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·
OCCUPATIONAL
EXPOSURE LIMITS
In consultation with the JHSC, the employer must evaluate hazard information and determine if the product poses a health hazard to the worker. If the product is a designated material, assume it is a health hazard. The hazard evaluation is made using hazard information or the MSDS. If there is a health hazard, the employer must set an exposure limit for airborne and non-airborne products. (Workplace Health Hazard Regulation 53/88, 18)
The occupational exposure limit is the lower of any threshold limit value (TLV) established by the ACGIH or an exposure limit modified by the employer. The table below is excerpted from the ACGIH publication, and contains some common hazardous substances and their exposure limits.
|
Chemical name |
8-hour exposure limit |
15-minute exposure limit |
Ceiling |
|
Acetic acid |
10 ppm |
15 ppm |
-- |
|
Acetone |
500 ppm |
750 ppm |
-- |
|
Ammonia |
25 ppm |
35 ppm |
-- |
|
Carbon black |
3.5 mg/m3 |
-- |
-- |
|
Carbon dioxide |
5,000 ppm |
30,000 ppm |
-- |
|
Carbon monoxide |
25 ppm |
-- |
-- |
|
Ethyl acetate |
400 ppm |
-- |
-- |
|
Formaldehyde |
-- |
-- |
0.3 ppm |
|
Hydrogen sulfide |
10 ppm |
15 ppm |
-- |
|
Hydroquinone |
2 mg/m3 |
-- |
-- |
|
Isopropyl alcohol |
400 ppm |
500 ppm |
-- |
|
Sulfur dioxide |
2 ppm |
5 ppm |
-- |
In the case of a product for which no TLV has been established by ACGIH, the employer must establish an occupational exposure limit.
Where a product is a health hazard to a worker in a workplace below the occupational exposure limit by reason of the condition of the workplace, the employer must set a lower occupational exposure limit in such a manner as to ensure that no worker is exposed to a health hazard from the controlled product. Such conditions may include heat, ultraviolet and ionizing radiation, humidity, pressure, length of work shift, work-rest regime, additive and synergistic effects of materials and workload, or other information available to the employer. (Workplace Health Hazard Regulation 53/88, 19)
When a worker is, or may be, exposed to a contaminant in an amount equal to or greater than the action level (half of the occupational exposure limit) the employer must monitor the contaminant or implement control measures to reduce the exposure below the action limit. Monitoring of the contaminant is by personal monitoring. (Workplace Health Hazard Regulation 53/88, 24 - 25)
Where a worker is exposed to a contaminant in excess of the action level and the employer opts to introduce control measures, the employer must introduce control measures that ensure the worker is not exposed in excess of the occupational exposure limit. The employer must implement personal monitoring for a sufficient period of time to ensure that the control measures are effective. (Workplace Health Hazard Regulation 53/88, 30)
An employer must maintain and implement a prevention plan to prevent or eliminate health hazards to workers from each controlled product in the workplace. The prevention plan must be in written form and must include the following:
· Clearly identify the workplace with respect to which it is prepared
· Contain a detailed account of the steps to be taken in the 12-month period following completion of the plan to ensure that no worker is exposed to a health hazard of any controlled product
· State the date of completion and the name or names of the person or persons who completed it. (Workplace Health Hazard Regulation 53/88, 33)
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