2019 Workplace Exposure Standards and Biological Exposure Indices
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Water New Zealand have registered as a stake holder for the Worksafe 2019 Workplace Exposure Standards and Biological Indices work and will engage with members as the opportunity arise. For more information contact noel.roberts@waternz.org.nz. See below for the latest update.
The 11th Edition of the Workplace Exposure Standards and Biological Exposure Indices Special Guide is published on the WorkSafe website here.
Table 1 below shows the WES that have been adopted in December 2019, and those for which we intend changing the WES in three years’ time.
Table 1 Changes to 11th Edition of WES & BEI Book
1,3-Butadiene | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 0.05 ppm |
1,2-Dibromoethane | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 0.0003 ppm |
2-Methoxyethanol | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 0.1 ppm |
2-Methoxyethyl acetate | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 0.1 ppm |
4,4-Methylene dianiline | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 0.002 ppm |
Acetaldehyde | Postpone change and re-review the proposal in regards to having only a Ceiling limit. |
Acrylamide | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 0.0015 mg/m3 |
Acrylonitrile | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 0.05 ppm |
Antimony trioxide | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 0.1 mg/m3 |
Carbon disulphide | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 1 ppm |
Dichlorvos | Retain the current 8-hour WES-TWA of 0.1 ppm inhalable fraction and vapour and add a sen notation |
Dimethyl sulphate | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 0.01 ppm |
Epichlorohydrin | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 0.05 ppm and WES-STEL of 0.15ppm |
Ethyl chloride | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 100 ppm and remove skin notation |
Ethylene oxide | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 0.1 ppm and adopt a Skin and a Sen notation |
Furfural | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 0.2 ppm |
Glutaraldehyde | Accept proposed WES-Ceiling of 0.05 ppm and remove the WES-STEL |
Glycidol | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 2 ppm and adopt a skin notation |
Hydrazine | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 0.0002 ppm |
Hydrogen sulphide | Interim WES-TWA of 5 ppm and STEL of 10 ppm over three years (from date of publication of 2019 WES book) with intention to go to WES-TWA of 1 ppm and STEL of 5 ppm after 3 years |
Lead (Biological Exposure Index) | A BEI of 20 g/dL (0.97 mol/L) of whole blood; a suspension (removal) level of 30 g/dL (1.45 mol/L) of whole blood for females not of reproductive capacity, and males; a suspension (removal) level of 10 g/dL (0.48 mol/L) of whole blood for females of reproductive capacity, and those pregnant and/or breastfeeding. |
Malathion | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 1 mg/m3 inhalable fraction and vapour |
Maleic anhydride | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 0.0025 ppm inhalable fraction and vapour |
Naphthalene | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 0.5 ppm and WES-STEL of 2 ppmand adopt a Skin notation |
n-Butyl acrylate | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 2 ppm and WES-STEL of 4 ppm |
n-Butyl glycidyl ether | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 0.25 ppm and adopt a skin notation |
Nitrogen dioxide | Interim WES-TWA of 1 ppm over three years (from date of publication of 2019 WES book) with intention to go to WES-TWA of 0.2 ppm after three years |
p-Dichlorobenzene | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 2 ppm and WES-STEL of 10ppm and adopt a Skin notation |
Phenyl glycidyl ether | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 0.1 ppm and adopt a dsen notation |
Phthalic anhydride | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 0.002 ppm inhalable fraction and vapour and adopt a skin notation |
Propylene dichloride | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 5 ppm and remove the WES-STEL |
Pyridine | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 1 ppm and adopt a skin notation |
Silica (crystalline, all forms) | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA 0.05 mg/m3. Review the WES within the next three years. |
Styrene (Biological Exposure Index) | Accept proposed BEI of 400 mg mandelic acid plus phenylglyoxylic acid in urine per gram of creatinine, and 40 µg styrene/L urine |
Sulphur dioxide | Accept proposed WES-STEL of 0.25 ppm and remove the WES-TWA |
Thiram | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 0.2 mg/m3 inhalable fraction and vapour |
Vinyl cyclohexene dioxide | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 0.1 ppm |
Wood dust | Accept proposed 8-hour WES-TWA of 0.5 mg/m3 for hard wood dust. Retain the current WES-TWA of 2 mg/m3 for soft wood dust with an intention to lower it to 1 mg/m3 in three years. |