Page 14 - Occupational Health & Safety, February 2018

RESPIRATORY PROTECTION
What’s Ahead for Respiratory Protection in 2018?
Here’s what you need to know!
BY KEN HENRY 2
mask—an APF 10 mask. The answer to this question is, “it depends.” With some jobs, such as using hand- held grinders for mortar removal, a protection level of APF 25 is required to meet the new regulations, while with other jobs an APF 10 mask may be sufficient.
On the plus side, while we have seen delays in en- forcement and some confusion over PPE and compli- ance, we have also seen sincere interest from employ- ers in complying and helping workers become better protected going into 2018. In addition, according to OSHA, the new regulations should save 600 lives and prevent up to 900 new cases of silicosis each year.
Now lets’ take a look at a few more details and what impact the new standards will have in 2018.
The OSHA standards took effect on June 23, 2016 with a one-year compliance period before enforce- ment being in place for some industries. However, there was a stay/delay until Sept. 23, 2017, and the latest OSHA Interim Enforcement Guidance for Re- gional Administrators is dated Oct. 19, 2017.
Most recently, according to the National Law Review, on Dec. 22, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit dismissed all industry legal chal- lenges against the new silica dust exposure standard implemented by OSHA, so at this point it appears to be “game on” for the OSHA regulations.
The specific compliance deadlines by industry are outlined below. The bottom line is that all industries are expected to be in compliance by the middle of 2018.
OK, so what does it mean to be in compliance? This is where it gets a bit more complicated.
Regardless of which exposure control method is used, all employers covered by the standard are re- quired to:
■ Establish and implement a written exposure control plan that identifies tasks that involve expo- sure 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
017 turned out to be a quite a year as respira- tory safety needs came into the spotlight in multiple ways. A myriad of natural disasters across the United States brought a renewed
focus on safety and health concerns for first respond- ers, workers, and citizens alike. The OSHA silica standard went into effect, welding fumes were classi- fied by the World Health Organization as a Group 1 carcinogen, and respiratory technology took another step forward.
So, what is ahead for 2018? It appears likely that the focus for respiratory protection in 2018 will re- volve around two key areas:
1. The implementation and adoption of the OSHA silica standard
2. The growing awareness of the respiratory risks associated with welding fumes and the growing adop- tion of respiratory safety with welders and welding organizations
Let’s take a look at each of these two areas in more detail and what we can expect in 2018.
On Dec. 22, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit dismissed all industry legal challenges against the new silica dust exposure standard implemented by OSHA, so at this point it appears to be “game on” for the OSHA regulations.
OSHA’s Silica Standard: What’s Next in 2018?
On March 25, 2016, OSHA published a long-awaited respirable crystalline silica standard. OSHA claims the standard will affect 2 million construction workers who drill, cut, crush, or grind silica-containing mate- rials, such as concrete and stone, and 300,000 workers in general industry operations, such as brick manu- facturing, foundries, and hydraulic fracturing. That’s a lot of workers who previously just wore an N95 dust mask, if they wore any type of protection at all.
At the safety industry trade shows my company attended in 2017, we constantly received a chorus of comments and concerns from employers visiting our booth related to the practicality of compliance, exactly what they need to do to achieve compliance, and how they would actually implement the standards in their particular industry.
Another common question we receive is whether workers need a PAPR APF 50 respirator like we manu- facture, or can they get by with a disposable N95 or half
Industry
Deadline 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
12 Occupational Health & Safety | FEBRUARY 2018
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