Occupational Exposure Personal Protection Standard

Occupational Safety and Health. OSHA has set no specific limits for sodium and potassium sibcates (88). A pmdent industrial exposure standard could range from the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for inert or nuisance particulates to the PEL for sodium hydroxide, depending on the rate of dissolution and the concentration of airborne material. Material safety data sheets issued by siUcate producers should be consulted for specific handling precautions, recommended personal protective equipment, and other important safety information. 

Universal precautions training that complies with the OSHA standard on occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens, as well as a fire training program, should be provided on an annual basis for all laboratory employees. Personnel are required to use proper personal protective devices when handling corrosive, flammable, biohazard, or carcinogenic substances. Eye wash sta-... 

The Occupational Safety and Health Act, 29 U.S.C. 651 et seq. (1970) Employers must provide a place of employment free from recognized hazards to safety and health, such as exposure to toxic chemicals, excessive noise, mechanical dangers, heat or cold stress, or unsanitary conditions. Employers must provide personal protective equipment and training, including communication of hazards. Eacilities must undergo hazard analysis. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is established to promote best practices, inspect facilities, set standards, and enforce the law. 

All laboratories must have a written plan—the Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP)— which describes the provisions that have been made for safety by the laboratory managers. This requirement is regulated by OSHA under standard 29 CFR 1910.1450, Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories. The CHP sets out the specific procedures, work practices, safety equipment and personal protective equipment that have been selected to provide employee protection for the hazards found in each laboratory. An individual university or college laboratory will follow the CHP of the institution, which applies to all laboratories on campus the laboratory may also have a CHP that is specific to its individual conditions. College students should follow the provisions of the applicable CHP to ensure their safety. The CHP must include ... 

If it is reasonably anticipated that employees will be exposed to blood or other potentially infectious materials while using first aid supplies, employers are required to provide appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) in compliance with the provisions of the Occupational Exposure to Bloodbome Pathogens standard, Sec. 1910.1030(d) (3) (56 FR 64175). This standard lists appropriate PPE for this type of exposure, such as gloves, gowns, face shields, masks, and eye protection. 

The purpose of the air contaminants standards are to reduce risk of occupational illness for workers by reducing permissible exposure limits (PEL) for chemicals. Table 14.10.3 lists the PELs [8-hr time-weighted average (TWA) exposure] for the solvents discussed. To achieve complianee with the PEL, administrative or engineering controls must first be determined and implemented, whenever feasible. When such controls are not feasible to achieve full eompliance, personal protective equipment, work practices, or any other protective measures are to be used to keep employee exposure below the PEL. 

A.2.8 Exposure controls personal protection. Engineering measures recommended to control exposure should be covered, together with any occupational exposure limits or biological standards. Where personal protection is needed, the type of equipment should be specified. This will cover ... 

In the U.K., the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) publish recommended levels for occupational exposure as maximum exposure limits (MEL), which are reasonably practicable for all work activities and occupational exposure standards (OES) which cover realistic plant design, engineering and control of exposure and can be used to help in the selection of personal protective equipment. Further subdivision of limits occurs into long-term (usually 8-hour) and short-term (10-minute). Short-term limits are of use where brief exposure may cause acute effects. Both levels are expressed as time-weighted average concentrations (TWAs) over the specified period. Studies of OELs in other countries reveal that there are some differences, but generally they fall close to each other in industrial societies. ... 

The permissible exposure, inhalation, or dermal exposure limit specified in 29 CFR Part 1910, Subparts G and Z (OSHA standards for Occupational Health and Environmental Control and Toxic and Hazardous Substances). This is the 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA) or ceiling concentration above which workers may not be exposed. The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is advisable where there is a potential for exposure. 

This chapter discusses the requirements for personal protective equipment (PPE). It also addresses other control mechanisms and procedures. Engineering controls should be the primary method used to eliminate or minimize hazard exposure in the workplace. Administrative controls must be set in motion prior to the use of PPE. When such controls are not practical or applicable, PPE shall be employed to reduce or eliminate personnel exposure to hazards. PPE will be provided, used, and maintained when it has been determined that its use is required and that such use will lessen the likelihood of occupational injuries and/or illnesses. All personal protective clothing and equipment should be of a safe design and appropriate for the work to be performed. Only those items of protective clothing and equipment that meet National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) or American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards are to be procured or accepted for use. 

A principle presented in the OSHA (2011) regnlation is the use of universal precautions. This refers to always making the assnmption that blood or body fluid is contaminated with a bloodbome pathogen. An anployee will never know who is or is not infected with AIDS or hepatitis because of the confidentiality of medical records, so a school employee who is experiencing occupational exposure to blood or body fluid should always make the assumption that the material is infected and use the appropriate precautions as outlined in the standard, such as using personal protective equipment to prevent contact with the material. 

The standard specifies universal precautions, engineering and work practice controls, personal protective equipment, and housekeeping, combined with HBV vaccinations/post-exposure follow-up, hazard communication labels/signs, record keeping and training, to reduce occupational exposure for all employees exposed to blood and potentially infectious materials. Meeting these requirements is not optional to employers or employees it is now required by law. 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administrations (OSHAs) Laboratory Standard requires laboratory employers to develop and implement a chemical hygiene plan (CHP). This plan must (1) set forth procedures, personal protective equipment (PPE), safety equipment, and safe work practices that will protect laboratory workers from the health hazards presented by hazardous chemicals used in the laboratory and (2) keep exposures below the OSHA permissible exposure limits (PELs). 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration s (OSHA s) r ulation for Occupational Exposures to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories, 29 CFR 1910.1450 (the standard), requires that each facUity engaged in the laboratory use of hazardous chemicals develop and implement a written program known as a Chemical Hygiene Plan, which sets forth procedures, equipment, personal protective equipment, and safe work practices that will ... 

It is good practice to keep concentrations of airborne nickel in any chemical form as low as possible and certainly below the relevant standard. Local exhaust ventilation is the preferred method, particularly for powders, but personal respirator protection may be employed where necessary. In the United States, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) personal exposure limit (PEL) for all forms of nickel except nickel carbonyl is 1 mg/m. The ACGIH TLVs are respectively 1 mg/m for Ni metal, insoluble compounds, and fume and dust from nickel sulfide roasting, and 0.1 mg/m for soluble nickel compounds. The ACGIH is considering whether to lower the TLVs for all forms of nickel to 0.05 mg/m, based on nonmalignant respiratory effects in experimental animals. 

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