Page 11 - Occupational Health & Safety, June 2019

Quick Reference Table provides a summary of the nature and requirements of the rule.
OSHA estimates that 2,300,000 workers in the United States are routinely exposed to respirable crystalline silica, the vast majority of whom are in the construction industry. Of these, OSHA estimates that more than 640,000 are being exposed to concentrations that exceed the PEL. When compared to other regulated hazardous sub- stances, crystalline silica has an alarming percent of positive expo- sure assessments.
Do Our Employees Fall Under the
New Crystalline Silica Standards?
The Industries and Occupations table provides information regard- ing industries and occupations that likely fall under the standard.
What Should We Do to Protect Your Workers
and Insurance Compliance?
Virtually all portions and requirements of OSHA’s Crystalline Silica Standards are now in effect and enforceable, so immediate compli- ance is imperative. In order to achieve this state, employers should consider engaging the services of a Certified Industrial Hygien- ist (CIH) with pertinent training and experience. Employers and their consulting industrial hygienists must ensure that workers are properly protected and that employers are in full compliance. As a minimum, the consulting industrial hygienists should provide em- ployers with the following critical services:
1. Training for personnel involved in silica work, including in- struction regarding the OSHA Standard and Respiratory Fit Testing; 2. Development of task-specific Written Exposure Control
Plans, including assistance with implementation of the plan;
3. Collection of occupational exposure air samples to determine
the concentration of silica to which workers may be exposed; 4. General client consultations regarding:
a) Compliance with the silica standards,
b) Proper control methods,
c) Designation of a competent person, d) Personal protective equipment,
e) Interpretation of sampling data,
f) Proper housekeeping practices,
g) Medical surveillance programs,
h) Recordkeeping requirements.
To find a CIH to assist you and your company, visit the Ameri-
can Industrial Hygiene Association website at https://www.aiha. org/about-ih/Pages/Find-an-Industrial-Hygienist.aspx.
T.A. “Andy” Rowland III, CIH, is a principal at Terracon Consul- tants, Inc. and Terracon’s national environmental manager of indus- trial hygiene and training services. He is known throughout the Unit- ed States for his exhaustive body of work in the fields of industrial hygiene, environmental health, safety, and education. He has more than 35 years of field, laboratory, and classroom instruction experi- ence. He is based in Terracon’s North Charleston, S.C., office.
DATA DOESN’T WAIT FOR SYMPTOMS
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Visit tsi.com/ohs2 to learn more about the risks of workplace heat exposure.
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