OSHA webchat outlines proposed silica rule requirements

摘要

Washington-OSHA's current rule on silica is based on obsolete analytical data, and exposure at the current permissible exposure limit presents "significant risks of death" from cancer and other diseases, the agency said during a Jan. 14 webchat that discussed proposed updates to the rule. The proposed rule would affect 2.2 million workers, most of whom (1.85 million) are in construction. It would cut the current PEL for respirable silica in half and require employers to institute engineering and work practice controls to attain those levels. Respirators could be used only if the PELs could not otherwise be attained, OSHA officials said during the webchat.