Guide · Occupational health and safety
DS 594 summarized: titles, limits and tables
Informational guide, not legal advice. Check the current regulation at Ley Chile (Chile's official law library) and consult your safety professional or your mutual insurer (mutualidad).
What it is
What DS 594 regulates, title by title
Title IV · arts. 55–110
Workplace contamination
Limits for chemical contaminants and physical agents: noise, vibration, repetitive keying, heat, cold, lighting and radiation.
Supreme Decree 594 was published on April 29, 2000. Its article 3 requires the company to maintain these conditions for its own workers and for contractors' workers who work for it. It is enforced by the health authority, today the regional health offices (SEREMI de Salud).
The limits
DS 594 limits by agent
Tap an agent to see its limit, where it is measured and the article that sets it.
Noise · Arts. 74 to 77
85 dB(A) slow
over 8 hours, measured at ear position
Above 115 dB(A) slow, nobody works without hearing protection (art. 77). With several levels in a shift, the daily dose is added up and may not exceed 1 (art. 76).
Noise
Noise under DS 594: how long at each level
Equivalent continuous level
91 dB(A)
Maximum time per day
2 h
Article 75 table, without hearing protection. With protection, the effective level is compared: the measured level minus the protector's attenuation (art. 82).
The limit is 85 dB(A) slow over 8 hours. For every 3 dB(A) more, the allowed time is halved: 4 hours at 88, 2 at 91, one at 94. Move the level to see the time from the official table.
- Typical areas: compressors, mills, packaging machines and the refrigeration machine room.
- Measured with an integrating sound level meter or a dosimeter, at ear position.
Reference tables
DS 594 tables: lux, WBGT, toilets and extinguishers
The four most-consulted tables, transcribed from the official text. Pick one.
Corridors, warehouses, break rooms, lunchrooms, toilets and work without fine detail
Lux
Prolonged work with moderate visual demand, mechanical work with some detail discrimination
Lux
Low-contrast work, continuous reading of small print, mechanical work with fine detail
Lux
Laboratories, consulting and diagnostic procedure rooms, sterilization rooms
Lux
Sewing and needlework, careful inspection of items, cutting and marking
Lux
Prolonged fine-detail work, assembly and inspection of small, low-contrast parts
Lux
| Place or task | Lux |
|---|---|
| Corridors, warehouses, break rooms, lunchrooms, toilets and work without fine detail | 150 |
| Prolonged work with moderate visual demand, mechanical work with some detail discrimination | 300 |
| Low-contrast work, continuous reading of small print, mechanical work with fine detail | 500 |
| Laboratories, consulting and diagnostic procedure rooms, sterilization rooms | 500 to 700 |
| Sewing and needlework, careful inspection of items, cutting and marking | 1,000 |
| Prolonged fine-detail work, assembly and inspection of small, low-contrast parts | 1,500 to 2,000 |
Measured at the work plane, or 80 cm above the floor for general lighting.
Chemical contaminants
Permissible limits: LPP, LPT and LPA
The LPP is the weighted average over 8 hours a day and 45 a week. It may be exceeded briefly, but never by five times its value nor above the LPT, the 15-minute average. The LPA, an absolute ceiling, is never exceeded (arts. 59 to 61).
- Values by substance are in the article 66 table.
- Excursions above the LPP may not occur more than four times a day or more than once an hour.
- Cutting or grinding silica-bearing materials is done wet or with another control (art. 58 bis).
From decree to record
PPE and findings: where DS 594 requirements end up
Personal protective equipment is provided at no cost, suited to the risk, certified and with training (arts. 53 and 54). When a measurement exceeds a limit, the risk is first controlled at the source and PPE covers what remains (art. 57).
Each finding ends up as a row in the risk matrix and an action with a deadline under DS 44.
DS 594 plant walkthrough checklist →PPE issue log →Risk matrix →
Free template
DS 594 checklist in Excel, with owner and deadline
You have to review the plant's sanitary and environmental conditions (Chile's Supreme Decree 594) and findings end up in a notebook with no owner or deadline.
- · 35 items across eleven sections of DS 594, each with its article, to answer yes, no or not applicable
- · Photo or note, owner, deadline and close date per finding
- · Calculated status: pending, overdue, no deadline or closed, with days late
- · Progress by section and overall, with a worked example from a food plant
Locked file
checklist-ds-594-en.xlsx (19 KB)
Leave your work email to download this spreadsheet and hear about the next one.
Noise, heat and lighting are answered with a measurement, not by eye.
In the app
From walkthrough to PDF, in the app
Safety records live in iGromi's free app, in early access: the finding is logged during the walkthrough, signed and exported to PDF.
Frequently asked questions
DS 594 FAQ
What is DS 594?
How many titles does DS 594 have?
What is the DS 594 noise limit?
How many lux does DS 594 require?
What does DS 594 say about cold?
Does DS 594 require free PPE?
Did DS 44 replace DS 594?
Sources: DS 594 on Ley Chile (BCN) · DS 44 on Ley Chile (BCN) · ISP, occupational health. Reviewed on November 1, 2026.
Keep reading
Occupational health and safety guides
Every shift without a record is data you lose. Start free.
- 1Request early access, free
- 2Pick your trade: maintenance, production or safety
- 3Your team starts with the chat and its trade helper
No credit card. Your data stays yours.