BUFFALO AFL-CIO/WNYCOSH
Safety & Health Committee Meeting
April 12, 2016 (Tuesday)
5:30 – 6:30 pm
Teamsters Local #264 Hall, 35 Tyrol Dr., Cheektowaga, NY
OSHA ISSUES STRICTER RULES ON SILICA DUST
Presenter: Nellie Brown, MS, CIH, Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Last week OSHA issued a final rule, after many years, to protect workers from exposure to silica dust. The hazards of silica exposure were first highlighted in the 1930’s after numerous worker deaths were reported. When OSHA was formed in 1971, the US Dept. of Labor issued Silica standards, however the exposure limits set in these standards were outdated and inadequate in protecting a worker’s health. In 2013, the rule-making process to revise the standards began and after 3 years of testimony and comments, OSHA finally issued a final rule!
More than 2.3 million workers are exposed to respirable crystalline silica dust in workplaces, including construction workers, and workers in general industry jobs such as foundry workers, in brick manufacturing and in the fracking industry. Some of the key provisions of the new rule for both construction and general industry include reducing the permissible exposure limit, use of engineering controls, offering medical exams and training to workers on exposure risks. Nellie Brown from the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine will discuss some of the changes in the standards and what it means in improving worker protections. An open, facilitated discussion to follow. RSVP at 833-5416 or germainharnden@wnycosh.org.
