Contractor coalition, Chamber: OSHA silica rule unworkable, economically infeasible

Sources: Construction Industry Safety Coalition, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Washington, D.C.

Two weeks after closing the public comment period for its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Occupational Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is continuing to process documents from individuals, companies and organizations challenging the agency’s math and embrace of air-monitoring technology for workplaces and job sites.

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Cement and aggregate interests read OSHA rule writing on MSHA wall

Sources: Occupational Safety & Health Administration; CP staff

One of the most thorough cases challenging OSHA’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Occupational Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica is from a group representing producers not immediately affected by a change in the permissible exposure limit (PEL) threshold: National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association.

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Economist contrasts concrete pipe profitability with OSHA’s silica rule claims

Sources: American Chemistry Council, Washington, D.C.; CP staff

The American Concrete Pipe Association joined peers in the public comment period for OSHA’s proposed permissible exposure limit of respirable crystalline silica in General Industry and Construction, concluding it “is unnecessary (without sufficient verifiable data to support that an exposure problem exists), cost prohibitive, especially for small businesses (OSHA cost data is understated and outdated), and contrary to the intended purpose of protecting our workers.”

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Producers, associations implore OSHA to reconsider proposed silica rule

Sources: CP staff; Occupational Safety & Health Administration

Concrete, aggregate and cement interests are well represented in parties challenging the rationale, compliance costs and burdens—along with a timeline from announcement (August 28) to close of a four-month public comment period (February 11)—tied to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Occupational Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica.

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Industry panel: Silica rule compliance carries $8.6 billion price tag

Source: American Chemistry Council, Washington, D.C.

The American Chemistry Council Crystalline Silica Panel, whose 16 members include Lafarge North America, Vulcan Materials Co., James Hardie Building Products and the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association, resolutely questions the basis for the OSHA-proposed halving of the permissible exposure limit (PEL) to respirable crystalline silica.

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NCMA, NRMCA mobilize response to extended OSHA silica rule comment period

Sources: Occupational Safety and Health Administration; National Concrete Masonry Association, Herndon, Va.; National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md.

OSHA is accepting comments on its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Occupational Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica through February 11—two weeks beyond a prior deadline for stakeholders in concrete, construction and other industry sectors to weigh in on a universal permissible exposure limit (PEL) for silica dust or powder.

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MORTAR PUMP

The M680 is designed to significantly reduce the labor required for projects such as resurfacing concrete so that protective coatings or linings can be applied. It speeds surface prep work by allowing contractors to spray heavy materials onto the surface, rather than trowel them on by hand. The M680 is engineered to work with abrasive materials such as cementitious coatings, epoxy-based mortars, non-skid coatings, and polymers with fillers such as glass flake, silica, or sand.

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OSHA adds six weeks to comment period for proposed crystalline silica exposure limit

Sources: Occupational Safety and Health Administration; CP staff

The public comment period for OSHA’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Occupational Exposure to Crystalline Silica continues through January 27, following the agency’s decision to extend an original December 11 deadline.

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OSHA proposes to halve and harmonize silica exposure thresholds

Sources: Occupational Safety and Health Administration; CP staff

In Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for Occupational Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica, OSHA outlines reduction of permissible exposure limits (PEL) for quartz from current general industry and construction thresholds—100 and 250 micrograms per cubic meter of air (μg/m3) expressed in eight-hour weighted averages, respectively—to a uniform 50 μg/m3.

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New silica exposure rule compliance burden: $1,300–$1,750 per concrete plant

Sources: OSHA, CP staff

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Occupational Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica (NPRM) profiles 11 ready mixed and manufactured concrete production job titles, estimating at least half of workers with three of them encounter silica exposure above the agency’s new 50 microgram per cubic meter of air over eight-hour sampling period (50 μg/m3).

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