OSHA's Permissible Exposure Limits

Background and History of Occupational Safety and Health Administration 

Occupational Safety and Health Administration traces its origin to about 40 years back. The origin is as a result of the joint effort by the employers, Safety and Health professionals, unions and advocates concerning high rates of the fatality at the workplaces where workers have a high risk of exposure to either a toxic chemical or a physical agent. Every person either willing or unwilling gets the danger of being exposed to either a chemical or a physical agent such as noise. Such exposures occur mostly to the people working at places such as mining sites, manufacturing industries, and even research laboratories. Visitors to such places have risks too, and so no one person can confirm being free of the effects of such exposures. 

Assessment of the risk 

Everybody is in danger including the employers. Therefore the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) which is responsible for general Occupational environment set limits to companies to ensure that every individual's exposure to either a chemical or a physical agent is minimal (Goodman & Flinn, 2015). OSHA establishes the set limits in an organ known as Permissible Exposure Limits. These limits possess a legal enforcement. The set limits are made known to the employer, employee, and the general public. The major role of OSHA to transmit this information is the fact that OSHA has in place a website that has free access to everyone and therefore various publications and standards are available to offer great assistance in Occupational Health. 

Permissive Exposure Limit gives figures as a time-weighted average whose period is usually eight hours a day. People exposed to a given amount past this limit get adverse side effects. Most of these diseases are deadly, and others are expensive to treat (Brenner & Cawley, 2015). A sick productive generation would reduce the income of that given state and therefore discontinuities in the generations. 

The following is a sample for general Permissible Limits for chemical hazards weighted per day of eight hours in milligram per cubic meter. 

Table showing sources and limits of chemical substances in milligram per cubic meter (Brenner & Cawley, 2015). 

Chemical substance	source	Limit in mg/m3
Iron (dust fume)	Iron containing rocks	10
Crystalline silica	Silica containing rocks	50
Carbon (II) oxide	Exhaust fumes	55

Occupational Safety Health Administration establishes the Permissible Exposure Limit whereby the group of individuals from OSHA samples out any given surrounding of any workplace be it construction or mining place and then check the components. They then study the effects for each element and clarify them as either being hazardous or regular (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 2016). Finally, OSHA establishes the Permissible Exposure Limits to curb the effects of each component. 

Current state of the regulation of the Hazards 

OSHA provides the employer with standards including a procedure for an emergency, to protect both the employer and employee. The standards incorporate health into the occupation of an individual for the smooth running of a company. Any threat to the life of an employee is a risk to the company at large therefore employers are always at the forefront to prevent such risks. 

The OSHA Act is as a result of bridging the gaps in the standards. The OSHA Act contains a general duty clause which is to ensure that the employers provide nontoxic and healthy working environments free from recognized health hazards causing or are likely to lead to death or serious physical harm to workers. OSHA implements this clause by first stating a known risk, and implication of such a hazard then employ the feasibility factor that is OSHA is capable of preventing such dangers. This assurance by OSHA creates cooperation from all entities, and this makes work easier. 

In the United States, it is the duty of Secretary of Labor to ask the employers to establish clear records on employee-related injuries and even illnesses. Failure to comply to submit such documents, OSHA has put in place multi-million dollar fines on the record-keeping violation. Through issuing of these fines, each employer is often ready to comply, and this makes the work of OSHA easy (Goodman & Flinn, 2015). 

Most employers cannot be responsible for each violation raised by an employee. The enactment of the OSHA Act gives every right to the employee to complain about safety and health conditions at the workplace (Brenner & Cawley, 2015). Most employees would take advantage of this protection, and so the same standards in OSHA have established limits that protect the employer from exploitation by the employee. 

The Impact of the Hazards To Employers. 

