Respirable Silica Standard Awareness Daniel Stark, CIH – Assistant Director daniel.stark@labor.mo.gov
Objectives • Understand the Missouri On-site Safety and Health Consultation Program and the services it can provide. • Have a basic understanding of the health effects of crystalline Silica. • Have basic knowledge of OSHA’s Respirable Silica Standard for the Construction Industry. Improve Safety and Save Money!
Missouri On-site Safety and Health Consultation Program Improve Safety and Save Money!
Consultation Program • OSHA “mock” inspection • No fines, penalties, or citations • Free Improve Safety and Save Money!
Consultation Program (continued) • Completely Confidential! • Serious hazards/Imminent danger • No referral since program’s inception Improve Safety and Save Money!
Respirable Crystalline Silica Improve Safety and Save Money!
What is Silica and how do I get exposed? • Compound composed of (1) silicon and (2) oxygen atoms. • Naturally occurring and man made minerals • 3 forms of silica: quartz (most common), cristobalite and tridymite • Exposures - chipping, cutting, sawing, drilling, grinding, sanding, and crushing of concrete, brick, block, rock, stone products, sand products (such as glass manufacturing, foundries, and sand blasting) Improve Safety and Save Money!
What Silica Does to You Improve Safety and Save Money!
What Silica Does to You Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica has been linked to: – Silicosis; Healthy Lung – Lung cancer; – Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; and – Kidney disease Your Lung on Silica Any questions? Improve Safety and Save Money!
Historical Events on Silica 1930 – 1935 Hawks Nest Tunnel Incident; at least 764 Silica related deaths 1970 - OSHA Adopts ACGIH Silica Limits 1974 – NIOSH Criteria Document for Silica Standard 2008 – OSHA National Emphasis Program for Silica 2013 – Notice of Proposed Rulemaking – Occupational Exposure to Respirable Silica 2016 – Publication of the Respirable Crystalline Silica Rule Improve Safety and Save Money!
Industries & Operations with Exposures • • Construction Landscaping • • Glass Ready-mix concrete • manufacturing Cut stone and stone • Pottery products products • • Structural clay Abrasive blasting in: • Maritime work products • • Construction Concrete products • • General industry Foundries • • Dental laboratories Refractory furnace • Paintings and installation and repair • coatings Railroads • • Jewelry production Hydraulic fracturing for gas • Refractory products and oil • Asphalt products Improve Safety and Save Money!
Why did we need a new standard? • Old Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) not protective enough • PEL for Silica are hard to understand - 10/%+2?? What?? • Construction/shipyard PELs are obsolete particle count limits Improve Safety and Save Money!
Benefits of a new Silica standard New rule will prevent: • More than 900 new silicosis cases per year • 600 deaths per year • Lung cancer: 124 • Silicosis and other non-cancer lung diseases: 325 • End-stage kidney disease: 193 Improve Safety and Save Money!
What you can’t see can kill you! 1 micron = 1/25,000 th of an inch Improve Safety and Save Money!
How much Silica can worker’s be exposed to with the new Standard?? • PEL = 50 µg/m 3 as an 8- Hour TWA • Action Level = 25 µg/m 3 as an 8-Hour TWA • Don’t confuse the AL with the PEL! Improve Safety and Save Money!
Respirable Silica Final Rule Published March 25, 2016 • Construction - 29 CFR 1926.1153 • General Industry – 29 CFR 1910.1053 Improve Safety and Save Money!
Silica Standard for Construction ( a) Scope (e) Respiratory protection (b) Definitions (f) Housekeeping (c) Specified exposure control methods (g) Written exposure control plan OR (h) Medical surveillance (d) Alternative exposure control methods (i) Communication of silica hazards PEL • (j) Recordkeeping Exposure • Assessment (k) Dates Methods of • Compliance Improve Safety and Save Money!
Things you need to do to comply Improve Safety and Save Money!
