OSHA Extends Silica Rule Comment Deadline

On Oct. 25, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that it would be extending the public comment period on its proposed silica rule by 47 days. The original deadline to submit public comments had been Dec. 11, but has been pushed back to Jan. 27, 2014. AGC submitted a request to extend the deadline by 90 days in order to best respond to the proposed rule’s 87 detailed questions. This extension now allows AGC to work with its members to properly formulate an effective response. AGC is also working with a coalition of nearly two dozen construction industry trade associations that represent all facets of the industry to craft a response to the proposed rule. AGC has numerous concerns with the rule, which, as it stands, would reduce the permissible exposure limit (PEL) to airborne crystalline silica in half. AGC’s preliminary analysis of the rule reveals that complying with the rule is neither technologically or economically feasible; control methods outlined in the rule contradict existing safety practices in the industry; and OSHA’s failure to detail how the new requirements would reduce illnesses. The industry has made significant progress in the last four decades in preventing silica-related disease under existing regulations and AGC believes the real problem is the failure to achieve compliance with the current PEL. Correcting that failure should be the focus of OSHA's efforts and will likely achieve the best results. AGC is soliciting input from members on the compliance costs and regulatory burdens the new rule would place on the industry. For more information on the proposed rule and to provide input to AGC, please visit the AGC website. For more information, please contact Jim Young at (202) 547-0133 or youngj@agc.org.