements for ionizing radiation

• Employers whose work involves radiation must assess their employees’ exposure level, determine what agencies besides OSHA regulate radiation, eliminate or control exposure per industry standards, train workers, implement an emergency action plan, and more.

Under 1910.1096, employers must:

• Assess operations for exposure to radiation.
• Determine if there are state or federal agencies, aside from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), that regulate radiation. Many states have requirements, as well as some government agencies such as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, particularly for laser usage.
• Eliminate or control exposures per industry standards.
• Monitor exposures.
• Train workers on any high-hazard areas they will work in.
• Label areas where there is high radiation.
• Label containers appropriately.
• Establish a warning signal for exposures.
• Implement an emergency action plan.
• Notify appropriate agencies in the event of an incident.

Ionizing radiation

• Ionizing radiation consists of alpha particles, beta particle, gamma rays, and X-rays.

The two types of ionizing radiation are particulate (alpha, beta, neutrons) and electromagnetic (X-rays, gamma rays) radiation.

Alpha particles

Alpha particles are energetic, positively charged particles consisting of two protons and two neutrons. Alpha particles are commonly emitted in the radioactive decay of the heaviest radioactive elements such as uranium-238, radium-226, and polonium-210. Even though they are highly energetic, the high mass of alpha particles means they move slowly through the air. The health effects of alpha particles depend heavily upon how exposure takes place. External exposure (external to the body) is of far less concern than internal exposure, because alpha particles lack the energy to penetrate the outer dead layer of skin. Internally alpha particles can be very harmful. If alpha emitters are inhaled, ingested (swallowed), or absorbed into the blood stream, sensitive living tissue can be exposed to alpha radiation.

Beta particles

Beta particles are fast-moving electrons emitted from the nucleus during radioactive decay. Humans are exposed to beta particles from man-made and natural radiation sources, such as tritium, carbon-14, and strontium-90. Beta particles are more penetrating than alpha particles but are less damaging over equally traveled distances. They travel considerable distances in air but can be reduced or stopped by a layer of clothing or by a few millimeters of a substance, such as aluminum. Some beta particles are capable of penetrating the skin and causing radiation damage, such as skin burns. However, as with alpha-emitters, beta-emitters are most hazardous when they are inhaled or ingested.

Gamma rays

Like visible light and x-rays, gamma rays are weightless packets of energy called photons. Gamma rays often accompany the emission of alpha or beta particles from a nucleus. They have neither a charge nor a mass and are very penetrating. Several feet of concrete or a few inches of lead may be required to stop gamma rays. One source of gamma rays in the environment is naturally occurring potassium-40. Man-made sources include cobalt-60 and cesium-137. Gamma rays are a radiation hazard for the entire body. While gamma rays can easily pass completely through the human body, a fraction will always be absorbed by tissue.

X-rays

X-rays are high-energy photons produced by the interaction of charged particles with matter. X-rays and gamma rays have essentially the same properties but differ in origin. X-rays are either produced from a change in the electron structure of the atom or are machine produced. They are emitted from processes outside the nucleus, while gamma rays originate inside the nucleus. They also are generally lower in energy and therefore less penetrating than gamma rays. A few millimeters of lead can stop X-rays. Literally thousands of X-ray machines are used daily in medicine and industry for examinations, inspections, and process controls. Because of their many uses, X-rays are the single largest source of man-made radiation exposure.

Non-ionizing radiation

• Non-ionizing radiation includes ELF radiation, radiofrequency and microwave radiation, infrared, visible light radiation, and ultraviolet radiation.

There are several forms of non-ionizing radiation:

• Extremely Low Frequency Radiation (ELF) radiation at 60 HZ is produced by power lines, electrical wiring, and electrical equipment. Common sources of intense exposure include ELF induction furnaces and high-voltage power lines.
• Radiofrequency and Microwave Radiation. Microwave radiation (MW) is absorbed near the skin, while radiofrequency (RF) radiation may be absorbed throughout the body. At high enough intensities both will damage tissue through heating. Sources of RF and MW radiation include radio emitters and cell phones.
• Infrared Radiation (IR). The skin and eyes absorb infrared radiation as heat. Workers normally notice excessive exposure through heat sensation and pain. Sources of IR radiation include furnaces, heat lamps, and IR lasers.
• Visible Light Radiation. The different visible frequencies of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum are “seen” by our eyes as different colors. Good lighting is conducive to increased production, and may help prevent incidents related to poor lighting conditions. Excessive visible radiation can damage the eyes and skin.
• Ultraviolet Radiation (UV). UV radiation has a high photon energy range and is particularly hazardous because there are usually no immediate symptoms of excessive exposure. Sources of UV radiation include the sun, black lights, welding arcs, and UV lasers.
• Lasers typically emit optical (UV, visible light, IR) radiations and are primarily an eye and skin hazard. For detailed information on laser hazards, see https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/radiationionizing/index.html.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations do not provide a lot of detail on most forms of non-ionizing radiation. Rather, OSHA leaves it to employers to consult with industry standards to protect workers. For more information, see https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/radiation_nonionizing/index.html.

