permissible exposure limit (PEL), an occupational health standard instituted to safeguard workers against exposure to toxic material in the workplace. PELs are the result of the 1970 U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Act, which established the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the policing and enforcing arm of the act, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which represents the research arm. OSHA publishes PELs and short-term exposure limits based on recommendations of NIOSH. Also called permissible exposure level.
