Occupational epidemiology makes an important contribution to the derivation of preventive workplace exposure limits as well as to specific limits for the recognition and compensation of occupational diseases. The derivation of preventive occupational exposure limits (risk acceptance concept: Risikoakzeptanzkonzept, known as the traffic light concept) by the German Committee on Hazardous Substances (AGS) is essentially based on absolute risks: An increase in the absolute disease risk to currently less than 4 per 10,000 people is considered acceptable (green traffic light), an increase in the absolute disease risk by more than 4 per 1000 people as not tolerable (red light). In contrast, the relative risk concept (in particular risk doubling, which is the basis for the assessment of the probability of causation of 50 %) plays a central role for the derivation of limit values in occupational disease law. The following article deals with the fundamental problems of the derivation of limit values and provides concrete solutions for discussion. 1.The traffic light principle represents a shift away from the zero risk concept. This argues for an open and participatory social discourse of the topic preventive protection needs. 2.The derived traffic light values depend on the societal context: For example, a defined hazardous substance concentration at the workplace might be acceptable or at least tolerable in a predominantly non-smoking population; however, it might be intolerable in a predominantly smoking population. A fundamental methodological discussion of the risk acceptance concept appears necessary. 3. The resulting preventive limits might be incompatible with the limits determined on the conceptual basis of the relative risk for the recognition of occupational diseases. In rare cancers the risk acceptance concept might tolerate workplace concentrations which are (with a probability of more than 50 %) responsible for a concrete cancer development. Therefore, the risk acceptance concept should not tolerate workplace concentrations exceeding the doubling dose. 4. In chronic diseases with significant age course, conventional risk estimators tend to underestimate the causation of probability. Pragmatic solutions are recommended (deduction for risk) as a kind of sociopolitical convention. 5. In times of declining occupational exposure levels, the number of occupational diseases necessarily goes to zero at some point—even if there are still a considerable proportion of occupationally caused diseases in the population. This calls for an open discussion of social compensation requirements.