Key definitions

• Key definitions for silica (general industry) may be found in this section.

Action level: A concentration of airborne respirable crystalline silica of 25 μg/m3, calculated as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA).

Employee exposure: The exposure to airborne respirable crystalline silica that would occur if the employee were not using a respirator.

High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter: A filter that is at least 99.97 percent efficient in removing mono-dispersed particles of 0.3 micrometers in diameter.

Objective data: Information, such as air monitoring data from industry-wide surveys or calculations based on the composition of a substance, demonstrating employee exposure to respirable crystalline silica associated with a particular product or material or a specific process, task, or activity. The data must reflect workplace conditions closely resembling or with a higher exposure potential than the processes, types of material, control methods, work practices, and environmental conditions in the employer’s current operations.

Regulated area: An area, demarcated by the employer, where an employee’s exposure to airborne concentrations of respirable crystalline silica exceeds, or can reasonably be expected to exceed, the permissible exposure limit (PEL).

Respirable crystalline silica: Quartz, cristobalite, and/or tridymite contained in airborne particles that are determined to be respirable by a sampling device designed to meet the characteristics for respirable-particle-size-selective samplers specified in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 7708:1995: Air Quality—Particle Size Fraction Definitions for Health-Related Sampling.

Summary of requirements

• Employers whose work involves silica must monitor operations for potential exposure, limit worker exposure to areas where silica is present, use dust controls, train workers, follow proper hygiene practices, provide respiratory protection, implement medical surveillance, and more.

Employers should:

• Survey operations for potential exposure to silica. Employers can consult suppliers or examine safety data sheets (SDSs) to identify silica-containing materials that are or could be present in the workplace.
• Measure the amount of silica that workers are exposed to if it may be at or above an action level of 25 µg/m3 (micrograms of silica per cubic meter of air), averaged over an eight-hour day.
• Protect workers from respirable crystalline silica exposures above the permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 50 µg/m3, averaged over an eight-hour day.
• Limit worker access to areas where they could be exposed above the PEL. To minimize any unnecessary employee exposures, the standard for general industry and maritime requires employers to establish a regulated area wherever an employee’s exposure to airborne concentrations of respirable crystalline silica is, or can reasonably be expected to be, in excess of the PEL. The standard requires that employers demarcate the boundaries of the regulated area (as separate from the rest of the workplace), post signs at the entrances to the regulated area, limit access to the regulated area, and provide an appropriate respirator to each employee or employee representative entering the regulated area.
• Use dust controls to protect workers from silica exposures above the PEL. In most cases, dust controls such as wet methods and ventilation can be used to limit exposure to silica. Note: The construction industry standard for silica at 1926.1153 includes Table 1 setting out controls for a specified list of tasks and specifying which of those tasks require respiratory protection to complement the controls in order to maintain exposures at or below the PEL.
• Provide respirators to workers when dust controls cannot limit exposures to the PEL. Respiratory protection must be used in accordance with 1910.134, which includes annual fit testing, medical evaluation, training, selection, maintenance, as well as a written program.
• Restrict housekeeping practices that expose workers to silica where feasible alternatives are available.
• Establish and implement a written exposure control plan that identifies tasks that involve exposure and methods used to protect workers.
• Offer medical exams — including chest X-rays and lung function tests — every three years for workers exposed at or above the action level for 30 or more days per year.
• Train workers on work operations that result in silica exposure and ways to limit exposure. This must follow the 1910.1200 Hazard Communication standard, as well as information on specific exposures, controls, and practices.
• Keep records of workers’ silica exposure and medical exams.

Exposure limit and action level

• The permissible exposure limit for silica is 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air.
• Employers subject to the silica standard must assess each employee who is or may be exposed to silica at or above the action level.

