Section 296-849-100. Scope.

This chapter applies to all occupational exposure to benzene.

Definition:

Exposure is the contact an employee has with benzene, whether or not protection is provided by respirators or other personal protective equipment (PPE). Exposure can occur through various routes of entry such as inhalation, ingestion, skin contact, or skin absorption.

Exemptions:	This chapter does not apply to any of the following:
	• Liquids, vapors, mixtures in containers or pipelines, and gas in natural gas processing plants when benzene content is 0.1% or less.
	• Gasoline and other fuels containing benzene once they leave the final bulk wholesale facility and are being:
	– Transported;
	– Sold;
	– Distributed;
	– Stored;
	– Dispensed either:
	■ Outdoors;
	OR
	■ Indoors four hours or less a day.
	– Used as a fuel.
	• Oil and gas drilling, production, and servicing operations.
	• Solid materials that contain only trace amounts of benzene.
	• Coke ovens.

All requirements in this chapter will not apply to every workplace with an occupational exposure. The following will show you which requirements apply to your workplace.

Step 1: If any of your work tasks are listed in Table 1, follow Table 1.

• Go to Step 2a if you have additional work tasks or other exposures that are not covered in Table 1.

Table 1

Requirements That Apply to Specific Tasks

Step 2a: Follow requirements in the basic rules sections, WAC 296-849-11010 through 296-849-11090, for tasks not listed in Table 1.

• This includes completing an exposure evaluation, as specified in Exposure evaluations, WAC 296-849-11030, to:

– Obtain employee fifteen-minute and eight-hour exposure monitoring results of airborne benzene;

AND

– Determine if employee exposure monitoring results are above, at, or below these values:

■ Eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA8) . . . . . . . . 1 parts per million (ppm).

■ Fifteen-minute short-term exposure limit (STEL) . . . . 5 ppm.

■ Eight-hour action level (AL) . . . . . . . . 0.5 ppm.

Step 2b: Use employee exposure monitoring results from Step 2a and follow Table 2 to find out which additional sections of this chapter apply to your workplace.

Table 2

Section Application

[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060 and 29 C.F.R. 1910 Subpart Z. WSR 14-07-086, § 296-849-100, filed 3/18/14, effective 5/1/14. Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060. WSR 07-03-163, § 296-849-100, filed 1/24/07, effective 4/1/07; WSR 05-13-152, § 296-849-100, filed 6/21/05, effective 8/1/05; WSR 05-01-172, § 296-849-100, filed 12/21/04, effective 3/1/05.]

RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060 and 29 C.F.R. 1910 Subpart Z. WSR 14-07-086, § 296-849-100, filed 3/18/14, effective 5/1/14. Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060. WSR 07-03-163, § 296-849-100, filed 1/24/07, effective 4/1/07; WSR 05-13-152, § 296-849-100, filed 6/21/05, effective 8/1/05; WSR 05-01-172, § 296-849-100, filed 12/21/04, effective 3/1/05.

Rules

296-849-11010,296-849-11090,296-849-11030,