Substances that get to the environment and cause harm in the environment are known as pollutants. A common pollutant in the atmosphere is the production of carbon (II) oxide from exhaust fumes in industries and even vehicle exhaust fumes (Lawton, 2013).Workplaces that have their workers at a high risk of exposure to harmful substances include the mining sites where it is almost impossible to avoid noise, fumes, and high temperatures for underground miners and chemical contact. Mining sites have groups of people that handle different activities including those who operate machines used in the mining process. The employer, therefore, makes available protective gear plug for the workers. The manager works so hard to maintain the employees and still produce high-profit margins due to the hazards. Equally, the employer ensures all employees are in the right attire and are not at high risk for health hazards. The companies also introduce working in shifts to reduce long-term effect from repeated exposure to noise. 

A common phenomenon in construction and mining site is the presence of combustible dust. On exposure to the atmosphere, these particles have the capability to ignite or explode into flames due to chemical reactions. A primary cause for combustible dust is the accumulation of dust in the atmosphere (Ikenberry, 2010). For proper ventilation and spacious premises, employers hire large spaces to reduce such occurrences because that will reduce dust clouds which increase contact for the particles. Deep underground mines also experience high temperatures and humidity as the depth increases. The levels of oxygen are also very low at high depths hence this risks the life of such mines. The extent to which a worker exposes himself to such heat and humidity make him vulnerable to fatal heat stroke and heat exhaustion. Proper ventilation supplied and ability to carry oxygen curbs the adversity of the hazard. 

Crystalline Silica is a chemical hazard which is of concern. Most mining sites produce crystalline in the form of silica dust, and so it gets into the workers through breathing. At the mining sites, there is drilling of rocks, and this is a principal source of crystalline silica. Workers exposed include those who drill, cut, crush silica-containing materials such as concrete and rocks. Exposure to crystalline silica causes respiratory problems. The respiratory problems as a result of breathing silica dust include lung cancer, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and kidney disease. During extraction of metals from their respective metal ores which include those of lead, cobalt, and manganese causes health risks. The risks are usually high in the course of metallurgical processing of the metal ores. Here the concentration of such chemicals in the air exceeds the ones at the mining level. The high risks of the metallurgical processes pose a risk to the employer because it requires highly standardized equipment to maintain the high temperatures. 

Water acts as a coolant to most machines and hence most employers get to locate their industries near the water sources. In an event there is no water source near, employees experience high maintenance costs about the equipment and workforce. A hazard in such companies where already there are high maintenance costs leads to more losses to curb such risks. Coal dust and methane gas are also commonly recorded hazards in underground coal mines. Coal dust just like silica dust has also been a grave danger in mining, causing coal workers' pneumoconiosis or ‘black lung' and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The risks as about chemical substances in mining and construction sites have currently been under control. Measures include dust suppression, proper ventilation, and use of respiratory protection equipment which prevent one from breathing in the dust. 

At most employees at workplaces, are prone to ergonomic hazards which are as a result of manual handling of machines, repetitive, awkward postures when at work and finally poor housekeeping. Even though technology is slowly replacing manual labor avoiding an ergonomic hazard is ubiquitous. Continuous manual handling of a machine by persons poses a high risk such as trauma disorders, prolonged disability and shoulder disorders (Adeyemia et.al, 2013). Most workers and especially drivers experience sleep disorders due to lack of proper rest and sleep. Sleep deficits, commonly found in tropical locations, causes impairments of the cognitive and motor performance of the drivers. 

Apart from mining sites, hospitals provide a hazardous risk to the nurses through several means. These means include exposure to communicable diseases (Post, 2012). Nurses that handle the sick are at high risk of getting sick too for example Hepatitis-B is an infectious disease. To protect themselves, the nurses always wear protective clothing and masks to avoid the contagious diseases from their patients. The employer provides quarantine rooms for patients with infectious and deadly diseases such as Ebola. Businesses on the hospital facilities find it more involving regarding the keen assessment of each and every patient. When epidemics arise, and the company is unaware, then massive loss occurs following these contagious diseases. 