With the exception of employers engaged in construction work and complying with Table 1 of the silica construction standard at 1926.1153, each employer subject to a silica standard is required to conduct an assessment for each employee who is, or may reasonably be expected to be, exposed to levels of respirable crystalline silica at or above the action level.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) set an action level of 25 μg/m3 as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA). The provision for exposure assessment is only triggered once the action level is exceeded. Thus, employers may be able to considerably reduce the burden of complying with the standards by reducing employee exposures to below the action level. However, other ancillary requirements like medical surveillance for employees in general industry and maritime, and training for all employees covered by the standards, are triggered by the action level.

OSHA has established a permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 50 μg/m3 as an eight-hour TWA for respirable crystalline silica in the form of quartz, cristobalite, or tridymite.

Each standard provides options for the assessment (performance-oriented assessments based on relevant objective data or scheduled monitoring through the employer’s own air sampling of affected employees) and specifies when a reassessment of exposures must be performed, the methods of sample analysis, employee notification of assessment results, and observation of monitoring.

Control methods

• Employers must establish and implement a written control plan to limit employee exposure to silica.
• Employers should use engineering controls and work practices, such as exhaust ventilation and wetting down work operations, as the primary way to reduce exposure.

For all three affected sectors (general industry, maritime, and construction), the standard requires that each employer establish and implement a written exposure control plan to describe how it plans to limit employee exposure to silica. Each standard details when the plan must be evaluated, updated, and made available.

Employers are required to fully and properly implement the engineering controls, work practices, and respiratory protection necessary to ensure that employees are protected from respirable crystalline silica exposures above the permissible exposure limit (PEL).

Employers must use engineering controls and work practices as the primary way to keep exposures at or below the PEL.

• Engineering controls include wetting down work operations or using local exhaust ventilation (such as vacuums) to keep silica-containing dust out of the air and out of workers’ lungs. Another control method that may work well is enclosing an operation (process isolation).
• Examples of work practices to control silica exposures include wetting down dust before sweeping it up or using the water flow rate recommended by the manufacturer for a tool with water controls.
• Respirators are only allowed when engineering and work practice controls cannot maintain exposures at or below the PEL.

Wherever feasible engineering and work practice controls are not sufficient to reduce employee exposure to the PEL, the employer must use them to reduce employee exposure to the lowest level achievable and then supplement them with respiratory protection.

Regulated areas

• Employers must establish a regulated area wherever an employee’s exposure level might exceed the permissible exposure limit.

To minimize any unnecessary employee exposures, the standard for general industry and maritime requires employers to establish a regulated area wherever an employee’s exposure to airborne concentrations of respirable crystalline silica is, or can reasonably be expected to be, in excess of the permissible exposure limit (PEL).

The standard requires that employers demarcate the boundaries of the regulated area (as separate from the rest of the workplace), post signs at the entrances to the regulated area, limit access to the regulated area, and provide an appropriate respirator to each employee or employee representative entering the regulated area.

This requirement does not apply to the standard for construction, which provides for restricting access to areas of significant silica exposure only through the requirement to maintain a written exposure control plan (including designation of a competent person to implement it).

Respiratory protection

• There are five situations during which employers are required to provide respirators to protect against respirable silica.

For all three affected sectors (general industry, maritime, and construction), the standards reference the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s respiratory protection standard for general industry (1910.134), which must be complied with when employees are required to use respirators for protection against respirable crystalline silica exposure.

The standards for respirable crystalline silica require the use of respirators in five situations:

(1) During periods necessary to install or implement feasible engineering and work practice controls to meet the permissible exposure limit (PEL);

(2) During tasks where meeting the PEL with engineering and work practice controls is not feasible;

(3) During tasks in which an employer has implemented all feasible engineering and work practice controls and these controls do not reduce exposures to the PEL;

(4) For general industry and maritime, during periods when the employee/employee representative is in a regulated area; and

(5) For construction, as required by Table 1 of 1926.1153 when employers are relying on Table 1 to satisfy the dust control requirements of the standard.

Medical surveillance and recordkeeping

• Employers must make initial and periodic medical exams available for employees whose exposure to silica exceeds acceptable limits.
• Exposure and medical records must be retained according to OSHA standards.

