On Feb. 11, the deadline for public comments for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) rule on respirable crystalline silica closed. The proposed rule would lower the current permissible exposure limit (PEL) from 100 micrograms per cubic meter to 50 micrograms per cubic meter. It would also require the establishment of regulated areas or access control plans where exposures will or may be expected to exceed the PEL, such as conducting medical surveillance and the training of workers about silica related hazards. AGC and other industry stakeholders formed a coalition of two dozen construction trade associations to formulate a comprehensive, unified response to industry concerns with the proposed rule. The next step in the rule making process is an informal public hearing scheduled to begin March 18, 2014.
AGC of America submitted a comment letter to OSHA and highlighted the work of the Construction Industry Safety Coalition and its detailed comments and economic analysis on the proposed rule. The coalition also issued a press statement in conjunction with the comments.
For more information, please contact Jim Young at youngj@agc.org or Kevin Cannon at cannonk@agc.org.
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