Items Tagged with 'Crystalline silica'

Labor and industry groups that have expressed support for OSHA’s final rule on silica are among those challenging the rule in court.

OSHA announced on March 24 the release of a final rule intended to protect workers from respirable crystalline silica. The agency claims the rule will save more than 600 lives and prevent more than 900 cases of the lung disease silicosis per year, but critics argue the rule is unnecessary and compliance will be costly.

Washington – OSHA’s recently issued final rule on respirable crystalline silica received both criticism and support during an April 19 hearing convened by the House Workforce Protections Subcommittee.

Washington – Petitions that request a review of OSHA’s recently issued rule on silica exposure will be consolidated in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Court.

Schaumburg, IL – The American Foundry Society and the National Association of Manufacturers have requested that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit review OSHA’s recently released final rule on silica.

Washington – OSHA has released its final rule on protecting workers from exposure to silica, marking the agency’s first updated regulation for the material since 1971.

Washington – Although the number of silicosis deaths has declined in the past decade, the occupational lung disease still kills about 100 people every year, according to a new study from NIOSH.

Silicosis is a disabling, deadly and incurable lung disease. It often is caused by breathing in the dust of crystalline silica, which can be found in concrete, sandstone, rock, paint and other abrasives, according to NIOSH. Although crystalline silica dust may seem harmless (sometimes it is too small to even see), it is not.

Washington – A simple solution could allow construction workers to reduce their exposure to crystalline silica when cutting fiber-cement siding, according to NIOSH.

Arlington, VA – OSHA’s proposed silica standard will cost employers billions of dollars more than the agency has estimated, according to a report from the Construction Industry Safety Coalition.