The standard at 1926.1153 requires employers to make medical surveillance, including specified initial and periodic medical exams (including follow-up referrals to a specialist), available at no cost to the employee, and at a reasonable time and place, for those employees in general industry and maritime who will be exposed at or above the action level for 30 or more days a year and for employees in construction who will be required to use a respirator for 30 or more days a year to limit exposure to respirable crystalline silica. All medical examinations are to be performed by a physician or other licensed health care professional (PLHCP).

The employer is responsible for maintaining a record of air monitoring data, objective data and the basis on which that data is relevant to its work, and employee medical surveillance information.

Exposure and medical records must be maintained in accordance with 1910.1020.

Key definitions

• Key definitions for silica (construction) may be found in this section.

Action level: A concentration of airborne respirable crystalline silica of 25 μg/m3, calculated as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA).

Competent person: An individual who is capable of identifying existing and foreseeable respirable crystalline silica hazards in the workplace and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate or minimize them. The competent person must have the knowledge and ability necessary to fulfill the responsibilities set forth in 1926.1153(g).

Employee exposure: The exposure to airborne respirable crystalline silica that would occur if the employee were not using a respirator.

Physician or other licensed health care professional: An individual whose legally permitted scope of practice (i.e., license, registration, or certification) allows them to independently provide or be delegated the responsibility to provide some or all of the particular health care services required by 1926.1153(h).

Respirable crystalline silica: Quartz, cristobalite, and/or tridymite contained in airborne particles that are determined to be respirable by a sampling device designed to meet the characteristics for respirable-particle-size-selective samplers specified in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 7708:1995: Air Quality—Particle Size Fraction Definitions for Health-Related Sampling.

Summary of requirements

• Construction employers whose work involves silica must establish a written control plan, designate a competent person to implement it, train workers, offer medical exams to workers who are exposed, keep records of employees’ silica exposure, and more.

Construction employers can either use a control method, or they can measure workers’ exposure to silica and independently decide which dust controls work best to limit exposures to the PEL in their workplaces.

Regardless of which exposure control method is used, all construction employers covered by the standard are required to:

• Establish and implement a written exposure control plan that identifies tasks that involve exposure and methods used to protect workers, including procedures to restrict access to work areas where high exposures may occur.
• Designate a competent person to implement the written exposure control plan.
• Restrict housekeeping practices that expose workers to silica where feasible alternatives are available.
• Offer medical exams including chest X-rays and lung function tests every three years for workers who are required by the standard to wear a respirator for 30 or more days per year.
• Train workers on work operations that result in silica exposure and ways to limit exposure.
• Keep records of workers’ silica exposure and medical exams.

See the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Publication 3902 for additional details.

Employee protection

• Employers whose workers are exposed to silica must establish a written exposure control plan, and evaluate its effectiveness at least annually.

Employers must establish and implement a written exposure control plan that contains at least the elements in 1926.1153(g), and review and evaluate the effectiveness of the plan at least annually and update it as necessary.

The standard requires employers to limit worker exposures to respirable crystalline silica and to take other steps to protect workers. The standard provides flexible alternatives, especially useful for small employers. Employers can either use a control method laid out in Table 1 of the construction standard, or they can measure workers’ exposure to silica and independently decide which dust controls work best to limit exposures to the permissible exposure limit (PEL) in their workplaces.

Table 1 matches common construction tasks with dust control methods, so employers know exactly what they need to do to limit worker exposures to silica. The dust control measures listed in the table include methods known to be effective, like using water to keep dust from getting into the air or using ventilation to capture dust. In some operations, respirators may also be needed.

Employers who follow Table 1 correctly are not required to measure workers’ exposure to silica and are not subject to the PEL.

Where an employee performs more than one task on Table 1 during the course of a shift, and the total duration of all tasks combined is more than four hours, the required respiratory protection for each task is the respiratory protection specified for more than four hours per shift. If the total duration of all tasks on Table 1 combined is less than four hours, the required respiratory protection for each task is the respiratory protection specified for less than four hours per shift.

Alternative exposure control methods

For tasks not listed in Table 1, or where the employer does not fully and properly implement the engineering controls, work practices, and respiratory protection described in Table 1, the employer must:

• Measure the amount of silica that workers are exposed to if it may be at or above an action level of 25 μg/m3 (micrograms of silica per cubic meter of air), averaged over an eight-hour day.
• Protect workers from respirable crystalline silica exposures above the PEL of 50 μg/m3, averaged over an eight-hour day.
• Use dust controls to protect workers from silica exposures above the PEL.
• Provide respirators to workers when dust controls cannot limit exposures to the PEL.

