OSHA has issued a final rule for workers to limit exposure to respirable crystalline silica, a substance OSHA has stated can increase the risk of developing silicosis, lung cancer, and kidney disease.
Keeping workers safe is a complex and time-consuming task for safety managers. They must monitor and understand the jobsite hazards and safety regulations, and know how best to tackle them for each individual worker.
To this end, 3M is continually working to make information available that can help safety managers with the personal protective equipment (PPE), educational materials, and the knowledge they need to be most effective.
3M’s latest online informational tool kit focuses on silica, specifically the OSHA Respirable Crystalline Silica in Construction Regulation released in March 2016 (29 CFR 1926.1153). Silica is one of the most common hazards on a worksite, particularly in the construction and manufacturing industries. If safety precautions are not used, Silica dust can lead to lung disease and cancer.
Silica is the basic component in sand and rock. It’s in construction materials such as:
- Concrete and cement
- Tiles and brick
- Granite, sand, fill dirt, and top soil
- Asphalt-containing rock or stone
- Abrasive used for blasting
“As we help employers promote worker health and safety, we want to make it easier for safety managers to find relevant resources and to understand the safety standards and regulations in play on their worksite, and source the right equipment and training needed,” said Don Garvey, CIH, CSP of 3M Personal Safety Division. “In simplifying this process, we hope to free up time for the safety manager to engage and communicate with their workers, and to help them better protect their workers on the job.”
On the 3M Silica site, visitors will find key regulations and regulation updates, videos, fast facts, technical bulletins, infographics, a product selector, and more – all curated by 3M industrial hygienists and certified safety professionals. 3M also outlines five key areas under the new silica regulation, and provides information and resources needed to obtain them.
Users can learn more about the regulation and resources related to silica here.
Filed Under: News, Safety
