In March 2016, the United States Department of Labor issued a new rule that greatly reduces the permissible exposure limit to silica dust and adds medical monitoring regulations for employees who may be exposed to high levels of silica dust for long periods of time.
Though the new OSHA rule is being challenged in court, it has not yet caused a delay in the implementation date. That means employers are required to comply with the new silica exposure rule by June 23, 2017, for work at construction sites and June 23, 2018, for exposure levels in precast plants.
The NPCA Safety, Health and Environmental Committee has developed a silica rule fact sheet and training materials to get you up to speed on the new OSHA Permissible Exposure Level.
Though the new OSHA rule is being challenged in court, it has not yet caused a delay in the implementation date. That means employers are required to comply with the new silica exposure rule by June 23, 2017, for work at construction sites and June 23, 2018, for exposure levels in precast plants.