---
title: "OSHA Benzene Standard: PEL, STEL, Action Level | Aethair"
description: "OSHA Benzene Standard (29 CFR 1910.1028) limit values for BTEX / speciated VOC: every value and averaging period, who the standard applies to, and the…"
url: https://aethair.io/standards/osha_benzene/
---

Compliance · US OSHA 1910.1028

# OSHA Benzene Standard (29 CFR 1910.1028)

Occupational: benzene (USA)

OSHA's benzene standard, **29 CFR 1910.1028**, sets the legal exposure limits for benzene: a **permissible exposure limit of 1 ppm as an 8-hour time-weighted average**, a **short-term exposure limit of 5 ppm over any 15-minute period**, and an **action level of 0.5 ppm (8-hour TWA)** that triggers periodic monitoring and medical surveillance. Benzene is a human carcinogen that causes leukemia, so the standard adds regulated areas, engineering controls, respirators, and medical surveillance to the limits.

[Schedule a call](https://calendly.com/d/ctdd-mkr-v9v/aethair-demo-website) [Configure OSHA benzene Monitoring](https://aethair.io/build/?params=btex)

At a glance

**US OSHA 1910.1028** Occupational: benzene (USA)

1 parameter · 3 limit values

[BTEX / speciated VOC](https://aethair.io/parameters/btex/)

1 device measures them all

- **Thiamis** Defiant Technologies Specialty Air Analyzers

[Official text from US OSHA 1910.1028](https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1028)

Limit values

## OSHA benzene Limit Values

Every value US OSHA 1910.1028 publishes for the parameter below, with its averaging period, as the standard states it.

[**BTEX / speciated VOC** Gases & VOCs](https://aethair.io/parameters/btex/)

**1 ppm** *8-hour TWA (PEL)* benzene

**5 ppm** *STEL* benzene, 15-minute

**0.5 ppm** *Action level* benzene, 8-hour TWA

Who it applies to

## Who Must Comply

Employers where workers handle benzene or products containing it: petroleum refining, petrochemical and chemical manufacturing, bulk terminals and fuel distribution, tire and rubber manufacturing, and laboratories. Construction work falls under 29 CFR 1926.1128, which refers to the same requirements.

Monitoring

## How Monitoring Demonstrates Compliance

Compliance rests on exposure monitoring representative of each employee's 8-hour and 15-minute exposure, repeated periodically at or above the action level; speciated benzene is measured by laboratory analysis of personal samples or by gas chromatography. Continuous area monitoring for total VOCs gives early warning of a release, and a speciated analyzer shows whether the rise is benzene. NIOSH recommends 0.1 ppm, ten times lower than the PEL.

[Customize this configuration](https://aethair.io/build/?params=btex)

### Who measures each parameter

| Parameter | Aethair PRO | Aethair IAQ | External |
| - | - | - | - |
| [BTEX / speciated VOC](https://aethair.io/parameters/btex/) | — | — | [1 instrument](https://aethair.io/parameters/btex/) via Thiamis |

Devices

## Devices That Cover OSHA benzene

How much of this standard one Aethair monitor covers, followed by the third-party instruments in the sensor catalog that measure its parameters. Each connects to Environet through a Thiamis gateway, which adds whatever the monitor leaves out.

Covers it on its own

[**Defiant Technologies FROG** Specialty Air Analyzers](https://aethair.io/sensors/defiant-technologies-specialty-air-analyzers/)

Solutions

## Solutions Judged Against OSHA benzene

### [Oil & Gas / Petrochemical](https://aethair.io/solutions/oil-gas/)

Fence-line VOC, H₂S, and methane leak detection

[All solutions](https://aethair.io/solutions/)

Article Library

## Articles on OSHA benzene

### [OSHA Air Quality Standards 2026: PELs & 29 CFR 1910.1000](https://aethair.io/resources/osha-air-quality-standards-compliance/)

OSHA air quality standards for indoor and outdoor work: permissible exposure limits, Table Z-1, 29 CFR 1910.1000, and the heat and wildfire smoke triggers.

[All articles](https://aethair.io/resources/)

Questions

## OSHA benzene FAQ

What is the OSHA PEL for benzene?

1 ppm as an 8-hour time-weighted average, with a short-term exposure limit of 5 ppm over any 15-minute period and an action level of 0.5 ppm.

Can a total VOC sensor measure benzene?

Not selectively. A total VOC reading shows that organic vapors rose; benzene itself needs a speciated measurement, such as gas chromatography or laboratory analysis of a sample.

What does NIOSH recommend for benzene?

A [recommended exposure limit](https://aethair.io/standards/niosh_rel/) of 0.1 ppm as a time-weighted average and 1 ppm as a short-term limit, stricter than OSHA's.