Deadly silica standard is killing UK workers

Photo: Jawad Qasrawi Today's post is shared from hazards.org. Silica exposure was the the trigger in the US during the 1059's that incorporated occupational diseases into the workers' compensation acts throughout the US. Silica exposures kill over 1,000 workers a year in the UK and leave many more fighting for breath. But, unlike its US counterpart, finds Hazards editor Rory O’Neill, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is following the industry line and says our deadly silica exposure standard is just fine. When the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited Teesdale Architectural Stone Ltd (TASL) in September 2007, it discovered workers were facing unacceptably high exposures to crystalline silica, a dust that can cause lung cancer, the breath-stealing disorder silicosis and other serious diseases. In two letters, the regulator told the Barnard Castle firm to clean up its act. Then it did nothing. After all, the company had written twice to assure the watchdog improvements had been made. Only they hadn’t. Five more years passed before a return HSE visit discovered workers were still facing a lung-clogging and potentially deadly daily dose of dust. What’s the problem? The US regulator says clear the air, the UK regulator says eat dust • In the UK, the official workplace safety regulator the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is resisting behind closed doors any shift to a more stringent silica exposure standard that would help prevent cancers, lung and kidney diseases and other potentially fatal conditions. Affected workers have no say. • In the US, the official workplace safety regulator, OSHA, is arguing at public hearings...

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OSHA will hold live Web chat on its proposed silica rule

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration will host a live Web chat to discuss the agency's proposed rule on occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica from 1 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. EST, Tuesday, Jan. 14. Visit http://www.osha.gov/silica/webchat.html to participate.

The Web chat will provide participants the opportunity to ask questions, get clarification from OSHA on the proposed silica rule and learn how to participate in the regulatory process. OSHA staff will be available to clarify the proposed standards related to silica for general industry, maritime and construction. Staff will also answer questions on OSHA's underlying analysis of health risks, potential costs and benefits, and economic impacts associated with the proposed rule and how to submit comments to the rulemaking record.

The deadline to submit written comments and testimony on the proposal is Monday, Jan. 27. Members of the public may submit comments by visiting http://www.regulations.gov.

Additional information on the proposed rule can be found at http://www.osha.gov/silica.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

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Determinants of Respirable Crystalline Silica Exposure Among Stoneworkers Involved in Stone Restoration Work

Today's post was shared by WCBlog and comes from annhyg.oxfordjournals.org

Objectives: Crystalline silica occurs as a significant component of many traditional materials used in restoration stonework, and stoneworkers who work with these materials are potentially exposed to stone dust containing respirable crystalline silica (RCS). Exposure to RCS can result in the development of a range of adverse health effects, including silicosis and lung cancer. An understanding of the determinants of RCS exposure is important for selecting appropriate exposure controls and in preventing occupational diseases. The objectives of this study were to quantify the RCS exposure of stoneworkers involved in the restoration and maintenance of heritage properties and to identify the main determinants of RCS exposure among this occupational group. Methods: An exposure assessment was carried out over a 3-year period amongst a group of stonemasons and stone cutters involved in the restoration and maintenance of heritage buildings in Ireland. Personal air samples (n = 103) with corresponding contextual information were collected. Exposure data were analysed using mixed-effects modelling to investigate determinants of RCS exposure and their contribution to the individual’s mean exposure. Between-depot, between-worker, and within-worker variance components were also investigated. Results: The geometric mean (GM) RCS exposure concentrations for all tasks measured ranged from <0 data-blogger-escaped-.02="" data-blogger-escaped-0.70mg="" data-blogger-escaped-m="" data-blogger-escaped-sup="" data-blogger-escaped-to="">−3. GM RCS exposure concentrations for work involving limestone and lime mortar were <0 data-blogger-escaped-.02="" data-blogger-escaped-m="" data-blogger-escaped-mg="" data-blogger-escaped-ndash="" data-blogger-escaped-sup="">...

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American Thoracic Society Welcomes OSHA’s Proposed Lower Silica Exposure Standard

The American Thoracic Society welcomes today’s release by the Occupational Safety 
and Health Administration (OSHA) of a proposed lower standard for crystalline silica exposure. 

“This needed adjustment is long overdue,” said Tee L. Guidotti, MD, MPH, chair of the Department of 
Environmental and Occupational Health at the School of Public Health and Health Services of the George 
Washington University Medical Center in Washington DC and a member of the American Thoracic 
Society’s Environmental Health Policy Committee involved in the Society’s efforts to establish a lower 
exposure standard. “The current OSHA standard of for respirable crystalline silica of 0.10 mg/m3 8 hour 
time weighted average has remained the same for 40 years and has been shown in numerous studies not to be 
protective.” 

“We support the proposed lower standard of 0.05 mg/m3 time-weighted average for up to 10 hours during a 
40 hour work week, which will protect hundreds and possibly thousands of workers from silica-related 
health effects at almost no cost, as silica exposure can be easily prevented with simple and inexpensive 
technology.” 

Crystalline silica has long been recognized as a serious occupational health hazard, affecting workers in 
industries such as granite workers, industrial sand workers and gold miners. Overexposure to respirable 
crystalline silica can cause irreversible, progressive lung disease, known as silicosis, and is also associated 
with lung cancer, chronic renal disease, and autoimmune disorders. It is estimated that 1.7 million U.S. 
workers are regularly exposed to this serious health hazard and that about 200 workers die each year from 
silicosis. As many as 7,300 new cases of silicosis occur annually among U.S. workers. 
Exposure levels and death rates from silica-related diseases in the U.S. far exceed those of comparable 
developed economies around the world. Silicosis has been virtually eliminated in the European Union with 
the use of simple and inexpensive measures such as adequate ventilation, wetting rock before it is cut, and 
banning sandblasting with silica sand in favor of readily available alternatives. 
OSHA first submitted a draft revised standard on respirable crystalline silica to the Office of Management 
and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on February 14, 2011, but a review was not 
completed until recently. 

“The proposed revised standard should be implemented in conjunction with a mandated periodic surveillance 
program to ensure that the measures taken to control exposure are adequate and to identify and mitigate 
disease in those workers who are exposed,” said Dr. Guidotti. “Silicosis and the other diseases caused by 
crystalline silica exposure are entirely preventable and this new lower standard is an important step toward 
this goal.” 

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