(i) Where MC is present in the workplace, the employer shall determine each employee's exposure by either: (1) Characterization of employee exposure. The employer shall ensure that no employee is exposed to an airborne concentration of MC in excess of one hundred and twenty-five parts of MC per million parts of air (125 ppm) as determined over a sampling period of fifteen minutes. The employer shall ensure that no employee is exposed to an airborne concentration of MC in excess of twenty-five parts of MC per million parts of air (25 ppm) as an 8-hour TWA.
(1) Eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA) PEL. This section means this methylene chloride standard.
OSHA BREATHING ZONE CRACKED
Symptom means 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. Regulated area means an area, demarcated by the employer, where an employee's exposure to airborne concentrations of MC exceeds or can reasonably be expected to exceed either the 8-hour TWA PEL or the STEL.
OSHA BREATHING ZONE PROFESSIONAL
Physician or other licensed health care professional is 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 this section. Its Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number is 75-09-2. Methylene chloride (MC) means an organic compound with chemical formula, CH 2 Cl 2. If an incidental release of MC can be controlled by employees such as maintenance personnel at the time of release and in accordance with the leak/spill provisions required by paragraph (f) of this section, it is not considered an emergency as defined by this standard.Įmployee exposure means exposure to airborne MC which occurs or would occur if the employee were not using respiratory protection. Department of Health and Human Services, or designee.Įmergency means 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 un controlled release of MC. Department of Labor, or designee.Īuthorized person means 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 paragraph (d) of this section, or any other person authorized by the OSH Act or regulations issued under the Act.ĭirector means the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S. For the purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:Īction level means a concentration of airborne MC of 12.5 parts per million (ppm) calculated as an eight (8)-hour time-weighted average (TWA).Īssistant Secretary means the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S. This section applies to all occupational exposures to methylene chloride (MC), Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number 75-09-2, in general industry, construction and shipyard employment. The provisions of the MC standard are as follows: If the employer determines that employees are exposed below the action level, the only other provisions of this section that apply are that a record must be made of the determination, the employees must receive information and training under paragraph (l) of this section and, where appropriate, employees must be protected from contact with liquid MC under paragraph (h) of this section. Under the requirements of paragraph (d) of this section, each covered employer must make an initial determination of each employee's exposure to MC. MC is a solvent which is used in many different types of work activities, such as paint stripping, polyurethane foam manufacturing, and cleaning and degreasing.
Exposure may occur through inhalation, by absorption through the skin, or through contact with the skin. Employees exposed to MC are at increased risk of developing cancer, adverse effects on the heart, central nervous system and liver, and skin or eye irritation. This occupational health standard establishes requirements for employers to control occupational exposure to methylene chloride (MC).