Scope of Standard • All occupational exposures to respirable crystalline silica are covered if the Action Level is reached in an 8 hr. TWA. • If controls are needed to keep employee exposure below the Action Level; only the following items need to be done: – Written Exposure Control Plan – Competent Person – Housekeeping – Employee Training – Recording Keeping • However, once the Action Level is reached, these items and more, much more is required! Improve Safety and Save Money!
STEP #1 - Write an Exposure Control Plan All employers who are covered by the standard must have an Exposure Control Plan. The plan must describe: • Tasks involving exposure to respirable crystalline silica • Engineering controls, work practices, and respiratory protection for each task • Housekeeping measures used to limit exposure • Procedures used to restrict access, when necessary to limit exposures • Must evaluate effectiveness annually, update as necessary Improve Safety and Save Money!
STEP #2 - Designate a “Competent Person” • Construction employers must designate a competent person to implement the written exposure control plan • Competent person is an individual capable of identifying existing and foreseeable respirable crystalline silica hazards , who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures • Makes frequent and regular inspection of job sites, materials, and equipment Improve Safety and Save Money!
STEP #3 – Follow the right cleanup procedures When it can contribute to exposure, employers must not allow: • Dry sweeping or brushing • Use of compressed air for cleaning surfaces or clothing, unless it is used with ventilation to capture the dust However , these methods can be used if no other methods like HEPA vacuums, wet sweeping, or use of ventilation with compressed air are feasible Improve Safety and Save Money!
STEP #4 - Communication of Hazards – Employee Training • Comply with Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) (29 CFR 1910.1200) • Address: Cancer, lung effects, immune system effects, and kidney effects as part of HCS • Train workers on health hazards, tasks resulting in exposure, workplace protections, and medical surveillance • Identify competent person Improve Safety and Save Money!
STEP #5 – Records You Need to Keep Must maintain records per 29 CFR 1910.1020 for: Air monitoring data • Objective data • Medical Surveillance • Improve Safety and Save Money!
My employee’s exposure is over the Action Limit. Now what do I do? Improve Safety and Save Money!
STEP #6 – Follow Table 1 (If you can) • Specified Exposure Control methods - Table 1 in the construction standard matches 18 tasks with effective dust control methods and, in some cases, respirator requirements. • Employers that fully and properly implement controls on Table 1 do not have to: – Comply with the PEL – Conduct exposure assessments for employees engaged in those tasks Improve Safety and Save Money!
List of Table 1 Entries • Stationary masonry saws • Handheld grinders for other than • Handheld power saws mortar removal (tuckpointing) • Walk-behind milling machines • Handheld power saws for fiber and floor grinders cement board • Small drivable milling machines • Walk-behind saws • Large drivable milling machines • Drivable saws • Crushing machines • Rig-mounted core saws or drills • Heavy equipment and utility • Handheld and stand-mounted vehicles to abrade or fracture drills silica materials • Dowel drilling rigs for concrete • Heavy equipment and utility • Vehicle-mounted drilling rigs for vehicles for grading and rock and concrete excavating • Jackhammers and handheld powered chipping tools • Handheld grinders for mortar removal Improve Safety and Save Money!
What does “Fully and Properly Implementing Controls Specified on Table 1” mean? • Controls have to be in place, properly operated and maintained, and employees know how to use them. • Small amounts of dust may just be part of the equipment working properly, but large amounts shows there is a problem with the control. Improve Safety and Save Money!
When are Employees Engaged in a Table 1 Task? • Employees are “engaged in the task” when operating the listed equipment, assisting with the task, or have some responsibility for the completion of the task • Employees are not “engaged in the task” if they are only in the vicinity of a task Improve Safety and Save Money!
Required Respiratory Protection and Minimum APF Equipment / Engineering and Work Practice Control Task Methods ≤ 4 hr/shift > 4 hr/shift Handheld Use saw equipped with integrated water power saws delivery system that continuously feeds (any blade water to the blade. diameter) Operate and maintain tool in accordance with manufacturers’ instruction to minimize dust - When used outdoors None APF 10 - When used indoors or in an enclosed APF 10 APF 10 area Improve Safety and Save Money!
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