Where respiratory protection is required, the employer must provide each employee an appropriate respirator that complies with the requirements of 1926.1153(e) and 1910.134.

Medical surveillance

Employers must make medical surveillance available at no cost to the employee, and at a reasonable time and place, for each employee who will be required to use a respirator for 30 or more days per year. Ensure that all medical examinations and procedures required are performed by a physician or other licensed health care professional.

Communication and training

• Training must be done initially and repeated as often as necessary for all workers exposed to silica in the workplace.

Employees must be trained at the time they are assigned to a position involving exposure to respirable crystalline silica.

Additional training must be provided as often as necessary to make sure that employees know and understand respirable crystalline silica hazards and the protections available in their workplace. Examples of when additional training would be required include:

• When the employer asks an employee to perform a task that is new to that employee;
• When the employer introduces new protections (for example, an employer who was having workers use a handheld grinder with wet method controls decides to have workers use a handheld grinder with a dust collection system); or
• When an employee is working in a manner that suggests that the training has been forgotten.

Employers need to include respirable crystalline silica in the Hazard Communication Program established. At a minimum, the following hazards should be addressed: cancer, lung effects, immune system effects, and kidney effects. Each employee must have access to labels on containers of crystalline silica and safety data sheets, and be trained in accordance with the provisions of HCS and the information below.

Each employee must demonstrate knowledge and understanding of at least the following:

• The health hazards associated with exposure to respirable crystalline silica;
• Specific tasks in the workplace that could result in exposure to respirable crystalline silica;
• Specific measures the employer has implemented to protect employees from exposure to respirable crystalline silica, including engineering controls, work practices, and respirators to be used;
• All the contents of 1926.1153;
• The identity of the competent person designated by the employer; and
• The purpose and a description of the medical surveillance program.

Recordkeeping

• Employers must keep records of air monitoring data, objective data, medical surveillance data, training activities, and more.
• Such records must be made available to employees, their representatives, and to OSHA as requested.

Employers are required to make and keep accurate records of air monitoring data and objective data used to assess employee exposures to respirable crystalline silica under the standard, as well as records of medical surveillance provided under the standard.

Air monitoring data

Employers must make and keep an accurate record of all air monitoring performed to comply with the standard. The record must indicate:

• The date of the measurement for each sample taken;
• The task monitored;
• Sampling and analytical methods used;
• The number, duration, and results of samples taken;
• The identity of the laboratory that performed the analysis;
• The type of personal protective equipment used (e.g., type of respirators worn); and
• The name and job classification of all employees represented by the monitoring, indicating which employees were actually monitored.

Objective data

When an employer relies on objective data to comply with the silica standard, the employer must make and keep an accurate record of the objective data. The record must include at least:

• The crystalline silica-containing material in question;
• The source of the objective data;
• The testing protocol and results of testing;
• A description of the process, task, or activity on which the objective data were based; and
• Any other data relevant to the process, task, activity, material, or exposures on which the objective data are based.

Medical surveillance

The employer must make and keep an accurate record for each employee provided medical surveillance under the standard. The record must include the following information about the employee:

• Name;
• A copy of the physician’s or other licensed health care professional’s and specialists’ written opinions; and
• A copy of the information that the employer is required to provide to the PLHCPs and specialists (i.e., a description of the employee’s former, current, and anticipated duties as they relate to crystalline silica exposure; a description of the employee’s former, current, and anticipated respirable crystalline silica exposure levels; a description of the personal protective equipment used by the employee; and information from previous employment-related medical examinations that is currently within the control of the employer).

Making records available

Exposure and medical records must be kept and made available to employees, their representatives, and OSHA in accordance with OSHA’s access to employee exposure and medical records regulation.

Symptoms of silicosis

• Silicosis can be one of three types: chronic/classic, accelerated, and acute. Early symptoms may include shortness of breath, weakness, and weight loss.

Silicosis is classified into three types: chronic/classic, accelerated, and acute.

Chronic/classic silicosis, the most common, occurs after 15–20 years of moderate to low exposures to respirable crystalline silica. Symptoms may or may not be obvious; therefore, workers need to have a chest X-ray to determine if there is lung damage. As the disease progresses, the worker may experience shortness of breath upon exercising and have clinical signs of poor oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange. In the later stages, the worker may experience fatigue, extreme shortness of breath, chest pain, or respiratory failure.

