Occupational exposure limit

An occupational exposure limit is an upper limit on the acceptable concentration of a hazardous substance in workplace air for a particular material or class of materials. It is typically set by competent national authorities and enforced by legislation to protect occupational safety and health. It can be a tool in risk assessment and in the management of activities involving handling of dangerous substances. There are many dangerous substances for which there are no formal occupational exposure limits. In these cases, control banding strategies can be used to ensure safe handling.

Bibliography

• Dikshith, T. S. S. & Diwan, P. V. (2003). Industrial Guide to Chemical and Drug Safety. Wiley-IEEE. pp. pp189–191. ISBN 0-471-23698-5.  (Google Books)
• Topping, M. (2001). "Occupational Exposure Limits for Chemicals". Occupational and Environmental Medicine 58 (2): 138–144. doi:10.1136/oem.58.2.138. PMC 1740099. PMID 11160994. 

Further reading

• Proposals to introduce a new occupational exposure limits (OEL) framework HSC Consultative Document
• Discussion document on Occupational Exposure Limits (OEL) framework (HSE, UK)
• OELs and the effective control of exposure to substances hazardous to health in the UK (HSE paper)
• EH40/2005 Workplace exposure limits (HSE, UK)
• Occupational Exposure Limits Summary - EU Member States
• The role of occupational exposure limits in the health and safety systems of EU Member States by D Walters and others. Health and Safety Executive Research Report No. 172/2003
• Occupational exposure limits and their economic costs by J Cherrie. Institute of Occupational Medicine Research Report TM/86/02
• The IOM’s position on occupational exposure limits for dust Institute of Occupational Medicine Position Paper

See also

• Threshold Limit Value
• Indicative limit value
• PIMEX A method to make invisible hazards in the work environment visible and thus facilitate the reduction of hazards and risks in workplaces