OSHAs New National Emphasis Program: Crystalline Silica

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OSHAs New National Emphasis ProgramCrystalline
Silica
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Crystalline Silica

• SiO2 silicon dioxide
• Also known as free silica
• Significantly more hazardous than amorphous
  silica
• 3 mineralogical forms
• Quartzmost common
• Cristobalite
• Tridymite

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Application of the NEP

• General Industry1910
• Construction--1926

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Features of NEP

• Expands 1996 SEP memorandum
• Provides updated research results on silica
  exposure hazards
• Details inspection procedures, including
  follow-up inspections where overexposure found
• Addresses targeting of worksites and provides
  updated NAICS codes for industries with worker
  exposure to crystalline silica
• Explains calculation of PELS in General Industry,
  Construction, and Maritime
• Establishes program evaluation procedures
• Provides for Regional and Area Office outreach
  programs

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Goals of NEP

• Eliminate employee overexposure
• Control health hazards associated with
  overexposure

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Health Effects of Crystalline Silica

• Silicosis
• Chronic, accelerated, acute
• A continuing problem
• Lung cancer
• Tuberculosis
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder
• Other
• Immunologic disorders and autoimmune diseases
• Renal disease
• Stomach and other cancers

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Symptoms and Signs of Chronic Silicosis

• NOTE There may be no symptoms in the early
  stages.
• As the disease progresses
• Cough
• Breathlessness
• Weakness
• Significant X-ray changes
• after 15-20 years of exposure

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Symptoms of Related Illnesses (such as
Tuberculosis)

• Fever
• Weight loss
• Night sweats
• Chest pains
• Respiratory failure
• These symptoms can become worse over time,
  leading to death.

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Exposure to Crystalline Silica

• High historical exposures
• Sandblasting
• Mining (regulated by MSHA)
• Tunneling
• Granite cutting
• Sand-casting foundry operations
• Other exposuressee Appendix B, Industries with
  Potential Overexposure to Silica

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Probable Use of Silica
                                  
If you can answer YES to any of these, then it is
likely that Silica is used at your work and that
it is airborne.
                             
Identify factors that indicate probable use of
crystalline silica
Left column Industries with exposure Middle
column Occupations with exposure Right column
Materials containing crystalline silica
MaterialsAre any of these involved?
OccupationsAre you one of these?
IndustryDo you work in any of these? 

• Abrasives
• Coal Dust
• Concrete
• Dirt
• Filter Aids
• Graphite, natural
• Mica
• Mineral Products
• Paints
• Pavement
• Perlite
• Plant Materials
• Plastic Fillers
• Polishing Compounds
• Portland Cement
• Sands
• Silicates
• Slag

• Brickmason/stonemason
• Construction laborer
• Crane and tower operator
• Crushing and grinding machine operator
• Furnace, kiln, non-food oven operator
• Grinding, abrading, buffing, and polishing
  machine operator
• Hand molder/shaper (not jeweler)
• Heavy-equipment mechanic
• Janitor or cleaner
• Machinist
• Metals/plastics machine operator
• Molding and casting machine operator
• Mining machine operator
• Miscellaneous material moving equipment operator
• Millwright
• Operating engineer
• Painter who sandblasts (High Risk)
• Production supervisor

• Abrasive blasting
• Asphalt pavement manufacturing
• Blast furnaces
• Cement manufacturing
• Ceramics, clay, and pottery
• Concrete mixing
• Concrete tunneling
• Construction (mainly cement, concrete work)
• Demolition
• Electronics industry
• Foundry industry grinding, molding, shakeout,
  core room (High Risk)
• Hand molding, casting, and forming
• Jack hammer operations
• Manufacturing abrasives, paints, soaps, and glass
  
• Mining
• Repair or replacement of linings of rotary kilns
  and cupola furnaces
• Rolling and finishing mills
• Sandblasting (High Risk)

Source OSHAs Silica eTool
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And One You May Not Usually Think ofDental
Laboratories!
Source What Dental Technicians Need to Know
About Silicosis. NJDHSS.
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PELGeneral Industry

• Quartz (respirable dust)
• 10 mg/m3
• respirable quartz 2
• Cristobalite and Tridymite use ½ of the value
  calculated from the formula for quartz

