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Proposed New or Revised 2011 Occupational Exposure Limits
Each year, the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (“ACGIH”) publishes a list of substances for which they have set new or revised Threshold Limit Values (“TLVs”). A TLV is an exposure limit that is the suggested maximum allowed airborne concentration for a particular substance where nearly all workers are believed to experience no adverse health effects over a working lifetime. TLVs may be an 8-hour time weighted average, short term exposure limit or ceiling limit.
At their March 2010 meeting, the Board of Directors approved a new occupational exposure limit (“OEL”) review and adoption procedure. Under the new procedure, WorkSafeBC will now review and stakeholders will be consulted on potential implementation issues prior to the adoption of the annual new or revised ACGIH TLVs. Until the Board makes a decision on which of the annual new or revised ACGIH TLVs are adopted as BC OELs, the existing OELs for these substances continue to be in effect.
WorkSafeBC is requesting stakeholder feedback on whether the changes to the 2011 ACGIH TLVs should be adopted as BC OELs:
- Exposure limit changes for the following substances (some with notation changes):
- Acetic anhydride
- Carbon black
- Ethyl benzene
- Maleic anhydride
- Methyl isopropyl ketone
- 2,4-Pentanedione
- 4,4’-Thiobis(6-tert-butyl-m-cresol)
- Notation changes for the following substances (no exposure limit changes):
- Allyl chloride
- Methylacrylonitrile
- Specific exposure limit to be withdrawn for the following substance:
- Soapstone
To provide feedback
Please include the following information in your written feedback:
- Name of submitter(s)
- Whether you are submitting on your own behalf or on behalf of an organization (if on behalf of an organization, please specify the name of the organization)
- Whether you are commenting from a worker’s perspective or an employer’s perspective
- Your level of support for the adoption of the 2011 new or revised ACGIH TLVs as BC OELs - whether you generally agree, are generally neutral, or generally disagree
- The reasons for your level of support for the substances you are commenting on.
Your feedback on the proposed new or revised 2011 OELs is appreciated by 4:30 p.m., May 31, 2011. Feedback can be submitted via:
| Online: | |
| E-mail: | Regquery@ worksafebc.com |
| Fax: | 604 279-7599 or toll-free in B.C. 1 877 279-7599 |
| Mail: | Attention: 2011 OELs WorkSafeBC Prevention Policy & Regulation Review Department Policy and Research Division P.O. Box 5350 Station Terminal Vancouver BC V6B 5L5 |
All stakeholder feedback received is carefully considered and analyzed, and provided to the Board of Directors of WorkSafeBC as part of their decision making process.
An acknowledgement of receipt of submissions will be provided to stakeholders. Please be advised that stakeholders will not be contacted regarding the contents of their submissions unless clarification is needed.
Disclosure of personal information
Please note that anonymous submissions will not be considered. Submissions received by WorkSafeBC during the consultation process may be disclosed in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act or by law generally.