Compliance & safety
The paperwork is part of the job.
Fumigants are restricted-use pesticides. Every treatment follows the product label, federal and state rules, and a written plan you can read before we start.
01 — Rules we work under
Four layers of rules on every job.
EPA · FIFRA
The label is the law
Dose, exposure, monitoring and re-entry all follow the registered product label, line by line.
State
Licensed applicators
Every applicator holds a commercial license in the fumigation category for the state where we work.
Per job
Fumigation management plan
A written plan for each site: sealing, monitoring points, notification and emergency steps.
OSHA · ISPM 15
Workers and exports
Exposure limits for anyone on site, plus destination rules for export cargo and wood packaging.
02 — Exposure limits
The numbers behind every clearance.
US workplace exposure limits for the three main commercial fumigants, set by OSHA, NIOSH, ACGIH and the EPA product label.
Phosphine
PH₃
0.3 ppm
8-hr TWA
0.3 ppm
10-hr TWA · 1 ppm STEL
0.05 ppm
8-hr TWA · 0.15 ppm STEL
≤ 0.3 ppm
Label clearance
50 ppm
Sulfuryl fluoride
SO₂F₂
5 ppm
8-hr TWA
5 ppm
10-hr TWA · 10 ppm STEL
5 ppm
8-hr TWA · 10 ppm STEL
≤ 1 ppm
Label clearance
200 ppm
Methyl bromide
CH₃Br
20 ppm
Ceiling · skin
Lowest feasible
Potential carcinogen
1 ppm
8-hr TWA · skin
< 5 ppm
Label clearance
250 ppm
Federal law
The label is the law.
Under FIFRA, the EPA-approved product label is federal law. When a label sets a stricter clearance level or respirator rule than OSHA, the label takes precedence.
Montreal Protocol
Methyl bromide is phased out.
It is an ozone-depleting substance. US production and import ended on January 1, 2005, except for quarantine and pre-shipment (QPS) uses and approved critical uses.
Sources: OSHA Occupational Chemical Database, NIOSH Pocket Guide and IDLH documentation, ACGIH TLVs and EPA product labels. Limits are revised over time — confirm current values before you publish.
03 — Glossary
How to read the limits.
PEL
Permissible Exposure Limit
The legal, enforceable limit set by OSHA for a standard work shift.
REL
Recommended Exposure Limit
NIOSH’s stricter guideline for protecting long-term worker health.
TLV
Threshold Limit Value
ACGIH’s recommendation, based on current industrial hygiene research.
TWA
Time-Weighted Average
The average airborne concentration over an 8- to 10-hour workday.
STEL
Short-Term Exposure Limit
The average concentration allowed over any 15-minute period.
Ceiling
Ceiling limit
A concentration that must never be exceeded at any moment of the shift.
IDLH
Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health
The concentration that poses an immediate threat of death, permanent damage or severe injury.
Skin
Skin notation
The chemical can be absorbed through skin, eyes or mucous membranes, so full body protection is required.
04 — On site
How a site stays safe.
01
Placard every entrance
Warning placards in English and Spanish go up before release and come down only after clearance.
02
Secure the perimeter
Doors are locked and sealed. The site is guarded or checked on a set schedule for the full exposure.
03
Monitor from outside
Gas is read through sampling lines from outside the sealed space. No one re-enters to check.
04
Clear with calibrated meters
Clearance readings use meters calibrated for the fumigant, logged at every monitoring point.
05
Sign the release
A licensed applicator signs the release and hands over the certificate before anyone goes back in.
05 — On file
What you get after every job.
Management plan
The plan we worked to, signed before treatment.
CSV + PDF
Gas monitoring log
Every reading, every point, with times.
Clearance certificate
The signed release with the final readings.
Licenses & insurance
Applicator license copies and a certificate of insurance.
Need the paperwork for an audit?
Tell us which inspector or customer is asking. We’ll send a sample record pack before you book.