This chemical inventory is OSHA's premier one-stop shop for occupational chemical information. It compiles information from several government agencies and organizations. Information available on the pages includes:

• Chemical identification and physical properties
• Exposure limits
• Sampling information, and
• Additional resources.

OSHA Standards and Exposure Limits

Employers must comply with a number of standards where employees are potentially exposed to chemical hazards. These include OSHA's Permissible Exposure Limits PELs for about 400 substances, which can be found as follows:

• General Industry: 29 CFR 1910.1000, Toxic and Hazardous Substances
  • Air contaminants and Z1, Z2, Z3 tables
  • 29 CFR 1910.1001 - 29 CFR 1910.1018
  • 29 CFR 1910.1025- 29 CFR 1910.1053
• Construction: 29 CFR 1926.1101, Toxic and Hazardous Substances
  • 29 CFR 1926.1101 – 29 CFR 1926.1153
• Maritime: 29 CFR 1915.1000, Toxic and Hazardous Substances
  • Substance-specific standards

OSHA's PELs are included in the "Exposure Limits" table for individual chemicals in the database. In addition, OSHA has separate substance-specific standards, which can be found in the "Notes" section of the "Exposure Limits" table.

Other OSHA standards that generally apply to hazardous substances include the Hazard Communication standard (1910.1200) and the Respiratory Protection standard (1910.134). Employers may also need to provide personal protective clothing (1910.132) where there is a potential hazard from skin contact with chemicals, or eye and face protection to guard against chemical splashes (1910.133).