1910.1052(c)(2): Short-Term Exposure Limit for Methylene Chloride
Employers must make sure no employee breathes air with methylene chloride (MC) above 125 parts per million (125 ppm), measured over a 15-minute sampling period.
Key takeaways
- 1910.1052(c)(2) is part of OSHA's general industry standards (29 CFR Part 1910).
- OSHA cited it 13 times in the last 3 years, in 13 inspections, with $24,666 in current penalties.
- 1 death is linked to inspections that cited this rule.
- Most citations: WI (3), CO (3), PA (1).
- Related part: 1910.1052(c) Permissible exposure limits (PELs) (20 citations).
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In this article
What this rule covers
29 CFR 1910.1052(c)(2) ("Short-term exposure limit (STEL)") is one requirement inside 1910.1052 Methylene chloride, an OSHA general industry standard (Part 1910). The official text below is copied word for word from the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR). The numbers, injury cases and training on this page show how OSHA enforces it on real job sites.
Official text
(2) Short-term exposure limit (STEL). The employer shall ensure that no employee is exposed to an airborne concentration of MC in excess of one hundred and twenty-five parts of MC per million parts of air (125 ppm) as determined over a sampling period of fifteen minutes. 13 citations
Source: eCFR, text current as of 2026-10-15. Read all of 1910.1052.
Export the list: 13 inspections cited 1910.1052(c)(2) in the last 3 years, with employer, location, penalty and date.
Purple Belt, $59/moInjuries linked to this rule
1 death is linked to inspections where OSHA cited 1910.1052(c)(2).
At 7:10 p.m. on October 29, 2024, an employee was scraping paint from a bathtub using a paint stripper containing 70-90% methylene chloride (Hoodstrip-888 Semi Paste Remover). The employee became unconscious due to inhaling methylene chloride vapors above the short-term exposure limit (STEL) and subsequently…
Where and how often it was cited
| Year | Citations |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 6 |
| 2025 | 3 |
| 2026 | 4 |
Top states: WI (3), CO (3), PA (1), MD (1), NY (1)
Largest penalties
| Employer | Location | Penalty for this rule |
|---|---|---|
| THE SAYLES COMPANY LLC | COLUMBUS, OH | $9,268 |
| HAUSE LABS LLC | DENVER, CO | $6,334 |
| ATLANTIC MANUFACTURING & LOGISTICS | AURORA, CO | $4,839 |
| PANTHER POWDER COATING, LLC | SPANISH FORK, UT | $2,100 |
| EVERGLAZE, LLC | NOTTINGHAM, MD | $1,250 |
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OSHA interpretation letters
None exist. OSHA has not published a letter of interpretation for 1910.1052(c)(2).
Related parts of this rule
- 1910.1052(c) Permissible exposure limits (PELs) 20 citations
- 1910.1052(c)(1) Eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA) PEL 7 citations
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Frequently asked questions
What is the short-term exposure limit for methylene chloride?
125 ppm, measured over a sampling period of fifteen minutes.
Who is responsible for keeping exposure under the STEL?
The employer must ensure no employee is exposed above it.
How long is the STEL sampling period?
Fifteen minutes.
About this page
Sources
- 29 CFR 1910.1052 (eCFR), text current as of 2026-10-15
- U.S. Department of Labor enforcement data: OSHA inspections, citations and accident records, copied nightly; data as of 2026-11-06
3-year window. Federal OSHA only; state-plan rules are not counted. Plain-language text is a summary, not legal advice; the official text controls. Black Belt Safety is not part of OSHA or the Department of Labor.