Permissible exposure limit
The maximum concentration of an airborne substance permitted under OSHA standards. Many OSHA PELs were adopted in 1971 and have not been updated, making them more permissive than current WEL and OEL values.
Local equivalents exist but use different names or numerical thresholds. Do not apply one jurisdiction's values in another.
Also known as
By jurisdiction
UK HSE
“permissible exposure limit”No equivalentNo equivalent in this jurisdiction.
Irish HSA
“permissible exposure limit”No equivalentNo equivalent in this jurisdiction.
US OSHA
“permissible exposure limit”PELExact equivalentPELs are the legal airborne exposure limits set in 29 CFR 1910 subpart Z (general industry), 1926 subpart Z (construction) and 1915 subpart Z (shipyard). OSHA adopted most PELs from ACGIH TLVs in 1971.
Note: PEL (US), WEL (GB) and OEL (Ireland) are a related family. Do not copy values across jurisdictions.
Practitioner note: OSHA PELs in 29 CFR 1910 Table Z-1 were set in the 1970s and are widely regarded as outdated. OSHA recommends NIOSH RELs and ACGIH TLVs. Check current values in each jurisdiction separately.