OSHA Publishes New National Emphasis Program Instructions for Respirable Crystalline Silica

Last month, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published instructions for implementing a National Emphasis Program (NEP) to identify and reduce or eliminate worker exposures to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) in general industry, maritime and construction.
 
The new instructions apply OSHA-wide and because it describes a federal program change, State Plan adoption is required for those states with their own programs. The following list provided by OSHA highlights some of the differences between this replacement NEP and the former NEP that was cancelled in October of 2017:

• This replacement NEP addresses enforcement of OSHA’s standards for RCS, promulgated in 2016. One standard covers general industry and maritime, and the other covers construction. Both standards set a permissible exposure limit (PEL) for RCS of 50 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³) as an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA). The former TWA PELs for respirable quartz silica were calculated based on silica content and were approximately equivalent to 100 µg/m³ for general industry and 250 µg/m³ for construction and shipyards (81 FR at 16294, March 25, 2016).
• The NEP contains an updated list of target industries, listed by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes.
• For inspection procedures, this NEP refers compliance safety and health officers (CSHOs) to current enforcement guidance for the Respirable Crystalline Silica Standards.
• Area and Regional Offices shall comply with this NEP, but they are not required to develop and implement corresponding Local Emphasis Programs (LEPs) or Regional Emphasis Programs (REPs).

 
“This is good news for workers as occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica can cause lung cancer, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and kidney disease,” said Zahid Iqbal, MPH, CIH and Technical Director at Clark Seif Clark (CSC). “At CSC we are dedicated to helping companies and institutions comply with OSHA regulations and our industrial hygiene professionals are available to enact and assist with compliance strategies. These services include air testing, monitoring, engineering controls, record keeping, personal protective equipment fit testing and employee hazard communication training.”
 
To learn more about this or other occupational, environmental, air quality, health and safety services, please visit www.csceng.com, email csc@csceng.com or call (800) 807-1118. 
 
About Clark Seif Clark
CSC was established in 1989 to help clients in both public and private sectors address indoor air quality, occupational, environmental, and health and safety (EH&S) issues. CSC is a leading provider of these services with multiple offices along the western seaboard and southwest. The company believes in science-based protocols and has a strong background in engineering, making them the preferred environmental consultants to industrial clients, healthcare facilities, architects, schools, builders, contractors, developers and real estate professionals.

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