Washington Administrative Code › Title 296 - Labor and Industries, Department of › Chapter 296-850 - BERYLLIUM › Section 296-850-115 - Exposure assessment

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
(1)
General.
The
			 employer must assess the airborne exposure of each employee who is or
			 may reasonably be expected to be exposed to airborne beryllium in
			 accordance with either the performance option in subsection (2) of
			 this section or the scheduled monitoring option in subsection (3) of
			 this section.
(2)
Performance option.
The employer must assess the 8-hour
			 TWA exposure and the fifteen-minute short-term exposure for each
			 employee on the basis of any combination of air monitoring data and
			 objective data sufficient to accurately characterize airborne
			 exposure to beryllium.
(3)
Scheduled monitoring
			 option.
(a) The employer
			 must perform initial monitoring to assess the 8-hour TWA exposure for
			 each employee on the basis of one or more personal breathing zone air
			 samples that reflect the airborne exposure of employees on each
			 shift, for each job classification, and in each work area.
(b) The employer must perform
			 initial monitoring to assess the short-term exposure from
			 fifteen-minute personal breathing zone air samples measured in
			 operations that are likely to produce airborne exposure above the
			 STEL for each work shift, for each job classification, and in each
			 work area.
(c) Where
			 several employees perform the same tasks on the same shift and in the
			 same work area, the employer may sample a representative fraction of
			 these employees in order to meet the requirements of this subsection.
			 In representative sampling, the employer must sample the employee(s)
			 expected to have the highest airborne exposure to
			 beryllium.
(d) If initial
			 monitoring indicates that airborne exposure is below the action level
			 and at or below the STEL, the employer may discontinue monitoring for
			 those employees whose airborne exposure is represented by such
			 monitoring.
(e) Where the
			 most recent exposure monitoring indicates that airborne exposure is
			 at or above the action level but at or below the TWA PEL, the
			 employer must repeat such monitoring within six months of the most
			 recent monitoring.
(f)
			 Where the most recent exposure monitoring indicates that airborne
			 exposure is above the TWA PEL, the employer must repeat such
			 monitoring within three months of the most recent 8-hour TWA exposure
			 monitoring.
(g) Where the
			 most recent (noninitial) exposure monitoring indicates that airborne
			 exposure is below the action level, the employer must repeat such
			 monitoring within six months of the most recent monitoring until two
			 consecutive measurements, taken seven or more days apart, are below
			 the action level, at which time the employer may discontinue 8-hour
			 TWA exposure monitoring for those employees whose exposure is
			 represented by such monitoring, except as otherwise provided in
			 subsection (4) of this section, reassessment of exposure.
(h) Where the most recent exposure
			 monitoring indicates that airborne exposure is above the STEL, the
			 employer must repeat such monitoring within three months of the most
			 recent short-term exposure monitoring until two consecutive
			 measurements, taken seven or more days apart, are below the STEL, at
			 which time the employer may discontinue short-term exposure
			 monitoring for those employees whose exposure is represented by such
			 monitoring, except as otherwise provided in subsection (4) of this
			 section, reassessment of exposure.