(industrial engineering) The level of air contaminants that represents an acceptable exposure level as specified in standards set by a national government agency; generally expressed as 8-hour time-weighted average concentrations. Abbreviated PEL.
Permissible exposure limit
| Sci-Tech Dictionary: permissible exposure limit |
(pər¦mis·ə·bəl ik′spō·zhər ′lim·ət)
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| Insurance Dictionary: Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) |
Standard set under the Occupational Safety and Health Act that sets allowable levels of worker exposure to such toxic substances as asbestos, certain chemicals, and radiation. In many cases workers must wear devices to determine their exposure to toxic workplace substances, and when the maximum is reached, they must be transferred to another workplace. Business firms that violate the standard can be fined.
| Wikipedia: Permissible exposure limit |
The Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL or OSHA PEL) is a legal limit in the United States for exposure of an employee to a chemical substance or physical agent. For chemicals, the chemical regulation is usually expressed in parts per million (ppm), or sometimes in milligrams per cubic metre (mg/m3). Units of measure for physical agents such as noise are specific to the agent. Permissible Exposure Limits are established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
A PEL is usually given as a time-weighted average (TWA), although some are Short Term Exposure Limits (STEL) or Ceiling Limits. A TWA is the average exposure over a specified period of time, usually a nominal eight hours. This means that, for limited periods, a worker may be exposed to concentrations higher than the PEL, so long as the average concentration over eight hours remains lower.
A Short Term Exposure Limit is one that addresses the average exposure over a 15-30 minute period of maximum exposure during a single work shift.
A Ceiling Limit is one that may not be exceeded, and is applied to irritants and other materials that have immediate effects.
See also
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration
- Recommended Exposure Limit
External links
- OSHA Permissible Exposure Limits site (includes list of PEL values, and legal references)
- 1988 OSHA PEL Project Documentation: List by Chemical Name Available from NIOSH
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