Factories Act


SCHEDULE 2

(See Rule 41-F)

PERMISSIBLE  LEVELS OF CERTAIN CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES IN WORK ENVIRONMENT

 

Serial

No.

Substance

Permissible limits of exposure

Time-weighted average Concentration (TWA) (8 hrs.)

Short-term exposure limit (STEL) (15 min.)*

 

 

ppm

Mg/m3**

ppm

Mg/m3**

(1)

Acetaldehyde

100

180

150

270

(2)

Acetic Acid

10

25

15

37

(3)

Acetone

750

1780

1000

2375

(4)

Acrolein

0.1

0.25

0.3

0.8

(5)

Acrylonitrile--skin

2

4.5

--

--

(6)

Aldrin Skin

--

0.25

--

0.75

(7)

Allyl Chloride

1

3

2

6

(8)

Ammonia

25

18

35

27

(9)

Aniline---skin

2

10

--

--

(10)

Anisidine (o-pisomers)--Skin

0.1

0.5

--

--

(11)

Arsenic & Compounds (as As)

--

0.2

--

--

(12)

Benzene (H.C.)

0.5

1.5

25

7.5

(13)

Beryllium & compounds *as Be) (S.C.) 

--

0.002

--

--

(14)

Boron  trifluride

1

3

--

--

(15)

Bromine

0.1

0.7

0.3

2

(16)

Butane

800

1900

--

--

(17)

2 Butanon (Methyl-ethyle Ketone-MBK)

200

590

300

885

(18)

n-Butyl acetate

150

710

200

950

(19)

n-Butyl alcohol—skin—C

50

150

--

--

(20)

Sec/tert. Butyl Acetate

200

950

--

--

(21)

Butyl  Mercaptan

0.5

1.5

--

--

(22)

Cadmium-dusts and salts (as Cd)

--

0.05

--

--

(23)

Calcium oxide

--

2

--

--

(24)

Carbaryl (Sevin)

--

5

--

--

(25)

Carbofuran (Furadan)

--

0.1

--

--

(26)

Carbon disulphide—Skin

10

30

--

--

(27)

Carbon monoxide

50

55

400

440

(28)

Carbon terrachloride—Skin (S.C.)

5

30

-

-

(29)

Chlorodane-skin

--

0.5

--

2

(30)

Chlorine

1

3

3

9

(31)

Chlorobenzene (Monochlorobenzene)

75

350

--

--

(32)

Chloroform

10

50

--

--

(33)

bis (Chloromethyl ether (H.C.)

0.001

0.005

--

--

(34)

Chromic acid and chromates (as Cr)

--

0.05

--

--

(35)

Chromic salts (as Cr)

--

0.5

--

--

(36)

Copper fume

--

0.2

--

--

(37)

Cotton dust, raw

--

0.2

--

--

(38)

Cresol, all isomers—skin

5

22

--

--

(39)

Cyanides (as CN)—Skin

--

5

--

--

(40)

Cyanogen

10

20

--

--

(41)

DDT (Dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane)

--

1

--

--

(42)

Demeron—Skin

0.01

0.1

--

--

(43)

Diazinon—Skin

--

0.1

--

--

(44)

Dibutyl Phthalate

--

5

--

--

(45)

Dicholorvos (DDVP)—Skin

0.1

1

--

--

(46)

Dieldrin—Skin

--

0.25

--

--

(47)

Dinitrobenzene (all isomers) –Skin

0.15

1

--

--

(48)

Dinitrotoluene—Skin

--

1.5

--

--

(49)

Diphenyl (Biphenyl)

0.2

1.5

--

--

(50)

Endosulfan (Thiodan)—Skin

--

0.1

--

--

(51)

Endrin—Skin

--

0.1

--

--

(52)

Ethyl acetate

400

1400

--

--

(53)

Ethyl alcohol

1000

1900

--

--

(54)

Ethylamin

10

18

--

--

(55)

Fluorides (as F)

--

2.5

--

--

(56)

Flourine

1

2

2

4

(57)

Formaldehyde(S.C.)

1.0

1.5

2

3

(58)

Formic Acid

5

9

--

--

(59)

Gasoline

300

900

500

1500

(60)   

Hydrazine—Skin (S.C.)

0.1

0.1

--

--

(61)

Hydrogen Chloride-C

5

7

--

--

(62)

Hydrogen cyanide—skin C

10

10

--

--

(63)

Hydrogen  fluoride (as F)—C

3

2.5

--

--

(64)

Hydrogen peroxide

1

1.5

--

--

(66)

Hydrogen  Sulphide

10

14

15

21

(67)

Iodine-C

0.1

1

--

--

(68)

Iron Oxide Fume (Fe2O3) (as Fe)

--

5

--

--

(69)

Isoamyl  acetate

100

525

--

--

(70)

Isoamyl alcohol

100

360

125

450

(71)

Isobutyl alcohol

50

150

--

--

(72)

Lead, inorg, dusts and fames (as Pb)

--

0.15

--

--

(73)

Lindane—Skin

--

0.5

--

--

(74)

Malathion—Skin

--

10

--

--

(75)

Manganese (as Mn) dust  and compounds-C

--

5

--

--

(76)

Manganese Fume (as Mn)

--

1

--

3

(77)

Mercury (as Hg)—Skin

 

 

 

 

