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Action Level

Definition

Action levels are used by OSHA and NIOSH to express a health or physical hazard. They indicate the level of a harmful or toxic substance/activity which requires medical surveillance, increased industrial hygiene monitoring, or biological monitoring. Action levels are generally set at one half of the permissible exposure limit (PEL), but the actual level may vary from standard to standard. The intent is to identify a level at which the vast majority of randomly sampled exposures will be below the PEL.

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MSDS Relevance

Action levels are not defined for all compounds. There are OSHA standards for a variety of chemical substances such as asbestos, benzene and lead. There are even OSHA action levels for noise exposure!

If you are dealing with a substance which has a PEL and you exceed 50% of the PEL, you need to take appropriate action to monitor the levels and/or employee health on a regular basis. Consult your industrial hygienist, safety officer or local OSHA compliance (not enforcement) office for assistance (see below for contact information).

Further Reading

• OSHA PEL's for air contaminants.
• OSHA Regional and Area Offices.
• OSHA 1910 Standards Table of Contents - standards for specific compounds start at SubPart Z, 1910.1000 - scroll down the page to see these.

See also: EPCRA, heavy metal, PEL, PPE, SARA, ventilation

Additional definitions from Google and OneLook.

Disclaimer: The information contained herein is believed to be true and accurate, however ILPI makes no guarantees concerning the veracity of any statement. Use of any information on this page is at the reader's own risk. ILPI strongly encourages the reader to consult the appropriate local, state and federal agencies concerning the matters discussed herein.