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Occupational Exposure Bands

The sheer number of chemicals in commerce makes the development of a traditional occupational exposure limit for every chemical an overwhelming goal. This reality does not require the occupational health and safety professional to forgo a robust risk assessment for chemical handling in their workplaces. The fundamental core of the occupational risk assessment process is the comparison of an estimate of exposure potential with a chemical’s toxic potency – often called a hazard quotient. At its root this basic comparison can be done using qualitative and quantitative methods and can use exposure guidance in many different forms. The “Hierarchy of OEL” concept emphasizes the array of different sources and types of chemical exposure guidance (OELs), their uses and limitations, and the linkage between them. Together the available tools provide a continuum of resources or suite of OEL tools that can cover most occupational risk assessment needs. The tools can be viewed as a hierarchy where some types of OELs can be developed with less data or resource investment, while others require more data but also provide greater certainty in the result and more robust information for making risk management decisions. A key skill for professional practice is to know the difference between these methods and the basis for selecting each of them for alternative risk assessment scenarios.