(i)  Alkyl compounds

--

0.01

--

0.03

(ii) All forms except alkyl vapour

--

0.05

--

--

(iii)  Aryl and inorganic compounds

--

0.1

--

--

(78)

Methyl  alcohol (Mathanol)-Skin

200

260

250

310

(79)

Methyl  cellosolve (2-Methoxyethanol) -Skin

5

16

--

--

(80)

Methyl  isobutyl Ketone-Skin 

50

205

75

300

(81)

Methyl Isocyanate –skin

0.02

0.05

--

--

(82)

Naphthalene

10

50

15

75

(83)

Nickel carbonyl (as Ni)

0.05

0.35

--

--

(84)

Nitric acid

2

5

4

10

(85)

Nitric  oxide

25

30

--

--

(86)

Nitrobenzen—Skin

1

5

--

--

(87)

Nitrogen  dioxide

3

6

5

10

(88)

Oil mist mineral

--

5

--

10

(89)

Ozone

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.6

(90)

Parathion—Skin

--

0.1

--

--

(91)

Phenol—Skin

5

19

--

--

(92)

Phorate (Thimet)---Skin

--

0.05

--

0.2

(93)

Phosgene (Carbonyl chloride)

0.1

0.4

--

--

(94)

Phosphine

0.3

0.4

1

1

(95)

Phosphoric acid (yellow)

--

1

--

3

(96)

Phosphorus pentachloride

0.1

1

--

--

(97)

Phosphorus trichloride

0.2

1.5

0.5

3

(98)

Picric acid—Skin

--

0.1

--

0.3

(99)

Pyridine

5

15

--

--

(100)

Silane (silicon tetrahydride)

5

7

--

--

(101)

Sodium hydroxide—C

--

2

--

--

(102)

Syrene, monomer (Phenylethylen)

50

215

100

425

(103)

Sulphur dioxide

2

5

5

10

(104)

Sulphur  hexafluoride

1000

6000

--

--

(105)

Sulphuric acid

--

1

--

--

(106)

Tetraethyl lead (as Pb) – Skin

--

0.1

--

--

(107)

Tolune (Toluol)

100

375

150

560

(108)

O-Tuluidine—Skin (S.C.)

2

9

--

--

(109)

Tributyl phosphate

0.2

2.5

--

--

(110)

Trichloroethylene

50

270

200

1080

(111)

Uranium, natural  (as U)

--

0.2

--

0.6

(112)

Vinyl chloride (H.C.)

5

10

--

--

(113)

Welding fumes

--

5

--

--

(114)

Xylene (o-,m-,p-isomers)

100

435

150

655

(115)

Zinc oxide

 

 

 

 

(i) Fume

--

5.0

--

10

(ii) Dust (Total dust)

--

10.00

--

--

(116)

Zirconium compounds (as Zr)

--

5

--

10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Not more than 4 times a day with at least 60 min. interval between successive exposures.

 

*Lint-free dust as measured by the vertical elutriator cotton-dust sampler

ppm,

Parts of vapour or gas prmillion parts of contaminated air by volume at 250 C and 760 mm of Hg.

Mg/m3

Milligra of substance per cubic metere of air

*

Note more than 4 time a day wit at least 60 min. interval between successive exposure.

**

Molecular weight

Mg/m3------------------------- x ppm

24.45

G

Denotes Ceiling Limit

Skin

Denote potential contribution to the overall exposure – by the cutaneous route including mucous membrances and eye

S.C.

Denotes Suspected Human Carcinogen

H.C.

Denote Confirmed Human Carcinogen

C

Denotes ceiling limits.

 

 

Substance

Permissible time – weighted Average concentration (TWA) 8 hours

(i)

Silica SiO2

(a)     Crystalline

(i)       Quartz

                                                       10600

(1)     In terms of dust count -------------------- mppcm

                                         % Quartz + 10

 

                                                                        10

(2)     In terms of respirable dust --------------------------------- mg/m3

                                                  % respirable quartz + 2

                                                          30

(3)     In terms of total dust ------------------------ mg/m3

                                           % quartz + 3

 

(ii) Cristabalite

Half the limits given against quartz

 

(iii) Tridymite

Half the limits given against guartz

 

(iv) Silica fused

Same limit as for quartz.

 

(v)     Tripoli

 

Same limit as in formula in item 2 given against quartz.

 

(b) Amorphous Silicates

10 mg/m3 Total dust

 

Asbestos (H.C.)

(a) Amonite - 0.5 fibre/cc ***
(b) Chrystolite - 1.5 fibre/cc ***
(c) Crocidolite - 0.2 fibre/cc ***

 

Portland Cement

10 mg/m3,total dust containing less than 1% quartz

 

Coal Dust

2 mg/m3,respirable dust fraction containing less than 5% quartz

 

mppcm = Million particles per cubic metre of air, based on impinger samples counted by light – field techniques.

*** (i) For fibres greater than five microns in length and less than 5 microns in breadth with length to breadth ratio equal to or no greater than 3:1.
(ii)  As determined by the membrane filter  method at 400-450x magnification (5 mm objective) phase contrast illumination.

 

Respirable Dust :

Fraction passing a size -  selector with the following characteristics :

 

Aerodynamic Diameter (u m) (unit density sphere)

% passing selector

2

90

2.5

75

3.5

50

5.0

25

10

0