1910.1043(c): Permissible exposure limits and action levels
Key takeaways
- 1910.1043(c) is part of OSHA's general industry standards (29 CFR Part 1910).
- Related part: 1910.1043(c)(1) Permissible exposure limits (PEL).
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What this rule covers
29 CFR 1910.1043(c) ("Permissible exposure limits and action levels") is one requirement inside 1910.1043 Cotton dust, an OSHA general industry standard (Part 1910). It includes 8 sub-paragraphs. 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
(c) Permissible exposure limits and action levels —
(1) Permissible exposure limits (PEL). Open (c)(1)
(i) The employer shall assure that no employee who is exposed to cotton dust in yarn manufacturing and cotton washing operations is exposed to airborne concentrations of lint-free respirable cotton dust greater than 200 µg/m3 mean concentration, averaged over an eight-hour period, as measured be a vertical elutriator or an equivalent instrument.
(ii) The employer shall assure that no employee who is exposed to cotton dust in textile mill waste house operations or is exposed in yarn manufacturing to dust from “lower grade washed cotton” as defined in paragraph (n)(5) of this section is exposed to airborne concentrations of lint-free respirable cotton dust greater than 500 µg/m3 mean concentration, averaged over an eight-hour period, as measured by a vertical elutriator or an equivalent instrument.
(iii) The employer shall assure that no employee who is exposed to cotton dust in the textile processes known as slashing and weaving is exposed to airborne concentrations of lint-free respirable cotton dust greater than 750 µg/m3 mean concentration, averaged over an eight hour period, as measured by a vertical elutriator or an equivalent instrument.
(2) Action levels.
(i) The action level for yarn manufacturing and cotton washing operations is an airborne concentration of lint-free respirable cotton dust of 100 µg/m3 mean concentration, averaged over an eight-hour period, as measured by a vertical elutriator or an equivalent instrument.
(ii) The action level for waste houses for textile operations is an airborne concentration of lint-free respirable cotton dust of 250 µg/m3 mean concentration, averaged over an eight-hour period, as measured by a vertical elutriator or an equivalent instrument.
(iii) The action level for the textile processes known as slashing and weaving is an airborne concentration of lint-free respirable cotton dust of 375 µg/m3 mean concentration, averaged over an eight-hour period, as measured by a vertical elutriator or an equivalent instrument.
Source: eCFR, text current as of 2026-10-15. Read all of 1910.1043.
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Sources
- 29 CFR 1910.1043 (eCFR), text current as of 2026-10-15
- U.S. Department of Labor enforcement data: OSHA inspections, citations and accident records, copied nightly
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.