Anoccupational exposure limit is an upper limit on the acceptableconcentration of ahazardous substance in workplaceair for a particular material or class of materials. It is typically set by competent national authorities and enforced by legislation to protectoccupational safety and health. It is an important tool inrisk assessment and in the management of activities involving handling of dangerous substances.[1] There are many dangerous substances for which there are no formal occupational exposure limits. In these cases, hazard banding orcontrol banding strategies can be used to ensure safe handling.
Simple representation of exposure risk assessment and management hierarchy based on available informationHierarchy of occupational exposure limits (OELs)Illustration of statistical output from IHSTAT using air sampling data
Personal air sampling is routinely conducted on workers to determine whether exposures are acceptable or unacceptable. These samples are collected and analyzed using validated sampling and analytical methods. These methods are available fromOSHA Technical Manual andNIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods.[2] Statistical tools are available to assess exposure monitoring data against OELs. The statistical tools are typically free but do require some previous knowledge with statistical concepts. A popular exposure data statistical tool called IHSTAT is available from AIHA (American Industrial Hygiene Association). IH STAT has 14 languages including English and is available for free.[3]
Methods for performing occupational exposure assessments can be found in the bookA Strategy for Assessing and Managing Occupational Exposures, Third Edition, edited by Joselito S. Ignacio and William H. Bullock.[4]
With theWorld Health Organization and theInternational Labour Office having now quantified the global burden of disease from psychosocial occupational hazards,[5] identification of OELs for such hazards is increasingly becoming a focus of attention for occupational safety and health policy and practice.
The present database was elaborated in co-operation with experts from various internationaloccupational safety and health institutions. It aims to give an overview of limit values in different countries. Since the limit values vary in their handling, the level of protection, and their legal relevance, the original lists of limit values and the explanations there should be considered as primary sources. Also thechemical nomenclature is diverging,synonyms can for example be found in theGESTIS Substance Database.
The database is also available as an app for mobile terminals with Android or iOS operating systems.
^Ignacio, Joselito S.; Bullock, William H. (2006).A Strategy for Assessing and Managing Occupational Exposures (3rd ed.).American Industrial Hygiene Association.
