OSHA has begun full enforcement of the silica dust standard across all industries. Are you using the right work practices? We share details on establishing the mandated engineering controls.
Respirators are a mandatory element of protecting employees from breathing in crystalline silica whenever a task fails to stay below the government-mandated exposure limits. But the long-term objective of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s silica dust standard is to reduce the risk of exposure as much as possible.
Health and labor regulators have been concerned about respirable crystalline particles for a long time—and with good reason: Silicosis is a nasty, slow-developing, chronic disease that can ruin a person’s ability to breathe.
It can cause lung cancer, damage the kidneys and the immune system’s ability to ward off infection—and ultimately be deadly. OSHA estimates 2.3 million workers are exposed to crystalline silica, with 2 million of them in the construction industry. The other 300,000 are in general industry.
The OSHA standard, 29 CFR 1926.1153, instructs employers to use engineering controls and work practices as the primary method for keeping respirable crystalline silica at or below the permissible exposure limit of 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air (μg/m3), averaged over an eight-hour day.
“Respirators are your last line of defense against occupational hazards,” notes a post by Trimedia Environmental & Engineering. “Engineering and work practice controls are much more effective means of reducing exposure to silica dust.”