Accelerated silicosis can occur after 5–10 years of high exposures to respirable crystalline silica. Symptoms include severe shortness of breath, weakness, and weight loss. The onset of symptoms takes longer than in acute silicosis.

Acute silicosis occurs after a few months or as long as two years following exposures to extremely high concentrations of respirable crystalline silica. Symptoms of acute silicosis include severe disabling shortness of breath, weakness, and weight loss, which often leads to death.

Operations in hoods or closed systems

• In operations where carcinogens are contained in a closed system, provisions such as restricted access, required PPE for workers, areas for removing contaminated clothing, and more are required.

In operations involving laboratory-type hoods, or in locations where the carcinogens are contained in an otherwise closed system, but is transferred, charged, or discharged into other normally closed containers, the following provisions apply:

• Access must be restricted to authorized employees only.
• Each operation must be provided with continuous local exhaust ventilation so that air movement is always from ordinary work areas to the operation. Exhaust air must not be discharged to regulated areas, nonregulated areas, or the external environment unless decontaminated. Clean makeup air must be introduced in sufficient volume to maintain the correct operation of the local exhaust system.
• Employees must be provided with, and required to wear, clean, full body protective clothing (smocks, coveralls, or long-sleeved shirt and pants), shoe covers and gloves prior to entering a regulated area.
• Employees engaged in handling operations involving the carcinogens must be provided with, and required to wear and use, a half-face, filter-type respirator for dusts, mists, and fumes, in accordance with 1910.134. A respirator affording higher levels of protection may be substituted.
• Prior to each exit from a regulated area, employees must be required to remove and leave protective clothing and equipment at the point of exit and at the last exit of the day, to place used clothing and equipment in impervious containers at the point of exit for purposes of decontamination or disposal. The contents of such impervious containers must be identified as required by the regulation.
• Drinking fountains are prohibited in the regulated area.
• Employees must be required to wash hands, forearms, face, and neck on each exit from the regulated area, close to the point of exit, and before engaging in other activities. Employees exposed to 4-Nitrobiphenyl; alpha-Naphthylamine; 3,3i-Dichlorobenzidine (and its salts); beta-Naphthylamine; Benzidine; 4-Aminodiphenyl; 2-Acetylaminofluorene; 4-Dimethylaminoazo-benzene; and N-Nitrosodimethylamine must be required to shower after the last exit of the day.

Cleanup of leaks or spills

• During cleanup of leaks or spills, employees must be provided protective gear and must go through decontamination following the cleanup.
• In an emergency, additional provisions apply such as prompt reporting, medical surveillance, emergency showers and eyewash stations, and more.
• Appropriate warning signage may be required.

In cleanup of leaks or spills, maintenance, or repair operations on contaminated systems or equipment, or any operations involving work in an area where direct contact with a carcinogen could result, each authorized employee entering that area must be:

• Provided with and required to wear clean, impervious garments, including gloves, boots, and continuous-air supplied hood in accordance with 1910.134;
• Decontaminated before removing the protective garments and hood; and
• Required to shower upon removing the protective garments and hood.

In an emergency, immediate measures must be implemented, including:

• Promptly reporting the emergency.
• Evacuating the potentially affected area as soon as the emergency has been determined.
• Eliminating hazardous conditions created by the emergency, and decontaminating the potentially affected area prior to the resumption of normal operations.
• Instituting special medical surveillance by a physician within 24 hours for employees present in the potentially affected area at the time of the emergency. A report of the medical surveillance and any treatment must be included in the incident report.
• Where an employee has a known contact with a carcinogen, requiring such employees to shower as soon as possible, unless contraindicated by physical injuries.
• Installing emergency deluge showers and eyewash fountains supplied with running potable water near, within sight of, and on the same level with locations where a direct exposure to Ethyleneimine or beta-Propiolactone only would be most likely as a result of equipment failure or improper work practice.

In addition, in areas where cleanup of leaks of spills, maintenance, or repair operations on contaminated systems or equipment, or any operations involving work in an area where direct contact with a carcinogen, are possible, the employer must post signs bearing the legend:

• DANGER
• (CHEMICAL IDENTIFICATION)
• MAY CAUSE CANCER
• WEAR AIR-SUPPLIED HOODS, IMPERVIOUS SUITS, AND PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT IN THIS AREA
• AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY