Occupational exposure limit values (OELs)

Occupational exposure limit values are an important tool for the protection of employees from risks to their health and safety due to hazardous substances. According to Art. 3, Sec. 6 of the German Hazardous Substances Ordinance (GefStoffV), the occupational exposure limits (Arbeitsplatzgrenzwerte - AGW) state the concentration of a substance below which acute or chronic harmful effects on health are not generally expected. OELs are thus based exclusively on available occupational medical experience and toxicological findings.

OELs (AGW) for chemical substances in workplace air are derived or evaluated by the Committee on Hazardous Substances (Hazardous Substances Commission, Ausschuss für Gefahrstoffe - AGS) according to the criteria of the BekGS 901 „Kriterien zur Ableitung von Arbeitsplatzgrenzwerten“ (GMBl. 2010, No. 32, p. 691) and published in the TRGS 900. The AGS evaluates OEL proposals from the following sources:

• The MAK values of the DFG Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area (DFG: German Research Foundation)
• The indicative OELs of the European Commission
• International limit values (e.g. from the Netherlands)

The Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in Germany is publishing the OELs from 2007 onwards in the Joint Ministerial Gazette (Gemeinsames Ministerialblatt) and in the Federal Gazette (Bundesanzeiger). Information on OELs is contained in the following:

• GESTIS database - International limit values for chemical agents
• GESTIS substance database with facts and figures on hazardous substances
• Gefahrstoffliste (Hazardous Substances List) online (in German)
• Grenzwerteliste 2008 (Limit Value List) online (in German)
• TRGS 900 (in German)
• European Commission, Criteria documents for Occupational Exposure Limits.