Page 85 - Occupational Health & Safety, July 2018

The health risks to workers from these and other substances are the best justification for implementing a very disciplined and robust respiratory program.
All of these changing factors require increased focus on respira- tory protection and safety equipment programs. Those responsible for safety need to understand that risks once thought to be from the past are still prevalent and quite dangerous. Now is the time to understand what respiratory risks are present in your workplace, how serious they can be, and ensure that workers have ready access to respiratory equipment that will meet such risks in a changing industrial environment.
The Seven Leading Respiratory Hazards
While many substances pose problems, here are seven respiratory risks that will require worker protection now and for some time to come.
Crystalline Silica
Respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is fine particulate (1/100th the size of an ordinary grain of sand) that can penetrate deep into the lungs of employees working with rock, concrete, brick, block, and mortar. RCS2 may cause silicosis, a chronic disease that affects workers around construction, sandblasting, and mining.
While RCS exposure is dangerous, it’s also preventable. OSHA has issued two new respirable crystalline silica standards: one for construction and the other for general industry and maritime. OSHA3 began enforcing most provisions of the standard for con- struction on Sept. 23, 2017, and will begin enforcing most provisions of the standard for general industry and maritime on June 23, 2018.
Black Lung Disease
Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis (CWP), commonly referred to as “black lung,” is a respiratory illness caused by inhaling coal mine dust. The incidence of CWP declined after the 1969 Coal Act in- voked stricter health and safety rules, but it has unfortunately seen resurgence in the last few years. In the U.S. 15 coal mining states, the federal government has increased its funding by $2.7 million to $10 million4 to treat CWP. In 2015, the incidence of black lung disease surpassed the 1975 levels.5 The resurgence is not completely understood, although some believe it could be due to mining tech- niques that cause a finer prevalence of silica coal dust.
Welding Fumes
Welding fumes have always been a known hazard to workers and a latent carcinogen, but their dangers were underestimated un- til recently. In 2017, the International Agency for Research on Can- cer (IARC) updated its classification for welding fumes to Group 1 carcinogens. This designation is assigned to agents that pose sufficient risk of cancer in humans. Specifically, they determined
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