If you believe you have been exposed to an unknown and/or hazardous chemical and you are not involved in an ongoing emergency situation, please contact the EH&S Hotline at 310-825-9797, Mailbox 1. It is an employee’s right to request an evaluation from their employer to determine whether an exposure assessment is needed.

Cal/OSHA requires that all employers measure an employee’s exposure to any substance regulated by a standard which requires monitoring if there is reason to believe that exposure levels for that substance exceed the action level (or in the absence of an action level, the exposure limit). Repeated monitoring may be required if initial monitoring identifies employee exposure over the action level or permissible exposure limit (PEL).

Cal/OSHA regulates PELs for airborne contaminants to which nearly all workers may be exposed daily during a 40-hour workweek for a working lifetime (of 40 years) without adverse effect, and are based upon an 8-hour Time-Weighted Average (TWA) exposure. Thus, the PELs are the maximum permitted 8-hour TWA concentration of an airborne contaminant without the use of respiratory protection. Cal/OSHA has also defined Short Term Exposure Limits (STELs) as the maximum TWA exposure during any 15-minute period, provided the daily PEL is not exceeded and Ceiling (C) exposures that shall not be exceeded at any time.

Cal/OSHA has listed established PELs, STELs and Ceiling exposures for chemical contaminants identified in CCR Title 8 Section 5155 (Airborne Contaminants) Table AC-1. In the absence of a published Ceiling limit, Cal/OSHA requires employee exposure to concentrations above the PEL be controlled to prevent harmful effects. Further, Cal/OSHA has promulgated specific standards covering several regulated carcinogens, which may include an Action Level (AL), triggering medical surveillance requirements or the imposition of a specific Excursion Limit (such as for asbestos) with a unique measurement of the duration of an exposure.

Additionally, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 requires Cal/EPA to publish annually a list of Proposition 65 chemicals known to the State to cause cancer or other reproductive toxicity.

When is an exposure assessment necessary?

All University employees require protection from exposure to hazardous chemicals above PELs, STELs and Ceiling concentrations. Exposure assessments are conducted in an event that an individual may have been potentially exposed to hazardous chemicals. Cal/OSHA requires the person supervising, directing or evaluating the exposure assessment monitoring be competent in the practice of industrial hygiene. Thus, exposure assessment should be performed only by representatives of EH&S and not the PI/Laboratory Supervisor. EH&S utilizes various methods when assessing exposure to hazardous chemicals including employee interviews, visual observation of chemical use, evaluation of engineering controls, use of direct reading instrumentation, or the collection of analytical samples from the employee’s breathing zone General questions regarding exposure assessment or the Industrial Hygiene Program can be directed to indhyg@ehs.ucla.edu or 310-794-5080. 

The assessment evaluation will look at the various ways to minimize potentially harmful exposure using a combination of engineering controls, administrative controls and personal protective equipment, listed in order of priority. Personal exposure assessment will be performed under either of the following situations:

1. EH&S determines an exposure assessment is warranted by reviewing chemical inventories, reviewing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), types of engineering controls present, laboratory inspection results and/or reviewing the annual Laboratory Hazard Assessment Tool.; or
2. User of a hazardous chemical has reason to believe exposure is not minimized or eliminated through use of engineering controls or administrative practices (such as transfer of a chemical through a double needle performed entirely in a fume hood) and the potential for exposure exists. The user should then inform his or her PI/Laboratory Supervisor, who will in turn contact the EH&S Industrial Hygiene Program, EH&S Radiation Safety Division, EH&S Injury Prevention Division, or the University’s Occupational Health Facility (OHF). EH&S and OHF will then determine the best course of action in assessing employee exposure, including visual assessment, air monitoring, medical evaluation, examination, or medical surveillance.; or
3. A regulatory requirement exists to perform an initial and if warranted periodic monitoring.

In the event of any serious injury or exposure, including chemical splash involving dermal or eye contact, immediately call 911 from a campus phone or 310-825-1491 from an off-campus or cell phone and obtain medical treatment immediately. Do not wait for an exposure assessment to be performed before seeking medical care. 

Medical Evaluation

All employees, student workers, medical health services volunteers, or laboratory personnel who work with hazardous chemicals shall have an opportunity to receive an employer-provided medical evaluation, including supplemental examinations which the evaluating physician determines necessary, under the following circumstances:

• Whenever an employee develops signs or symptoms associated with a hazardous chemical to which an employee may have been exposed in a laboratory; 
• Where personal monitoring indicates exposure to a hazardous chemical is above a Cal/OSHA Action Level (AL) or Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) or recommended exposure levels established by the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) or the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) in the event Cal/OSHA has not established an AL or PEL for a particular hazardous chemical;
• Whenever an uncontrolled event takes place in the work area such as a spill, leak, explosion, fire, etc., resulting in the likelihood of exposure to a hazardous chemical; or
• Upon reasonable request of the employee to discuss medical issues and health concerns regarding work-related exposure to hazardous chemicals.

All work-related medical evaluations and examinations will be performed under the direction of UCLA’s OHF by licensed physicians or staff under the direct supervision of a licensed physician. Evaluations and examinations will be provided without cost to the employee, without loss of pay, and at a reasonable time and place.

Any researcher who exhibits signs and symptoms of adverse health effects from work-related exposure to a hazardous chemical should report immediately for a medical evaluation to either:

• Employees- UCLA’s Occupational Health Facility
• Students- Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center.  

Refer to your Department’s Injury & Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) for procedures on how to obtain medical evaluation under the above-listed circumstances.

Information to Provide to the Clinician

At the time of the medical evaluation, the following information shall be provided to OHF:

1. Personal information such as age, weight and University employee ID number; 
2. Common and/or International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) name of the hazardous chemicals to which the individual may have been exposed;
3. A description of the conditions under which the exposure occurred;
4. Quantitative exposure data, if available;
5. A description of the signs and symptoms of exposure that the employee is experiencing, if any;
6. A copy of the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) of the hazardous chemical in question;
7. History of exposure including previous employment and non-occupational (recreational) hobbies; and
8. Any additional information helpful to OHF in assessing or treating an exposure or injury such as a biological component of exposure or existence of an antitoxin.

Physician’s Written Opinion

For evaluation or examinations required by Cal/OSHA, the employer shall receive a written opinion from the examining physician which shall include the following:

1. Recommendation for further medical follow-up;
2. Results of the medical examination and any associated tests, if requested by the employee; 
3. Any medical condition which may be revealed in the course of the examination which may place the employee at increased risk as a result of exposure to a hazardous chemical found in the workplace; and
4. A statement that the employee has been informed by the physician of the results of the consultation or medical examination and any medical condition that may require further examination or treatment.