Risk & Business Magazine Spectrum Insurance Magazine Fall 2017 | Page 29

OSHA’S CRYSTALLINE SILICA RULE Regardless of which exposure control method is used, all construction employers covered by the standard are required to do the following: Establish and implement a written exposure control plan that identifies tasks that involve exposure and methods used to protect workers, including procedures to restrict access to work areas where high exposures may occur Designate a competent person to implement the written exposure control plan Restrict housekeeping practices that expose workers to silica where feasible alternatives are available Offer medical exams—including chest X-rays and lung function tests—every three years for workers who are required by the standard to wear a respirator for 30 or more days per year Train workers on work operations that result in silica exposure as well as on ways to limit exposure Keep records of workers’ silica exposure and medical exams WHAT IS TABLE 1? Table 1 matches common construction tasks with dust control methods, so employers know exactly what they need to do to limit worker exposure to silica. The dust control measures listed in the table include methods known to be effective, such as using water to keep dust from getting into the air or using ventilation to capture dust. In some operations, respirators may also be needed. Employers who correctly follow Table 1 are not required to measure worker exposure to silica and are not subject to the PEL. TABLE 1 EXAMPLE: HANDHELD POWER SAWS If workers are sawing silica-containing materials, they can use a saw with a built-in system that applies water to the saw blade. The water limits the amount of respirable crystalline silica that gets into the air. In this example, if a worker uses the saw outdoors for four hours or less per day, no respirator w ould be needed. If a worker uses the saw for more than four hours per day or for any amount of time indoors, he or she would need to use a respirator with an assigned protection factor (APF) of at least 10. In this case, a NIOSH-certified filtering facepiece respirator that covers the nose and mouth (sometimes referred to as a dust mask) could be used. If a worker needs to use a respirator for 30 or more days a year, he or she would need to be offered a Table 1: Specified Exposure Control Methods When Working with Materials Containing Crystalline Silica Equipment/Task Engineering and Work Practice Control Methods ALTERNATE EXPOSURE CONTROL METHODS Employers who do not use control methods on Table 1 must do the following: Measure the amount of silica that workers are exposed to if it may be at or above an action level of 25 micrograms of silica per cubic meter (μg/m3) of air, averaged over an eight- hour day Protect workers from respirable crystalline silica exposures above the PEL of 50 μg/m3, averaged over an eight-hour day Use dust control methods to protect workers from silica exposures above the PEL Provide respirators to workers when dust controls cannot limit exposures to the PEL WHEN ARE EMPLOYERS REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH THE STANDARD? Construction employers must comply with all requirements of the standard by September 23, 2017, except the requirements for laboratory evaluation of exposure samples, which begin on June 23, 2018. + For additional information on OSHA’s silica rule, go to www.osha.gov/silica. Source: OSHA Required Respiratory Protec- tion and Minimum Assigned Protection Factor (APF) ≤ 4 hours/ shift Handheld power saws (any blade diameter) medical exam. Use saw equipped with inte- grated water delivery system that continuously feeds water to the blade. Operate and maintain tool in accordance with manufacturer’s in- structions to minimize dust emissions. • When used outdoors None • When used indoors or in APF 10 an enclosed area > 4 hours/ shift BY: DAN FROST RISK MANAGEMENT/DOT SPECIALIST APF 10 APF 10 With over 30 years experience, Dan Frost specializes in OSHA, DOT and Worker Compensation Claims. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this topic, he can be reached at 877-582-7046 or [email protected] 29