February 2021: New OELs

Occupational exposure limit value (OEL), which determines the maximum exposure level (time-weighted average) to hazardous substances for worker health It is a measure of protection. For some chemicals binding OELs R. 4412-149 of the French Labor Code. It is defined in the article. These safety measures are divided into two exposure periods for certain substances: long term OEL – TWA (during 8 hours of exposure) and short term OEL – STEL (15 minutes of exposure).

Unlike indicative OELs, binding occupational exposure limit values It forces employers to comply with these worker protection measures. Compliance with these regulations, such as gas masks may result in the use of personal respiratory protective equipment. In many cases, these safety requirements also apply to portable, fixed gas detectors or such as the use of reagent tubes. for measuring gases and chemicals It requires the implementation of protocols and solutions .

Made in OELs on February 1, 2021 As part of these changes, some gas detection equipment uyumlu olması gerekiyor . Whether it is a portable gas detector or a fixed detector, the monitoring device will need to be reconfigured.

For example, for long-term OEL:

• The alarm threshold of the formaldehyde detector will drop to 0.3 ppm
• The alarm threshold of the hydrazine detector will drop to 0.01 ppm
• And the alarm threshold of the ethylene oxide detector will drop to 1 ppm

Where necessary, a combination of gas controllers , fixed transmitters and portable gas monitoring devices with software update together restructuring will be required. Finally, relevant portable devices and fixed gas detectors must be recalibrated following the February 1, 2021 OEL change.

For some lines of connected equipment, such as Blackline Safety gas detectors, threshold changes can be made remotely for the brand's entire fleet of devices in a few clicks, without going to a calibration station.

The new OELs provide, first of all, a reminder of the dangerousness of exposure to these substances, and secondly, they provide a reminder to all stakeholders to deal with these hazards. Reminds us that respiratory protection solutions are available. By treating OEL compliance as a minimum prevention goal, many measures can be taken to minimize risks. Preventive measures should be taken . With this in mind, teams can be provided with a variety of respiratory protection equipment to improve safety levels.

Therefore, February 2021 will be included in the new OEL list. When we look at it, we can see that wearing a dust mask provides additional protection against the dangers of exposure to silica and wood dust.

Similarly, the use of a gas mask, whether a half mask or a full face mask, can better deal with the danger of substances affected by OEL changes. However, choosing the right gas mask filter is essential. For example, this would include using a class P3 filter for maximum filtration protection against dusts (wood, silica), using a type AX filter for protection against ethylene oxide, and using a type K gas filter for protection against formaldehyde and hydrazine. Wearing a powered air-purifying respirator using the appropriate filter will provide more comfortable filtering protection (breathing effort on the filter is made by the machine, not its user).

Finally, occupational exposure limits set by law Beyond all supplied air breathing apparatus solutions allow workers to work in contaminated atmospheres well beyond the OEL. In an area contaminated above the OEL, the use of a supplied air respirator will provide breathing air from a completely independent source. Likewise, wearing a SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) will completely isolate its wearer from polluted air thanks to the breathing air cylinder attached to the respiratory protection mask.