California Code of Regulations › Title 8 - Industrial Relations › Division 1 - Department of Industrial Relations › Chapter 4 - Division of Industrial Safety › Subchapter 7 - General Industry Safety Orders › Group 16 - Control of Hazardous Substances › Article 110 - Regulated Carcinogens › Section 5202 - Methylene Chloride

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 28, July 12, 2024
This occupational health standard establishes
						  requirements for employers to control occupational exposure to methylene
						  chloride (MC). Employees exposed to MC are at increased risk of developing
						  cancer, adverse effects on the heart, central nervous system and liver, and
						  skin or eye irritation. Exposure may occur through inhalation, by absorption
						  through the skin, or through contact with the skin. MC is a solvent which is
						  used in many different types of work activities, such as paint stripping,
						  polyurethane foam manufacturing, and cleaning and degreasing. Under the
						  requirements of subsection (d), each covered employer must make an initial
						  determination of each employee's exposure to MC. If the employer determines
						  that employees are exposed below the action level, the only other provisions of
						  this section that apply are that a record must be made of the determination,
						  the employees must receive information and training under subsection
						  (
l
) and, where appropriate, employees must be protected from
						  contact with liquid MC under subsection (h). The provisions of the MC standard
						  are as follows:
(a)
Scope and
						application
. This section applies to all occupational exposures to
						methylene chloride (MC), Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number 75-09-2, in
						general industry, construction and shipyard employment.
(b)
Definitions
. For the
						purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:
Action level
means a concentration of
						  airborne MC of 12.5 parts per million (ppm) calculated as an eight (8)-hour
						  time-weighted average (TWA).
Authorized person
means any person
						  specifically authorized by the employer and required by work duties to be
						  present in regulated areas, or any person entering such an area as a designated
						  representative of employees for the purpose of exercising the right to observe
						  monitoring and measuring procedures under subsection (d), or any other person
						  authorized by the Chief.
Chief
means the Chief of the Division
						  of Occupational Safety and Health, or designee.
Emergency
means any occurrence, such
						  as, but not limited to, equipment failure, rupture of containers, or failure of
						  control equipment, which results, or is likely to result in an uncontrolled
						  release of MC. If an incidental release of MC can be controlled by employees
						  such as maintenance personnel at the time of release and in accordance with the
						  leak/spill provisions required by subsection (f), it is not considered an
						  emergency as defined by this standard.
Employee exposure
means exposure to
						  airborne MC which occurs or would occur if the employee were not using
						  respiratory protection.
Methylene chloride
(MC) means an
						  organic compound with chemical formula,
						  CH2Cl2. Its Chemical Abstracts
						  Service Registry Number is 75-09-2. Its molecular weight is 84.9 g/mole.
NIOSH
means the Director of the
						  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S. Department of
						  Health and Human Services, or designee.
Physician or other licensed health care
						  professional
is an individual whose legally permitted scope of
						  practice (i.e., license, registration, or certification) allows him or her to
						  independently provide or be delegated the responsibility to provide some or all
						  of the health care services required by subsection (j).
Regulated area
means an area,
						  demarcated by the employer, where an employee's exposure to airborne
						  concentrations of MC exceeds or can reasonably be expected to exceed either the
						  8-hour TWA PEL or the STEL.
Symptom
means central nervous system
						  effects such as headaches, disorientation, dizziness, fatigue, and decreased
						  attention span; skin effects such as chapping, erythema, cracked skin, or skin
						  burns; and cardiac effects such as chest pain or shortness of
						  breath.
(c)
Permissible exposure limits (PELs).
(1)
Eight-hour time-weighted average
						(TWA) PEL
. The employer shall ensure that no employee is exposed to an
						airborne concentration of MC in excess of twenty-five parts of MC per million
						parts of air (25 ppm) as an 8-hour TWA.
(2)
Short-term exposure limit
						(STEL).
The employer shall ensure that no employee is exposed to an
						airborne concentration of MC in excess of one hundred and twenty-five parts of
						MC per million parts of air (125 ppm) as determined over a sampling period of
						fifteen minutes.