View Rule

On January 9, 2017, OSHA published its final rule Occupational Exposure to Beryllium and Beryllium Compounds in the Federal Register (82 FR 2470). OSHA concluded that employees exposed to beryllium and beryllium compounds at the preceding permissible exposure limits (PELs) were at significant risk of material impairment of health, specifically chronic beryllium disease and lung cancer. OSHA also concluded that the new 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA) PEL of 0.2 µg/m3 reduced this significant risk to the maximum extent feasible.

In response to the stakeholder feedback, and to resolve pending litigation, OSHA is planning to propose revisions to certain provisions in the general industry standard. The revisions OSHA plans to propose are generally designed to clarify the standard in response to stakeholder questions or to simplify compliance, while in all cases maintaining a high degree of protection from the adverse health effects of beryllium exposure.