WAC 296-62-07361   Exposure monitoring.  (1) General.

     (a) Determinations of employee exposure shall be made from breathing zone air samples that are representative of the eight-hour TWA and fifteen-minute short-term exposures of each employee.

     (b) Representative eight-hour TWA employee exposure shall be determined on the basis of one or more samples representing full-shift exposure for each shift for each job classification in each work area. Representative fifteen-minute short-term employee exposures shall be determined on the basis of one or more samples representing fifteen-minute exposures associated with operations that are most likely to produce exposures above the excursion limit for each shift for each job classification in each work area.

     (c) Where the employer can document that exposure levels are equivalent for similar operations in different work shifts, the employer need only determine representative employee exposure for that operation during one shift.

     (2) Initial monitoring.

     (a) Each employer who has a workplace or work operation covered by WAC 296-62-07355 through 296-62-07389, except as provided in WAC 296-62-07355 (2) or (b) of this subsection, shall perform initial monitoring to determine accurately the airborne concentrations of EtO to which employees may be exposed.

     (b) Where the employer has monitored after June 15, 1983, and the monitoring satisfies all other requirements of WAC 296-62-07355 through 296-62-07389, the employer may rely on such earlier monitoring results to satisfy the requirements of (a) of this subsection.

     (c) Where the employer has previously monitored for the excursion limit and the monitoring satisfies all other requirements of this section, the employer may rely on such earlier monitoring results to satisfy the requirements of (a) of this subsection.

     (3) Monitoring frequency (periodic monitoring).

     (a) If the monitoring required by subsection (2) of this section reveals employee exposure at or above the action level but at or below the eight-hour TWA, the employer shall repeat such monitoring for each such employee at least every six months.

     (b) If the monitoring required by subsection (2)(a) of this section reveals employee exposure above the eight-hour TWA, the employer shall repeat such monitoring for each such employee at least every three months.

     (c) The employer may alter the monitoring schedule from quarterly to semiannually for any employee for whom two consecutive measurements taken at least seven days apart indicate that the employee's exposure has decreased to or below the eight-hour TWA.

     (d) If the monitoring required by subsection (2)(a) of this section reveals employee exposure above the fifteen-minute excursion limit, the employer shall repeat such monitoring for each such employee at least every three months, and more often as necessary to evaluate the employee's short-term exposures.

     (4) Termination of monitoring.

     (a) If the initial monitoring required by subsection (2)(a) of this section reveals employee exposure to be below the action level, the employer may discontinue TWA monitoring for those employees whose exposures are represented by the initial monitoring.

     (b) If the periodic monitoring required by subsection (3) of this section reveals that employee exposures, as indicated by at least two consecutive measurements taken at least seven days apart, are below the action level, the employer may discontinue TWA monitoring for those employees whose exposures are represented by such monitoring.

     (c) If the initial monitoring required by subsection (2)(a) of this section reveals the employee exposure to be at or below the excursion limit, the employer may discontinue excursion limit monitoring for those employees whose exposures are represented by the initial monitoring.

     (d) If the periodic monitoring required by subsection (3) of this section reveals that employee exposures, as indicated by at least two consecutive measurements taken at least seven days apart, are at or below the excursion limit, the employer may discontinue excursion limit monitoring for those employees whose exposures are represented by such monitoring.

     (5) Additional monitoring. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (4) of this section, the employer shall institute the exposure monitoring required under subsections (2)(a) and (3) of this section whenever there has been a change in the production, process, control equipment, personnel or work practices that may result in new or additional exposures to EtO or when the employer has any reason to suspect that a change may result in new or additional exposures.

     (6) Accuracy of monitoring.

     (a) Monitoring shall be accurate, to a confidence level of ninety-five percent, to within plus or minus twenty-five percent for airborne concentrations of EtO at the 1 ppm TWA and to within plus or minus thirty-five percent for airborne concentrations of EtO at the action level of 0.5 ppm.

     (b) Monitoring shall be accurate, to a confidence level of ninety-five percent, to within plus or minus thirty-five percent for airborne concentrations of EtO at the excursion limit.

     (7) Employee notification of monitoring results.

     (a) The employer shall, within fifteen working days after the receipt of the results of any monitoring performed under WAC 296-62-07355 through 296-62-07389, notify the affected employee of these results in writing either individually or by posting of results in an appropriate location that is accessible to affected employees.

     (b) The written notification required by (a) of this subsection shall contain the corrective action being taken by the employer to reduce employee exposure to or below the TWA and/or excursion limit, wherever monitoring results indicated that the TWA and/or excursion limit has been exceeded.



[Statutory Authority: Chapter 49.17 RCW. 88-23-054 (Order 88-25), § 296-62-07361, filed 11/14/88; 87-24-051 (Order 87-24), § 296-62-07361, filed 11/30/87.]