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OSHA silica standard now in force for general industry

July 5th, 2018 by Dakota Software Staff

OSHA silica standard now in force for general industry

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's new silica rule is now in effect for businesses falling under the general industry category. Enforcement of the provisions of the regulations related to breathing silica dust during the workday started on June 23, although the process of finalizing compliance advice and directives is not yet complete, EHS Today pointed out. The agency will continue to fine-tune the details of the guidance it gives businesses in the near future. In the meantime, businesses need to understand what the new rules mean for their day-to-day operations and make any necessary changes that haven't already been put into place.

Understanding the new silica standards and their enforcement

"The new silica standard is now in effect for general industry businesses."

The general industry exposure limits now sit at 25 micrograms per cubic meter of air, calculated across an eight-hour time period, OHS Online said. That's a significant reduction from the previous standard of 50 micrograms across the same space and time considerations. Businesses have enjoyed the benefit of forewarning related to the change - the new standard has been in the works for several years and was first implemented in the construction industry, where the rule has been enforced since October 2017. Although general industry is in many ways very distinct from the world of construction, there may still be lessons companies can learn from seeing how that field has responded to the rule change.

The law firm of Ogletree Deakins said the most common violations of the new standard in the construction industry are:

  • Failure to conduct an exposure assessment for potential worker contact with crystalline silica.
  • Failure to follow OSHA requirements related to engineering, work control methods and respiratory protection.
  • Failure to develop a written plan to limit crystalline silica exposure.

Businesses working to finalize their compliance efforts should look to these three most common concerns in the construction world to make sure their own efforts aren't similarly lacking.

Overall, the good news for companies in the general industry category is OSHA's provision of compliance assistance through the end of July. This resource, while not removing the possibility of a citation for a lack of compliance, means the federal health and safety regulator will assist companies that may need to make changes to compliance efforts to fully align themselves with the new regulations.

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