OSHA Proposes Rule on Exposure to Crystalline Silica

OSHA has published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPR) designed to curb lung cancer, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and kidney disease in America’s workers. According to the NPR, the agency is proposing to lower worker exposure to the NIOSH REL (0.05 mg/m3 TWA).

Crystalline silica kills hundreds of workers and sickens thousands more each year. The public will have 90 days to submit written comments once the NPR is published in the Federal Register, followed by public hearings. “Exposure to silica can be deadly and limiting that exposure is essential,” says OSHA Administrator David Michaels. “This proposal is expected to prevent thousands of deaths from silicosis—an incurable and progressive disease—as well as lung cancer, other respiratory diseases and kidney disease. We’re looking forward to public comment on the proposal.”

Exposure to airborne silica dust occurs in operations involving cutting, sawing, drilling and crushing of concrete, brick, block and other stone products and in operations using sand products, such as in glass manufacturing, foundries and sand blasting.

The agency's website now features five fact sheets:

• Proposed Rule: Overview
• Construction
• General Industry & Maritime 
• Information for Small Businesses
• How You Can Participate 

The site also contains background documents the agency has produced on health effects and risk assessment; a preliminary economic analysis; and an employment analysis.

According to the agency, the proposal is based on extensive review of scientific and technical evidence, consideration of current industry consensus standards and outreach by OSHA to stakeholders, including public stakeholder meetings, conferences and meetings with employer and employee organizations. The proposed rulemaking includes two separate standards—one for general industry and maritime employment, and one for construction.

Working with members of ASSE’s Construction and Industrial Hygiene practice specialties, ASSE’s Government Affairs Committee will be developing a comment in response. You can read ASSE President Kathy Seabrook's statement here. 

Secretary of Labor Released Statement on Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2012

Preliminary results from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries indicate a reduction in the number of fatal workplace injuries in 2012 compared with 2011. Based on preliminary counts, the rate of fatal work injuries dropped from 3.5 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers in 2011 to 3.2 per 100,000 in 2012.

Despite the encouraging news, Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez released a statement insisting that more can still be done in terms of protecting workers.  

"We can and must to better. Job gains in oil and gas and construction have come with more fatalities, and that is unacceptable. That's why OSHA has undertaken a number of outreach and educational initiatives, including a campaign to prevent falls in construction and the National Voluntary Stand Down of U.S. Onshore Oil and Gas Exploration and Production, co-sponsored by oil and gas industry employers and planned for Nov. 14,” Perez says. “Employers must take job hazards seriously and live up to their legal and moral obligation to send their workers home safe every single day. The Labor Department is committed to preventing these needless deaths, and we will continue to engage with employers to make sure that these fatality numbers go down further. No worker should lose their life for a paycheck."

Resources for Women in Construction

OSHA has signed an alliance with the National Association of Women in Construction to develop safety training and resources to protect women who work in the construction industry. The two-year agreement will focus on creating training programs, fact sheets and other resources on musculoskeletal risks, sanitation hazards and PPE selection for female construction workers.

OSHA has also introduced a web page providing resources to women in construction, including tips regarding PPE and sanitary facilities as well as a list of other resources.

Find more information about the alliance here.

OSHA & The Joint Commission Renew Partnership

OSHA and The Joint Commission have renewed their alliance to help protect healthcare workers. The alliance provides information and training resources that will help reduce and prevent healthcare worker exposure to physical, chemical, biological and airborne hazards. In addition, OSHA reports the alliance will raise awareness of OSHA rulemaking and enforcement initiatives that pertain to the healthcare industry, including the rights and responsibilities of workers and employers.

New Safety Message by Calls for Regulatory Coverage of Reactive Chemicals

A new video safety message by the CSB calls for regulatory action on reactive chemicals following the April 17, 2013 ammonium nitrate explosion that killed at least 14 people in West, Texas.

The safety message again urges OSHA and the EPA to expand regulations and standards on reactive chemicals and hazards, and includes testimony from CSB Chairperson Rafael Moure-Eraso during a June 27, 2013 hearing on the incident held before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

The CSB has determined that ammonium nitrate storage falls under a patchwork of U.S. standards and guidance, which does not prohibit many of the conditions found at the West facility, including the use of combustible wooden storage bins and buildings and a lack of sprinkler systems in case of fire. 

“This situation must be addressed,” Chairperson Moure-Eraso insists, stating,  “The fertilizer industry tells us that U.S. sites commonly store ammonium nitrate in wooden buildings and bins – even near homes, schools or other vulnerable facilities.”

The video goes on to describe other serious reactive chemical incidents investigated by the CSB since 2002, when the board originally made recommendations to OSHA and the EPA to update their standards.

The message concludes, “The CSB believes it’s past time for OSHA and EPA to regulate reactive hazards – including ammonium nitrate – under their process safety rules.”

For more information, visit www.csb.gov.