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Safety and Health Topics / Hydrogen Sulfide

Hydrogen Sulfide
Hydrogen Sulfide Menu
Standards
Hydrogen sulfide exposure addressed in specific OSHA standards for general industry, shipyard employment and
construction. This section highlights OSHA standards and documents related to hydrogen sulfide.

OSHA Standards

General Industry (29 CFR 1910) Related Information

Subpart G – 1910.94, Ventilation Congressional Testimonies

Occupational Health and Federal Register notices
Environmental Control Letters of interpretation

Subpart H – Hazardous 1910.119, Process safety management of highly Topic Page

Materials hazardous chemicals Appendices to standard
Directives
Federal Register notices
Letters of interpretation
Settlement agreements

Subpart I – Personal Appendices to standard

Protective Equipment
1910.134, Respiratory protection Topic Page
Directives
Federal Register notices
Letters of interpretation
Settlement agreements

Subpart J – General 1910.146, Permit-required confined spaces Appendices to standard

Environmental Controls Directives
Federal Register notices
Letters of interpretation
Settlement agreements

Subpart Z – Toxic and 1910.1000, Air contaminants Directives

Hhazardous Substances Federal Register notices
Letters of interpretation
Settlement agreements

1910.1200, Hazard communication Appendices to standard

Congressional Testimonies
Directives
Federal Register notices
Memorandums of understanding
Letters of interpretation
Settlement agreements

1910.1450, Occupational exposure to hazardous Appendices to standard

chemicals in laboratories Directives
Federal Register notices
Letters of interpretation
/
 Maritime (29 CFR 1915, 1917, 1918) Related Information

1915 Subpart B – 1915.12, Precautions and the order of testing Federal Register notices
Confined and Enclosed before entering confined and enclosed spaces and
Spaces and Other other dangerous atmospheres
Dangerous Atmospheres
in Shipyard Employment

1915 Subpart Z – Toxic 1915.1000, Air contaminants Directives

and Hazardous Federal Register notices
Substances Letters of interpretation

1917 Subpart A – 1917.1, Scope and applicability Federal Register notices

General Provisions Letters of interpretation

1917 Subpart D – 1917.73, Terminal facilities handling menhaden and

Specialized Terminals similar species of fish

1918 Subpart A – 1918.1, Scope and application Federal Register notices

General Provisions
1918.94(f), Ventilation and atmospheric conditions.
Employees shall not enter the hold when the
hydrogen sulfide level exceeds 20 ppm ceiling or
when the oxygen content is less than 19.5 percent,
except in emergencies.

1918 Subpart I – 1918.94, Catch of menhaden and similar species of

General Working fish
Conditions

Construction (29 CFR 1926) Related Information

Subpart D – 1926.55, Gases, vapors, fumes, dusts, and mists Appendices to standard
Occupational Health and Directives
Environmental Controls Federal Register notices
Letters of interpretation
Settlement agreements

Subpart S – 1926.800, Underground construction Directives

Underground Federal Register notices
Construction, Caissons, Letters of interpretation
Cofferdams, and
Compressed Air

Additional Letters of Interpretation

(supplementary guidance that clarifies the application of an established Agency policy or procedure)
Note: The “Letters of interpretation” bullets above link to letters related to each OSHA standard. The letters in this list
provide additional information that is not necessarily connected to a specific OSHA standard highlighted on this Safety
and Health Topics page.
Post-emergency response and medical surveillance requirements of HAZWOPER. (August 5, 1993).
Interpretation of OSHA requirements for personal protective equipment to be used during marine oil spill emergency
response operations. (September 11, 1995).
Potentially hazardous amine absorber pressure vessels used in refinery processing. (April 11, 1986).
Interpretation of "high degree of acute toxicity" under the laboratory standard. (July 30, 1990).
OSHA's policy on classification of a wet well as a Class 1, Division 1 location. (November 5, 1979).
Fires involving spills or releases of hazardous substances. (June 17, 1991).

Worker Exposure Limits (Enforceable)

General Industry: 29 CFR 1910.1000 TABLE Z-2, Toxic and hazardous substances
Exposures must not exceed 20 parts per million (ppm) (ceiling) with the following exception: if no other measurable
exposure occurs during the 8-hour work shift, exposures may exceed 20 ppm, but not more than 50 ppm (peak), for
a single time period up to 10 minutes.

Construction: 29 CFR 1926.55 Appendix A, Gases, vapors, fumes, dusts, and mists
Sets exposure limit of 10 ppm (15 mg/m3) time-weighted average (TWA)

Shipyard: 29 CFR 1915.1000 Table Z, Air contaminants /

 Sets exposure limit of 10 ppm (15 mg/m3) TWA

Other Exposure Limits for Hydrogen Sulfide

NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limit (REL): 10 ppm, 10-minute ceiling

Concentration considered immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH): 100 ppm

ACGIH® recommends a threshold limit value (TLV®) of 1 ppm as an 8-hour time weighted average (TWA) and a short-
term exposure limit (STEL) of 5 ppm.

29 CFR 1910.119 App A, List of highly hazardous chemicals, toxics and reactives (mandatory). Hydrogen sulfide is
included in these lists of toxic and reactive highly hazardous chemicals and is considered to present a potential for a
catastrophic event at or above 1500 pounds.

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

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