Consensus Standards of OSHA 

OSHA provides rules and a general clause that cover all the recognized hazards which may not have specific guidelines for example exposure to anesthetic gasses and experimental drugs. Ventilation, construction of highly qualified fume chambers and availability of protective clothing help curb the extreme effects of the exposure in the laboratory settings (Post, 2012). Workers in here have the risk of being exposed to high ultra-violet rays and radiations. The ultra-violet radiation is cancerous to the skin; eye and even the breathing system hence continued exposure leads to individuals getting cancer. A sick productive person means loss of workforce which takes the time to replace hence expensive to both the employer and the federal government. 

Most American workers use chemicals on a daily basis, and therefore this goes beyond just having the corporations and even the companies comply with the standards set by OSHA but an extra effort to resolve safer products that are of low risk and yet producing same results. Apart from the set limits and standards, OSHA has set final rule whose major provisions is to curb more Occupational Health related hazards to occur. The final rule in each risk management is as a result of continually evolving construction sites, industries and new chemicals in the workplaces. 

Currently, there exists a Final Rule in confined spaces. The major role of this rule is to save lives of workers at construction sites. The law advocates for settlement away from the building site. The confined final rule requires every employee, visitor or employee when at the mining site to always be aware of health hazards and therefore wear certified protective clothing to reduce the chances of exposure to the dangers. The confined spaces final rule also protects the rights of the worker by ensuring that employees work for a particular period and in shifts to curb complications of exhaustion and sleep deficits. 

Another Final Rule is the famous Respirable crystalline silica, Final Rule. This rule is to control diseases related to exposure to elevated amounts of crystalline silica such diseases are in general known as respiratory illness (Ikenberry, 2010). These respirable diseases are as a result of breathing in silica dust at the mining site where drilling of rocks containing silica occurs. These diseases are deadly, and they include the common chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer. The final rule ensures that protective respiratory equipment is available at each workplace that produces silica dust. 

The other Final Rule is the tracking of workplace injuries and last illness law whose role is to improve the communication between OSHA, employers, and employees. The major motivation for the practice is to understand human behavior and motivation at the workplace which also provides adequate information for record keeping with the right of the employees as far as their security is concerned. The means of communication occurs through electronic submission to a public website that belongs to OSHA (Glenn, 2008). Access to injury data reports helps OSHA better their work by enforcing resources and compliance hence make workplaces safer by ensuring that investors, customers and even the job seekers know that companies are handling secure and well-managed facilities. 

New Technological Advances 

Progress in the technological world to curb occupational hazard include nanotechnologies and nanomaterials which include a broad range of improved batteries, engine additives, and new construction materials. The nanomaterials in include transforming solar energy into electricity which is, in turn, useful. Another technology is known as automation of processes and technologies by use of robots and remote control of mobile machines. Use of automation reduces the major risk of human beings getting into contact with the risk. Areas of use include underground mining, manufacturing, and construction. Correct methods of waste collection, sorting and recycling for the creation of energy is a new technology known as waste processing. Waste processing ensures that no harmful substances get into the environment. Equally green transport helps in such a way that the internal combustion of engines improves. Use of electric, hybrid and biofuel road vehicles contribute to reducing the release of carbon (II) oxide to the atmosphere. Currently, the use of hydrogen and fuels in the railways and aircraft improves the efficiency of the engines (Glenn, 2008). 

The innovation of green technology makes many people appreciating the fact that despite hazards in the workplaces, they are secure to work due to the changes and management schemes. These technological innovations are accelerating. Therefore, this means corporates are accessing high-profit margins and hence the need to improve each day. Finally, the green construction technologies in the building industry involve insulation ventilation and heat retaining windows. Equally renewal of energy and preservation of energy by using energy efficient lighting reduces the risk of exposure to hazards hence high economic growth (Glenn, 2008). 

Outlook for the Issue 

The increasingly high levels of health hazards ranging from biological hazards, chemical hazards, psychosocial risks and even the ergonomic hazards raises the eyebrows to each of what next. The expensive medical fees to treat occupationally related diseases are also alarming with no one person to afford those costs (Park, 2012). Even though the employer more often provides medical schemes that are affordable to the employee, it's almost impossible to cater for all such expenses hence a burden for the state. Funds set aside for development would rather be diverted to treating such diseases because it's the solemn duty of the state Government to protect its citizens. 

