On Aug. 15, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration published a Request for Information seeking comment on Table 1 of the agency’s Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard for Construction.

According to an OSHA news release, the agency is requesting comment on its current and any additional engineering and work practice control methods to effectively limit exposure to silica for the equipment and tasks currently listed on Table 1 and other construction equipment and tasks that generate silica that it should consider adding to Table 1.

OSHA is soliciting feedback on the RFI, and the deadline for submitting comments is Oct. 15, 2019. ABC will continue to keep members informed of any developments on the silica rulemaking in Newsline.

Background

As of Oct. 23, 2017, OSHA has fully enforced all appropriate provisions of the Silica in Construction Standard. On Aug. 13, 2018, OSHA issued 53 Frequently Asked Questions to provide further guidance to employers and employees regarding OSHA’s respirable crystalline silica standard for construction, which can be found on the OSHA website.

The development of the FAQs stemmed from litigation filed against OSHA by numerous construction industry trade associations, including ABC, challenging the legality of OSHA’s 2016 respirable crystalline silica final rule.

More background on the 2016 final rule can be found on the OSHA website.