Georgia Tech Safety and Health Consultation Program1 Silicosis Prevention OSHA’s Special Emphasis and Rule Making Update

Georgia Tech Safety and Health Consultation Program 2 Why Target Crystalline Silica Exposure? 1. Toxicity is well documented 2. Widespread worker overexposure 3. Exposures can be controlled

Historical Events Focusing on Silica Exposure Hawks Nest Water Diversion Project Silica related deaths 1996 OSHA Special Emphasis Program for Silica 2008 OSHA National Emphasis Program for Silica 2013 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Occupational Exposure to Respirable Silica

Georgia Tech Safety and Health Consultation Program 4 Lessons Learned ’s: Hawk’s Nest Tunnel Gauley Mt., W. VA – 1935 Estimated Deaths from Silicosis:  500 to 750

Georgia Tech Safety and Health Consultation Program 5 Lessons un-Learned: Exposures in the 21 st Century

Georgia Tech Safety and Health Consultation Program 6 Silica and Mortality 250 Worker deaths per year from Silica  (Compare to 175 deaths/yr from trenching accidents) Silicosis Tuberculosis Heart Disease Kidney & Immune system Disease Lung Cancer (IARC, NTP, NIOSH)  “Suspect Human Carcinogen”

Georgia Tech Safety and Health Consultation Program 7 Silicosis Diagnosis Requires Chest X-ray X-ray must be read by qualified “B-Reader” Silica Nodules are Non-Reversible

Proposed Standard: Exposure Levels Proposed PEL:  50 ug/m3 (0.05 mg/m3) Proposed AL:  25 ug/m3 (0.025 mg/m3) (Currently ~100 ug/m3) Exposure Determination/Evaluation:  Air monitoring PEL Action Level From UK HSE Time to Clear the Air: Protect Your Lungs When Using Cut-Off Saws

Proposed Standard: Highlights Exposure Assessment Preferred Control Methods  Location of employees and generation source  Isolation  Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV), Wet Methods, HEPA or wet-sweeping, substitution of materials Training on crystalline silica  Covered under Haz Comm  Consistent with GHS: therefore requiring listing “cancer, lung effects, immune system effects, and kidney effects” as hazards that must be addressed in the Haz Comm Training Program Training on Specific Control Measures/Work Practices  Performance Oriented  Address learning levels, literacy, language skills 9

Proposed Standard: Highlights Respiratory protection program  Minimum respiratory protection = Half-Mask Tightfitting Respirator (NIOSH N95)  Medical evals required for all those required to use respirator AND if employee refuses to be medically evaluated, they cannot be assigned to work in respirator-required areas Work clothes, change and wash area Air monitoring program (Initial, Periodic)  Construction: If following specific control measures for selected construction tasks in Table 1, then no/limited monitoring If not, then exposure assessment is required Employee rotation prohibited to achieve compliance with PEL 10

Proposed Standard: Highlights Housekeeping and Regulated Areas/Access Control Areas  Free as practicable of dust  No use of compressed air, dry sweeping Recordkeeping  Are you keeping adequate records of appropriate information? Product, material, process, operation, activity If using objective data: Source, testing protocol, results, description of all relevant points..  If using this to exempt yourself from provisions of the proposed standard or for respirator selection, this must be “carefully documented”

Proposed Standard: Medical Surveillance Estimated 450 possible silicosis cases referred Medical surveillance program if >= PEL (30+days/year)  baseline examination within 30 days of assignment UNLESS completed w/in 3 years medical and occupational history prior to exposure  Every 3 years; including lung function testing  baseline chest x-ray (or equivalent)  pulmonary function tests (PFT)  x-ray upon termination of employment

Construction Proposed Regulatory Format: “Exposure Control Methods for Selected Construction Operations” (Table 1)

Table 1: Control Methods for Selected Construction Operations Operation Engineering and Workpractice Control Method Required Respirator < 4 Hours> 4 Hours

If the employer fully implements the engineering controls, work practices, and respiratory protection described in Table 1, the employer is using “Compliant Methods”. For all other requirements of the (proposed) standard, the employer must presume that each employee performing an operation listed in Table 1 that requires a respirator is exposed above the PEL

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