The OSHA Chronicle would like to thank the team at Matrix New World Engineering for its guest blog article.
Whether you’re operating a small print shop, a food processing plant, or an advanced manufacturing facility, chances are your employees encounter a variety of chemicals on a daily basis. Some of these may be obvious, like solvents or disinfectants, while others are more subtle, such as vapors released during routine processes.
The bottom line is this: potential chemical exposures are now common in modern industrial environments, and understanding them isn’t just good practice, it’s also the law.
Requirements Under OSHA
OSHA’s mission is clear: protect American workers and hold employers accountable. Yet many organizations do not fully understand their responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act). Identifying chemical exposures is not a simple checklist item. It is a complex process that plays a critical role in ensuring worker safety and maintaining compliance.
OSHA establishes Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs), which are legally enforceable thresholds for how much of a chemical substance a worker can be exposed to without experiencing harmful health effects. Several hazardous substances, such as silica, mercury, and benzene, have specific regulations focused on recognizing and controlling their exposure levels. Employers are required to actively demonstrate compliance by thoroughly assessing these exposures.
According to OSHA’s Respiratory Protection Standard:
“The employer shall identify and evaluate the respiratory hazard(s) in the workplace; this evaluation shall include a reasonable estimate of employee exposures to respiratory hazard(s) and an identification of the contaminant’s chemical state and physical form.”
This evaluation is typically conducted by collecting air samples from the employee’s breathing zone. The samples are submitted to accredited laboratories and interpreted by qualified safety and health professionals, such as Certified Industrial Hygienists.
The Challenge: Data vs. Reality
Although monitoring every exposure event would be ideal, it is often neither practical nor feasible. Production schedules change, processes evolve, and employee tasks vary. Testing for all chemicals at all times would be extremely costly and time-consuming.
This is where industrial hygienists provide critical value. By using advanced statistical methods, they analyze limited exposure data to represent risks across diverse worker groups. This approach offers a defensible and cost-effective way to understand exposure hazards. Employers can then use this information to prioritize controls where exposure potential exists. When done correctly, this method helps protect employees and prepares organizations for OSHA inspections.
The Takeaway
Managing chemical exposures is not just about avoiding fines or inspections. It is an investment in the health, productivity, and confidence of your workforce. Companies that are proactive in evaluating and controlling workplace hazards do more than meet regulatory requirements. They build a strong culture of safety that leads to healthier work environments, fewer incidents, reduced employee turnover, and improved reputations.
Written by:
1 Sharon Stecker, Vice President – Matrix New World Engineering, PC (a True Environmental Company)
2 Tyler Gilmore, CIH, CSP, National Director of Occupational Health & Safety – Matrix New World Engineering, PC (a True Environmental Company)
3 Anthony Bongiovano, CIH, CSP, Senior Industrial Hygienist – Matrix New World Engineering, PC (a True Environmental Company)