WAC 296-849-13020. Exposure controls

IMPORTANT: Respirators and other personal protective equipment (PPE) do not substitute for feasible exposure controls. You must use feasible exposure controls to reduce exposures, as specified in Table 6. Table 6 Exposure Control Requirements If: Then you must use feasible controls to: You have operations where employees clean and repair barges or tankers which have contained benzene Keep all employee exposure concentrations below 10 parts per million (ppm). You can document that benzene is used for less than thirty days a year in the workplace Reduce eight-hour employee exposure monitoring results to a time-weighted average of 10 ppm or less. Note: If employee exposure monitoring results are between 1 and 10 ppm, you are permitted to use respirators or a combination of respirators and feasible controls to protect employees. Employees are exposed to benzene above a PEL for at least thirty days a year Reduce eight-hour employee exposure concentrations to the TWA 8 of 1 ppm or less; AND Reduce fifteen-minute employee exposure concentrations to the STEL of 5 ppm or less. If: Then you must use feasible controls to: You have operations where employees clean and repair barges or tankers which have contained benzene Keep all employee exposure concentrations below 10 parts per million (ppm). You can document that benzene is used for less than thirty days a year in the workplace Reduce eight-hour employee exposure monitoring results to a time-weighted average of 10 ppm or less. Note: If employee exposure monitoring results are between 1 and 10 ppm, you are permitted to use respirators or a combination of respirators and feasible controls to protect employees. Employees are exposed to benzene above a PEL for at least thirty days a year Reduce eight-hour employee exposure concentrations to the TWA 8 of 1 ppm or less; AND Reduce fifteen-minute employee exposure concentrations to the STEL of 5 ppm or less.