Silica Exposure Awareness for Occupational Safety

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Silica Exposure Awareness for Occupational Safety
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What is Silica?
Silica, also known as silicon dioxide (SiO2), is
a naturally occurring mineral in the earths
crust often found as stone and sand. Silica
occurs in two forms crystalline silica and
amorphous (non-crystalline) silica. Crystalline
silica is hard, with a high melting point, and is
chemically inactive. Quartz is the most common
form of crystalline silica found and used in the
creation of various products. Cristobalite and
Tridymite are the other two known forms of
crystalline silica. Silica is found in a variety
of products, and there are various uses for
silica, globally. Crystalline silica is used to
make pottery, ceramic, and glass products. Also,
when sand, stone, or rocks are used to produce
other materials for example, concrete, mortar,
bricks, etc., these transformed products also
contain silica. Crystalline silica is also found
in granite and paints. Amorphous silica on the
other hand is often found in the form of silica
gel, and is used in food additives, food
wrappings, toothpaste, and cosmetics as this
form of silica has been found to have no adverse
health effects at levels found naturally in the
environment or commercial products.
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What is Respirable Crystalline Silica?
Respirable Crystalline Silica is the tiny
airborne particles formed when crystalline silica
or any silica-containing materials including
rocks, stones, concrete, brick, block, and mortar
is manipulated by cutting, drilling, sawing,
grinding, crushing, or breaking. This dust is
deemed to be 100 times smaller than sand grains
found on a beach and is often referred to as
silica dust. Silica dust can easily be inhaled
and get into the human respiratory tract causing
harm to the health of those exposed to respirable
crystalline silica while working with
silica-containing materials.
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Silica and the Construction Industry
Workers in the construction industry are the most
exposed to respirable crystalline silica as they
participate in work activities that require them
to cut, saw, grind, and drill silica-containing
materials. Such work activities include mixing
concrete and mortar, cutting bricks and blocks,
abrasive blasting with sand, crushing and
grinding stones or rocks, sanding or drilling
into concrete walls, cutting granite, etc. Also
subjected to the hazards of silica exposure are
the employees of brick, concrete block, and stone
or granite countertop manufacturers. Furthermore,
people working in excavation and trenching
operations are also exposed to respirable
crystalline silica due to work activities such as
sifting sand and crushing, grinding, and moving
rocks that may disturb silica particles.
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OSHAs Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard for
the Construction Industry
As such, all construction industry workers must
obtain adequate knowledge about working with
silica and the dangers of silica exposure.
Accordingly, the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) has developed and
implemented the respirable crystalline silica
standard for the construction industry (29 CFR
1926.1153) to support employers in their
endeavors to protect employees from silica
hazards and limit worker exposures to respirable
crystalline silica by adopting the appropriate
methods and safeguards. OSHAs construction
industry respirable crystalline silica standard
provides flexibility to employers on the
different protection methods specified exposure
control methods based on the Silica Table 1
provided in the standard or alternative exposure
control methods based on distinct workplace
measurements of worker exposure to silica dust
and the best ways to limit the permissible
exposure limit (PEL) in the workplace by using
the Hierarchy of Controls.
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OSHAs Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard for
the Construction Industry

• OSHAs respirable crystalline silica standard for
  the construction industry specifically requires
  employers to
• Create and implement a written silica exposure
  control plan. This plan should identify the
  silica exposure tasks and detail the methods used
  to protect workers from silica exposure. The plan
  must also explain the procedures to restrict
  access to work areas where high exposures may
  occur.
• Ensure a competent person is responsible for
  implementing the written exposure control plan.
• Identify and use reasonable appropriate
  alternative housekeeping practices to avoid
  housekeeping practices that could increase
  workers exposure to silica.
• Ensure workers who are required by the standard
  to wear a respirator for 30 days or more
  annually, undergo medical exams every three
  years. These medical surveillances examinations
  should include chest X-rays and lung function
  tests.
• Provide workers with the appropriate training on
  work operations that result in silica exposure
  and ways to limit exposure.
• Maintain records of exposure measurements, the
  relevant objective data, and medical examination
  records of workers as required.

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Silica Used in Other Industries
Silica exposure and awareness are not limited to
construction industry workers. Employees in other
industries working with silica-containing
materials are also in danger of exposure to
crystalline silica and silica dust. Popular
examples include hydraulic fracturing (fracking)
operations and foundry work that requires workers
to use sand. Moreover, makers of pottery,
ceramic, and glass products are also exposed to
silica dust. Therefore, employees exposed to
silica in other industries must also be provided
with adequate information on silica exposure and
gain the appropriate silica awareness
training. These industries, too, are governed by
OSHA. OSHA has developed and issued respirable
crystalline silica standards for the general
industry and maritime (29 CFR 1910.1053) that
employers can use to put in place the necessary
precautions to reduce silica exposure levels of
employees.
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Silica Exposure Risks and Controls
Exposure to respirable crystalline silica can
result in several health hazards. These illnesses
include silicosis, lung cancer, Chronic
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), kidney
disease, activation of latent tuberculosis
infections, and autoimmune diseases. Thus,
employers must provide the necessary precautions
in the workplace to reduce employees exposure to
silica by implementing a range of appropriate
measures as recommended by the OSHA standards.
The measures may include a combination of
engineering and work practice controls,
housekeeping procedures, respiratory protection,
medical surveillance, hazard communication,
silica air monitoring measures, and silica
methods of sample analysis.
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Silica Awareness Training
An effective way to create awareness of silica
exposure and related silica health hazards in the
workplace is to provide relevant training to
employees. Our silica awareness online training
course will enable employers to fulfill the
training requirements as outlined in the Federal
OSHA Regulations 29 CFR 1910.1053 and 29 CFR
1926.1153. Our training program aims to acquaint
workers with the hazards associated with exposure
to respirable crystalline silica and the hazard
control measures that must be implemented to
minimize exposure within safe limits to comply
with the relevant OSHA respirable crystalline
silica standards. So, enroll today, and learn
more about the regulatory requirements of working
with crystalline silica-containing materials and
the exposure control methods that must be
implemented in the worksite to ensure compliance
and safeguard the health of workers.
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