Occupational Risk Management in the Pharmaceutical Industry

A Practical Guide to Occupational Exposure Banding (OEB), Control Banding (CB), and choosing the right Chemical Protective Clothing (CPC)

I. Risk Management Approaches in Occupational Health: What They Are and Why They Matter 

To address this gap, industry uses complementary tools:

• Occupational Exposure Banding (OEB): A hazard-based approach that groups chemicals into toxicity bands and provides exposure ranges. 
• Control Banding (CB): A task-based approach that combines hazard severity and exposure potential to recommend specific controls (e.g., ventilation, enclosure, containment, and PPE/CPC). 

In simple terms, OEB tells you how hazardous the substance is, and Control Banding tells you how the task should be controlled. These tools help assess risk, but do not by themselves select chemical protective clothing

1.2 Control Banding (CB) - Task-based

Control Banding (CB) integrates hazard information with task-specific exposure determinants such as the quantity handled, dustiness or volatility, and duration of activity to estimate potential exposure.

Based on this integration, Control Banding provides general recommendations on the appropriate stringency of control measures, including engineering controls such as ventilation, enclosure, and containment, as well as administrative and personal protective measures.

Control Banding (CB) does not specify the type or performance requirements of chemical protective clothing. These elements require separate, detailed assessment.

Use Control Banding to answer: 

"Given a defined hazard and exposure scenario, what level of control is appropriate?" 

Example: Process Control Banding 

Figure 2: Adapted from: Control Banding: Pharmaceutical Caterpillar to Mainstream IH Butterfly By Ernest Sullivan, PhD, CIH, ROH, CChem and Om Malik, PhD, CIH, ROH, PEng AIHA Diplomate Article

IV. Summary

Occupational exposure bands define protective air concentration ranges and guide respiratory protection selection. However, OEB does not directly determine the selection of chemical protective clothing.

Similarly Control banding was developed by the pharmaceutical industry to manage risks from chemicals with limited toxicity data by assigning them to hazard bands with corresponding control measures. Control banding does not replace occupational safety and health experts and may prompt the need for specialist support.
 

How hazard assessment translates into controls and CPC selection:

Chemical protective clothing (CPC) is not directly or explicitly assigned based on Occupational Exposure Band (OEB) categories or Control Banding (CB) outcomes. While Control Banding approaches may indicate the potential need for personal protective measures, they do not define the type, material, or performance requirements of chemical protective clothing.

DuPont’s 9-step process provides a structured framework that may be applied to support chemical protective clothing decision-making.

As part of a comprehensive risk management assessment, the following questions may be considered when selecting appropriate chemical protective clothing:

Workers may encounter a wide range of workplace and environmental hazards that vary in type, physical form, and exposure conditions. Resulting risk levels are influenced by factors such as concentration, temperature, pressure, and the physical state of the hazard.

Selection of appropriate chemical protective clothing (CPC) must therefore be chemical-specific and based on material performance, the defined exposure scenario, and the results of a risk assessment. This evaluation may be supported by a structured framework, such as DuPont’s 9-step process.

V. Garment selection 

DuPont’s 9-step guide: DuPont offers the web-based SafeSPEC™ tool to support chemical protective clothing (CPC) decision-making within a structured risk assessment framework.⁴

References:

1. Schulte et al. 2010; Nikfar and Malekirad 2014; Skowroń and Czerczak 2015; Deveau et al. 2015; Cook 1987; Paustenbach 1998
2. NIOSH. Occupational Exposure Banding. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/exposure-banding/about/index.html
3. Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS). Control Banding. https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/control_banding.pdf 
   
   
4. https://www.dupont.com.au/knowledge/chemical-risk-assessment.html
   
   

About DuPont Personal Protection 

DuPont is committed to developing innovative solutions rooted in responsibility, foresight, and collaboration. Guided by our core values—Safety and Health, Respect for People, Highest Ethical Behavior, Continuous Growth and Improvement to solve the world’s challenges—we see safety not merely as a priority, but as a strategic business value and a foundational pillar of our operations and management philosophy.

DuPont Personal Protection is a global leader in chemical protective clothing, serving industrial, life sciences, and emergency response professionals. Focused on providing trusted personal protection, the business empowers workers to safely perform tasks ranging from the mundane to the extraordinary. Home to some of the industry’s most trusted brands—including Tyvek®, Tychem®, and ProShield®—DuPont Personal Protection delivers durable barrier protection through advanced fabric technologies, thoughtful garment design, and customer-driven innovation.

Supported by a broad distribution network and expert field support, DuPont Personal Protection remains firmly committed to a simple belief: every worker deserves trusted protection at every stage of their work.