Solutions for Your Customers:
New OSHA Regulation—Silica Dust Hazard Reduction
Submitted by Border States
Over two million construction workers a year are exposed to crystalline silica dust per the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Silica is the second most abundant resource on the planet after water. Found in materials like concrete, tile, rock and brick, exposure to silica dust can be associated with a fatal lung cancer known as silicosis.
Starting September 23, 2017, the OSHA regulation on respirable crystalline silica dust (29 CFR 1926.1153) will be enforced for construction trades. Job sites nationwide will be affected by the new standard that limits exposure (PEL) to 50 μg/m³ over an eight-hour period.
Milwaukee Tool (milwaukeetool.com) provides a wide variety of dust extraction systems that meet the new OSHA compliance standards. Dust extractors are preferred to personal protective equipment and respirators.
Without OSHA-compliant equipment, employers with potentially exposed workers will be required to meet the compliance standard via data collection. This “self-monitored solution” is much more complicated and costly:
• Requires employer to purchase air monitoring.
• Employees must wear personal monitoring systems for entire eight-hour shift.
• Employer must acquire test data from third party.
• Requires employer to conduct a medical surveillance program.
Border States (borderstates.com) can help you protect you and your employees with a Milwaukee solution that meets the new OSHA regulation. Our Tool and Safety expert, Ryan Holte, specializes in tools, safety and consumable equipment solutions. Ask for his help today: [email protected].