The federal government should increase OSHA's limited supply of resources to maximize inspection rates at the workplaces in the United States and therefore avoid acting when a catastrophe occur only disorders (Adeyemi et.al, 2013). OSHA, on the other hand, conducts regular scheduled inspections visits to highly rated hazard industries. The scheduled tours possibly are a weakness since when scheduled workplaces are made more formal, and so the OSHA team may end up not noticing any risks. Therefore to increase the efficiency of the OSHA's efforts, I would recommend impromptu visits to high hazard environments for clear objective achievement. 

Finally, revisits to previously inspected industries should have reinforcement to ensure and verify compliance to rule and regulation to avoid occupational health problem rise. Ergonomics training is essential to workers almost all employees. Workers who can work for long hours on the same thing, for example, the office workers adopt poor sitting postures during working hours as they serve their clients. Ergonomics training and regular exercise possess the workers to acquire good and comfortable positions including wearing comfortable outfit. (Adeyemia, et.al, 2013) 

The research that OSHA conducts before establishing the Permissible Exposure Limits should always involve a broad range of sites and workplaces and equally study as many workers from almost all workplace to develop and reinforce their standards. Every occupational hazard possesses a grave danger, and this requires monitoring and management in a more comprehensive and detailed manner (Ikenberry, 2010). For a fast growing economy, people must work, and therefore exposure to the occupational health risks is inevitable. It is, therefore, the responsibility of every citizen to the state to provide relevant information about the health threats for active control before situations worsen. Additionally, for those workers in high health risk exposure, they should always seek medical checkups to study the level of accumulation of toxins in their bodies. The regular medical checkup will enable scientists to know new side effects and provide solutions accordingly. Collectively addressing an issue means working to achieve a common goal who knows there may result in a zero hazard in the future with each responsible. No one person would follow a company because of surpassing limits, but everyone would be more accountable. 

References 

Adeyemia, S. A., Akanbi, O., Ismaila, S., & Adebayo Adekoya, O. (2013). Enhanced Ergonomics Training; A Requisite to Safe Body Postures in Manual Lifting Tasks. Global Journal of Research in Engineering , 13(6). 

Brenner, B., & Cawley, J. C. (2015, January). Occupations most at risk in fatal overhead power line incidents: Using OSHA data to get a better understanding. In 2015 IEEE IAS Electrical Safety Workshop , pp.1-6. 

Deveau, M., Chen, C. P., Johanson, G., Krewski, D., Maier, A., Niven, K. J., ... & Zalk, D. M. (2015). The global landscape of occupational exposure limits—Implementation of harmonization principles to guide border selection. Journal of occupational and environmental hygiene , 12 (1), pp. 127-144. 

Gaskill, C. (2008). Veterinary Toxicology: Basic and Clinical Principles. The Canadian Veterinary Journal , 49 (6), 591. 

Glenn D, D. (2008). Job Safety Analysis: It's Role Today. ProQuest , 56 (3), 48-57. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/openview/456c50e262e495471cb611de120f00b8/1?pq-origsite=gscholar 

Goodman, G., & Flinn, S. (2015). Ergonomic Interventions for Computer Users with Cumulative Trauma Disorders. In International Handbook of Occupational Therapy Interventions . Springer International Publishing. 

Ikenberry, R. (2010). A Contractor's Overview of Fall Protection. Journal of Protective Coatings & Linings, 28. 

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2016). Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses. Final rule. Federal Register, 81(92), pp. 29623. 

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2016). Updating OSHA Standards Based on National Consensus Standards; Eye and Face Protection. Final rule. Federal Register , 81(58), 16085. 

Park, H. S. (2012). A Review on the Relationship of Ergonomics and Industrial Hygiene. Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea, 31(2), 407-411. 

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