Decision on the New or Revised Occupational Exposure Limits for 2012 and others
Background
Each year, the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) publishes a list of substances for which they have set new and revised Threshold Limit Values (TLVs).
In accordance with the occupational exposure limit (OEL) review and adoption procedure, WorkSafeBC reviews the scientific data and availability of validated sampling methods, and consults with stakeholders on potential implementation issues prior to the adoption of the new and revised ACGIH TLVs. Until the Board of Directors (BOD) makes a decision on which of the ACGIH TLVs are adopted as B.C. OELs, the existing OELs for these substances continue to be in effect.
Board of Directors' Decision
At the November 2014 meeting, the BOD approved the adoption of four substances from the 2012 new and revised ACGIH TLVs and four substances revised in previous years. The BOD resolution is available for reference here.
The BOD decided to adopt the ACGIH TLVs as BC OELs for carbonyl sulfide, diacetyl, ethyl formate, and nonane. The BOD also decided to adopt the ACGIH TLVs revised in previous years for beryllium and compounds, vanadium pentoxide, alpha-methyl styrene, and Portland cement.
Effective February 1, 2015, these substances will be removed from the Table of OELs for Excluded Substances in Policy R5.48-1, and the ACGIH TLVs will be assigned as BC OELs as follows:
| Substances | WorkSafeBC Occupational Exposure Limit | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 8-hour Time-Weighted Average Limit | Short-Term Exposure Limit | Ceiling Limit | |
| Beryllium and compounds | 0.00005 mg/m3 (inhalable) | ||
| Carbonyl sulfide | 5 ppm | ||
| Diacetyl | 0.01 ppm | 0.02 ppm | |
| Ethyl formate | 100 ppm | ||
| alpha-Methyl styrene | 10 ppm | ||
| Nonane | 200 ppm | ||
| Portland cement | 1 mg/m3 (respirable) | ||
| Vanadium pentoxide | 0.05 mg/m3 (inhalable) | ||
The BOD decided to maintain the following substances on the Table of OELs for Excluded Substances with no changes to their respective limits.
| Substances | WorkSafeBC Occupational Exposure Limit | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 8-hour Time-Weighted Average Limit | Short-Term Exposure Limit | Ceiling Limit | |
| Allyl bromide | No previous limit | No previous limit | No previous limit |
| Nitrogen dioxide | 1 ppm | ||
| o-Phthalodinitrile | No previous limit | No previous limit | No previous limit |
| Piperazine and salts | 0.3 mg/m3 | 1 mg/m3 | |
There are sampling issues for allyl bromide, nitrogen dioxide, o-phthalodinitrile, and piperazine and its salts. WorkSafeBC will continue to monitor the availability of validated sampling methods for these substances.