APHA Pushes Chemical Class-Based PEL Approach

A key public health organization is urging OSHA to place chemicals in classes or families, as opposed to individual substances, as it updates permissible exposure rates. A source close to the issue indicated that OSHA has weighed such an option and that classes could include metalworking fluids such as lubricants, alcohol-based solvents and mineral fibers, as a few examples. A broad approach using classes or families has been under consideration at the agency, a worker safety advocate said. “I think it’s a potential way to streamline the rulemaking process,” the source said, noting that scienc