A federal court has rejected employer challenges to OSHA’s new safety regulation lowering permissible worker exposure to silica dust, a hazard that commonly arises during masonry work such as concrete coring, and during carpentry work such as cutting fiber-cement siding. With the rules having survived the court test, builders are pondering how to adapt to the new requirements.
The National Law Review had a report on December 26 (see: “D.C. Circuit Rejects All Industry Challenges to OSHA’s New Silica Standards,” by Arthur G. Sapper and John F. Martin). The new rule places a broad set of burdens on employers, the Review reported: “OSHA’s new silica standards lower the permissible exposure to 50 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3) for all covered industries; this is down from 100 μg/m3in general industry and 250 μg/m3 in the construction industry. The standard is a modern health standard, with requirements for air monitoring, regulated areas, engineering and work practice controls, respiratory protection, housekeeping, medical surveillance, and hazard communication.”
