Training Series Part VIII: Gases, Vapors, Fumes, Dusts, and Mists

Subpart: D – Occupational Health and Environmental Controls

OSHA Standard: 1926.55

Occurrence: Upon initial assignment.

Frequency: As equipment, conditions, or roles change.

Training Style: Classroom, or hands-on, or toolbox talk.

Background:
Exposure of employees to inhalation, ingestion, skin absorption, or contact with any material or substance at a concentration above those specified in the Threshold Limit Values (TLV) of Airborne Contaminants for 1970 of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, shall be avoided. See Appendix A of 1926.55 for TLV values for each substance. Substances not covered in this standard (as they are covered in other standards) include airborne asbestos, tremolite, anthophyllite, or actinolite dust, and formaldehyde.
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Employer Responsibilities:
Ensure employees stay under the TLV through administrative or engineering control first whenever feasible. When such controls are not feasible to achieve full compliance, protective equipment or other protective measures shall be used to keep the exposure of employees to air contaminants within the limits prescribed in Appendix A. Any equipment and technical measures used for this purpose must first be approved for each use by a competent industrial hygienist or other technically qualified person. Whenever respirators are used, their use shall comply with applicable OSHA standards.

Employee Responsibilities:
Ensure you are trained and understand the controls for the substance that you are working with. That includes understanding the engineering and administrative controls as well as the proper selection and maintenance of any assigned PPE.
 
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