Exposure Limits and Pathways
These two types of exposure to FLiBe and other soluble beryllium compounds are regulated by the Federal government to help keep workers safe in hazardous work environments.
What is airborne and dermal (skin) exposure?
A precautionary test covered by AlphaTech, that identifies workers that have been sensitized to beryllium.
What is the BeLPT test?
These types of spills must be reported to the lab manager.
What are all types of spills, both small and large?
This type of control involves using equipment designed to contain beryllium within a closed system to prevent exposure.
What are gloveboxes or closed systems?
True or False: Beryllium-contaminated personal protective clothing or equipment may be removed from the workplace. (Not including waste.)
What is false?
The employer must ensure that no employee is exposed to an airborne concentration of beryllium in excess of 0.2 μg/m3 calculated over 8-hours as a time-weighted average.
What is the the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for airborne beryllium?
A person with three borderline BeLPT test result is concluded to have this condition according to the CFR?
What is beryllium sensitization?
This receptacle, which has six minimum warning labels, is for all solids used to clean up beryllium and beryllium waste.
What is the solid hazardous waste container?
This engineering control uses a system of filters to capture beryllium particles from the air before it is recirculated or exhausted outside.
What is a HEPA filtration system?
This is where safety glasses should be hung after use, as specified in the provided instructions.
What is by the door to the general laboratory?
The employer must ensure that no employee is exposed to an airborne concentration of beryllium in excess of 2.0 μg/m3 as determined over a sampling period of 15 minutes.
What is the Short-Term Exposure Limit (STEL)?
True or False: Tools and equipment needed in beryllium work areas may be shared with the general laboratory if the tools have been cleaned with wet-cleaning procedures between transfers.
What is false?
These receptacles must be sealed or passed into the glovebox and are not permitted in the beryllium work area except for active use.
What are open containers of beryllium-containing substances?
This type of ventilation system is specifically required to capture and control beryllium dust and fumes directly at their source, unlike general laboratory ventilation.
What is local exhaust ventilation?
Tyvek suits, respirators, PAPRs, and non-disposable foot-wear have this in common.
What PPE may be reused?
This is the form of beryllium contact reasonably expected for engineers, researcher/developers, ICP-MS sample preparation, and FLiBe processing and purification.
What is dermal contact?
These supplies are to be kept at each station in the beryllium work area, replenished as frequently as needed, are not to be used on multiple workstations, and should be used instead of brooms or compressed air.
What are wet cleaning methods?
When passing any product or substance in or out of the glovebox, these items must be wiped down using wet-wipes before or at the end of the work shift.
What are the antechamber entrance, tables, workstations, and door handles?
This should be checked to see that the string or ribbon is being sucked up against it to ensure the exhaust is working.
What is the exhaust inlet?
During the PPE removal process in the beryllium laboratory, these specific parts of the Tyvek suit must be wiped down with wet-wipes before the suit is removed and folded.
What are the sleeves near the wrists and the chest/stomach area?
This is the concentration of a hazardous substance in the air, at which specific safety measures must be initiated to protect workers, usually set lower than the permissible exposure limit.
What is the action level?
This form of sampling must be done every month, and should be done for beryllium and general lab areas. If the test results are greater than 3.0 μg/100 cm2 (beryllium lab) or 0.2 μg/100 cm2 (general lab), laboratory work cannot continue until the contamination has been removed.
What is surface (wet) wipe sample testing?
This is the distinguishing factor between a large and small spill in the written exposure control plan.
What is "less than 3 wet-wipes"?
When the employer can establish that such controls are not feasible; or
When the employer can demonstrate that airborne exposure is below the action level, using no fewer than two representative personal breathing zone samples taken at least 7 days apart, for each affected operation.
When is an employer exempt from using engineering controls?
At the designated beryllium laboratory PPE station, this is the correct sequence for removing PPE starting from shoe covers to washing hands.
What is: remove shoe covers one at a time and dispose or wipe down, remove the first layer of gloves and dispose, remove glasses and/or respirator while keeping the second pair of gloves on and clean them, wipe sleeves and chest/stomach of Tyvek suit, remove Tyvek suit and fold, remove the last pair of gloves and dispose, wash hands thoroughly with soap and water?