OSHA's Final Rule to Protect Workers from Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica is set to begin enforcement on September 23, 2017.
This is a half day training session intended to educate workers about OSHA’s new silica standard for the construction industry. This course will offer an overview of the new silica standard, as well as information on how to recognize, avoid and abate silica dust hazards and learn allowable housekeeping techniques to educate employers and workers about OSHA's new silica standard for the construction industry.
Crystalline silica is a common mineral found in many naturally occurring materials and used in many industrial products and at construction sites. Materials like sand, concrete, stone and mortar contain crystalline silica. Crystalline silica is also used to make products such as glass, pottery, ceramics, bricks, concrete and artificial stone. Industrial sand used in certain operations, such as foundry work and hydraulic fracturing (fracking), is also a source of crystalline silica exposure. Amorphous silica, such as silica gel, is not crystalline silica.
Inhaling very small (“respirable”) crystalline silica particles, causes multiple diseases, including silicosis, an incurable lung disease that can lead to disability and death. Respirable crystalline silica also causes lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and kidney disease.
OSHA estimates that the rule will save over 600 lives and prevent more than 900 new cases of silicosis each year, once its effects are fully realized. |
