New and revised resources available from OSHA on silica final rule

OSHA has released two resources to help small business employers comply with the agency’s final silica rule. The Small Entity Compliance Guide for General Industry and Maritime outlines steps that employers are required to take including: assessing worker exposures; using engineering and work practice controls to keep exposures below a specified safety threshold; offering medical exams to certain highly exposed workers; and training workers. Enforcement of the final rule is scheduled to begin June 23, 2018.

Released earlier in the year, the Small Entity Compliance Guide for Construction describes requirements to protect employees including: using engineering controls specified in the standard or selecting other effective engineering controls to reduce exposures; offering medical exams to workers who will need to wear a respirator under the silica standard for 30 or more days a year; and training workers. The guide was updated to reflect the new enforcement date of Sept. 23, 2017.