Occupational exposure limit

It is typically set by competent national authorities and enforced by legislation to protect occupational safety and health.

It is an important tool in risk assessment and in the management of activities involving handling of dangerous substances.

A popular exposure data statistical tool called IHSTAT is available from AIHA (American Industrial Hygiene Association).

[4] With the World Health Organization and the International Labour Office having now quantified the global burden of disease from psychosocial occupational hazards,[5] identification of OELs for such hazards is increasingly becoming a focus of attention for occupational safety and health policy and practice.

The database "GESTIS - International limit values for chemical agents"[6] contains a collection of occupational limit values for hazardous substances collected from 35 lists from 29 countries: various EU member states, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, China, Turkey, and the United States.

Simple representation of exposure risk assessment and management hierarchy based on available information
Hierarchy of occupational exposure limits (OELs)
Illustration of statistical output from IHSTAT using air sampling data