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PELConstruction and Maritime

• Quartz (respirable dust)
• 250 mppcf
• silica 5
• OSHA-adopted conversion factor
• 1 mppcf 0.1 mg/m3 respirable dust

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Crystalline Silica PELs Bottom Line Message

• Whatever the worksite The more crystalline
  silica there is in the dust, the less of the dust
  may be breathed

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Selection of Worksites for NEP

• Focus Worksites where workers are potentially
  exposed to levels of crystalline silica in excess
  of the PEL
• Representative of the distribution of worksites
  in general industry and construction in each
  Region
• At least 2 percent of inspections every year in
  each Region must be silica-related
• Functionally, NEP will be a composite
• of LEPs

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Sources for Selection

• NAICS codes identified from OSHA inspection data
  (Appendix B)
• Other sources
• Workers comp claims data
• Public health data from sources such as NIOSH
• Referrals from
• Local agencies
• Healthcare providers
• Previous inspection histories

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Sources for Selection (contd)

• Other sources (contd)
• Dun Bradstreet employer list
• Commercial directories
• Telephone listings
• Local knowledge
• Dodge reports for
• construction sites

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Scope of Inspection

• Inspection may be expanded
• beyond silica-related
• activities if other
• hazards or violations
• are observed.

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Inspection Procedures

• Employee exposure monitoring, including the
  collection of bulk samples
• Engineering and work practice
• controls
• Respiratory protection
• Hazard communication
• Symptoms of silicosis in workplace
• Housekeeping and hygiene
• Employee exposure and medical records
• Abrasive blasting

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Follow-up and Evaluation

• Mandatory follow-up inspections where citations
  for overexposure are issued
• If follow-up not possible (operation concluded),
  written documentation
• of abatement efforts from employers
• Where exposures cannot be reduced
• below the PEL
• engineering and administrative controls to reduce
  exposures as low as possible
• respiratory protection to supplement
• Abatement verification data used by
• Office of Statistics

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Follow-up and Evaluation (contd)

• Each LEP will be evaluated for
• effectiveness 1 year after
• implementation.

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Ways to Reduce Exposure

• Substitute materials that have no crystalline
  silica
• Locate employees as far as possible from
  dust-generation source
• Isolate employees OR the source
• Control rooms
• Enclosures
• Barriers

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Moving Employees Farther from Point of Exposure
Source NIOSH Publication No. 1999-113 Control
of Drywall Sanding Dust Exposures
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Ways to Reduce Exposure (contd)

• Use local exhaust ventilation (LEV systems)
• Use tools with dust-collecting
• systems

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Example of a Combination of Controls
Source What Dental Technicians Need to Know
About Silicosis. NJDHSS.
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Ways to Reduce Exposure (contd)

• Use wet methods
• Cutting
• Chipping
• Drilling
• Sawing
• Grinding
• Clean surfaces with HEPA vacuums or wet
  sweepingno compressed air!

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ControlsWet Methods
Source Dry Cutting and Grinding is RISKY
BUSINESS. NJDHSS.
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Ways to Reduce Exposure (contd)

• And if other methods are not sufficient
• Use Proper Respiratory Protection

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Respiratory Protection
Source NIOSH Publication No. 2004-108
Silicosis Learn the Facts!
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Example of a Combination of Controls
Source NIOSH Publication No. 1999-113 Control
of Drywall Sanding Dust Exposures
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Outreach

• Crystalline silica-related information and
  training materials will be available through the
  Regional Offices for distribution to the Area
  Offices and Consultation Program offices
• Regions and Area Offices will develop outreach
  programs to support enforcement efforts

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OSHA Internet Information

• NEP for crystalline silica
• Go to www.osha.gov
• Select Directives
• Select 2008
• Look under January (1/24/08)
• Other information on crystalline silica
• Go to www.osha.gov
• Select S from the alphabetical topic index
• Select Silica, Crystalline

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NIOSH Internet Information

• National Institute for Occupational Safety and
  Health (NIOSH) website
• www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/silica

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Questions?
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Audience Suggestions?

• Control methods for crystalline silica on your
  job or in your workplace?
• Suggestions for getting the word out?
• Other groups that might be interested in reducing
  exposure to crystalline silica?

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