OSHA may “broaden the circumstances” under which certain employers would be permitted to comply with its Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard for Construction, according to a request for information and comment issued by the agency last week.
Specifically, OSHA is looking for information on additional engineering and work practice control methods to effectively limit exposure to silica for the equipment and tasks currently listed on Table 1 of the standard. The agency is also requesting information about other construction equipment and tasks that generate silica that it should consider adding to Table 1, along with information about their associated engineering and work practice control methods.