(1) General.

(a) Each employer who has a workplace or work operation covered by this section must determine if any employee may be exposed to cadmium at or above the action level.

(b) Determinations of employee exposure must be made from breathing zone air samples that reflect the monitored employee's regular, daily 8-hour TWA exposure to cadmium.

(c) 8-hour TWA exposures must be determined for each employee on the basis of one or more personal breathing zone air samples reflecting full shift exposure on each shift, for each job classification, in each work area. Where several employees perform the same job tasks, in the same job classification, on the same shift, in the same work area, and the length, duration, and level of cadmium exposures are similar, an employer may sample a representative fraction of the employees instead of all employees in order to meet this requirement. In representative sampling, the employer must sample the employee(s) expected to have the highest cadmium exposures.

(2) Specific.

(a) Initial monitoring. Except as provided for in (b) and (c) of this subsection, the employer must monitor employee exposures and must base initial determinations on the monitoring results.

(b) Where the employer has monitored after September 14, 1991, under conditions that in all important aspects closely resemble those currently prevailing and where that monitoring satisfies all other requirements of this section, including the accuracy and confidence levels of subsection (6) of this section, the employer may rely on such earlier monitoring results to satisfy the requirements of WAC 296-62-07427 (2)(a).

(c) Where the employer has objective data, as defined in WAC 296-62-07427(2), demonstrating that employee exposure to cadmium will not exceed the action level under the expected conditions of processing, use, or handling, the employer may rely upon such data instead of implementing initial monitoring.

(3) Monitoring frequency (periodic monitoring).

(a) If the initial monitoring or periodic monitoring reveals employee exposures to be at or above the action level, the employer must monitor at a frequency and pattern needed to represent the levels of exposure of employees and where exposures are above the PEL to ensure the adequacy of respiratory selection and the effectiveness of engineering and work practice controls. However, such exposure monitoring must be performed at least every six months. The employer, at a minimum, must continue these semiannual measurements unless and until the conditions set out in (b) of this subsection are met.

(b) If the initial monitoring or the periodic monitoring indicates that employee exposures are below the action level and that result is confirmed by the results of another monitoring taken at least seven days later, the employer may discontinue the monitoring for those employees whose exposures are represented by such monitoring.

(4) Additional monitoring. The employer also must institute the exposure monitoring required under (2)(a) and (3) of this section whenever there has been a change in the raw materials, equipment, personnel, work practices, or finished products that may result in additional employees being exposed to cadmium at or above the action level or in employees already exposed to cadmium at or above the action level being exposed above the PEL, or whenever the employer has any reason to suspect that any other change might result in such further exposure.

(5) Employee notification of monitoring results.

(a) Within fifteen working days after the receipt of the results of any monitoring performed under this section, the employer must notify each affected employee individually in writing of the results. In addition, within the same time period the employer must post the results of the exposure monitoring in an appropriate location that is accessible to all affected employees.

(b) Wherever monitoring results indicate that employee exposure exceeds the PEL, the employer must include in the written notice a statement that the PEL has been exceeded and a description of the corrective action being taken by the employer to reduce employee exposure to or below the PEL.

(6) Accuracy of measurement. The employer must use a method of monitoring and analysis that has an accuracy of not less than plus or minus twenty-five percent, with a confidence level of ninety-five percent, for airborne concentrations of cadmium at or above the action level, the permissible exposure limit (PEL), and the separate engineering control air limit (SECAL).