Detailed information about Silica Dust, its regulations and how the rule applies.

1. OSHA’s Updated
Silica Dust Rule
Overview of OSHA’s newstandard

2. Table of Contents
 Introduction
 Applicability
 What is Silica Dust? Does the Rule Apply?
 Why is regulation needed?
 Review of Updated Standard
 Construction v. General Industry/Maritime
 Timeline for Compliance

3. Introduction to Red-on-line
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 Silica Dust Rule
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4. Applicability
 What is Silica Dust
 A type of dust from silica (crystalline quartz) which causes breathing problems in workers
in the fields of mining, stone cutting, quarrying (especially granite), blasting, road and
building construction industries that manufacture abrasives, and farming. Breathing the
dust causes silicosis, a severe disease that can scar the lungs. (Gale Encyclopedia of
Medicine)
 Examples: Quartz, stone, sand, rock, concrete, brick
 2.3 Million Workers Exposed
 How does exposure occur?
 Cutting, drilling, crushing, sawing of concrete, brick, stone, etc
 Large uses of sand: glass manufacturing, sand blasting, foundries
 Construction: 90% of exposure
 Other Industries: glass products, concrete, foundries

5. Why Regulate?
 Hazardous Substance
 Silica dust is hazardous when small particles are inhaled
 Cause respiratory issues including fatal lung disease
 Fatal Lung Disease
 Silicosis
 Lung cancer
 Kidney disease
 Significant Exposure
 2.3 million U.S. workers potentially exposed

6. New Rule
 Permissible Exposure Limit
 All Industries: 50 μg/m3 as an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA)
 Exemptions: exposure remains below 25 μg/m3 as an 8-hour TWA under any foreseeable
conditions (i.e. Action Level = 25 μg/m3 as an 8-hour TWA)
 Exposure Control
 Standards for Exposure Assessment
 Methods to Control Exposure
 Respiratory Protection
 Written Exposure Control Plan
 Hazard Communication
 Medical Surveillance
 Recordkeeping

7. General Industry v. Construction
 Regulated Areas
 General Industry: areas where PEL is exceeded must be demarcated with signage that this is for
authorized personnel only to minimize exposure
 Construction Regulated Areas: this section not in the construction standard, presumably b/c
more difficult to regulate at a construction site
 Competent Person
 Construction: Must be able to identify silica hazards, both existing and foreseeable and be able
to take action to address those hazards
 General Industry: this section not in the general industry standard; likely because Construction
will have more exposure routes than a factory;
 Medical Surveillance
 General Industry: required when exposure is over action level for 30 days or more per year
 Construction: required when employee must wear respirator for 30 days or more per year

8. Timeline for Compliance
 Construction
 June 23, 2017 – one year after the effective date
 General Industry and Maritime
 June 23, 2018 – two years after the effective date
 Hydraulic Fracturing
 June 23, 2018 – two years after the effective date except
for Engineering Controls: June 23, 2021

9. How to Proceed to Compliance
 1. Do I have any processes that release silica dust?
 2. Have I evaluated employee exposure?
 3. Does exposure exceed the action level (25 μg/m3 8-
hour TWA)?
 4. Have I created a written exposure plan?
 5. Do you review employee exposure and the exposure
plan according to OSHA Rule?

10. Philip Pulitzer
Red-on-line
ppulitzer@red-on-line.com
www.red-on-line.com