Occupational Exposure Limits for Hazardous Agents in the Workplace - Part 1: Chemical Hazardous Agents (GBZ 2.1-2019), issued by the National Health Commission on August 27, 2019, and officially implemented on April 1, 2020, is a mandatory national occupational health standard. The list of occupational exposure limits for chemical hazardous agents in air includes 359 chemical substances, covering various industrial chemicals such as inorganic compounds, organic solvents, pesticides, heavy metal compounds, irritant/asphyxiating gases, aromatic/halogenated hydrocarbons, aldehydes/ketones/acids/esters, etc. It specifies the occupational exposure limits (PC-TWA, PC-STEL, MAC) for these chemicals, describes adverse health effects associated with each substance, and provides special risk warnings for some substances, including carcinogenicity, skin absorption, and sensitization indicators.
► In the workplace, employers should ensure that the concentrations of chemical hazardous agents comply with the limit requirements of PC-TWA (Permissible Concentration-Time Weighted Average), PC-STEL (Permissible Concentration-Short Term Exposure Limit), or MAC (Maximum Allowable Concentration). For substances marked with "skin" (indicating skin absorption risk), assessment of dermal exposure pathways is required; for substances marked with "sensitization," occupational allergy prevention and control measures should be established; and for substances marked with "G1/G2" (carcinogenicity), the strictest control measures should be implemented, with priority given to substitution.
► In addition to meeting the limit requirements, employers should also implement the principle of engineering controls as a priority in the workplace, set up effective ventilation and exhaust facilities, provide qualified personal protective equipment, conduct routine monitoring and regular testing of hazardous agents, and perform regular occupational health examinations for exposed personnel.
► When the actual exposure level of workers reaches the action level (typically 50% of the OEL, depending on the workplace environment and the hazardous agents involved), employers need to take further control measures and increase monitoring frequency to ensure risks are controllable.
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