Petition File No. 612
Title: Section 5155(e) Codifying Certified Industrial Hygienist
California Industrial Hygiene Council
Petition File No. 612
To amend Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations (CCR), section 5155, “Airborne Contaminants,” specifically subsection (e), “Workplace Monitoring,” to codify that a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) is deemed competent in industrial hygiene practices and workplace air monitoring and controls. The current regulation provides that whenever employees may be exposed to airborne contaminants in excess of the permissible exposure limits, the employer shall monitor the work environment to measure or calculate employee exposures. Subsection 5155(e)(3)(C) states: “For the adequate protection of employees, the person supervising, directing, or evaluating the monitoring and control methods shall be versed in this standard and shall be competent in industrial hygiene practice.” The Petitioner proposes amending subsection 5155(e)(3)(C) to read as follows: “For the adequate protection of employees, the person supervising, directing, or evaluating the monitoring and control methods shall be versed in this standard and shall be competent in industrial hygiene practice. A CIH, as defined in California Business and Professions Code sections 20700–20705, shall be deemed competent in industrial hygiene practice.”
The Petitioner asserts that the CIH credential is the global standard for certification in industrial hygiene competency and is awarded by the Board of Global EHS Credentialing (formerly the American Board of Industrial Hygiene). The CIH is also a recognized professional classification under California Business and Professions Code sections 20700–20705. The Petitioner contends that the CIH credential should be expressly codified in section 5155(e)(3)(C) because exposure assessment, air monitoring, and exposure control are core competencies of a CIH.
February 2026