Seyfarth Synopsis: OSHA’s new Silica Rule
will have a lasting effect on nearly 2.3 million workers and over
675,000 employers. The chances are high that the new Silica
Rule will affect your business and may require you to implement new
policies and programs to protect your employees’ safety.
Introduction
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released
its new Respirable Crystalline Silica Rule (Silica Rule) on March
25, 2016. Crystalline silica particles are commonly dispersed
in the air when workers cut, grind, crush, or drill
silica-containing materials such as concrete, masonry, tile, and
rock. OSHA estimates that 2.3 million American workers are
exposed to respirable silica, with 1.85 million of those workers in
the construction industry. Other common sources of exposure
are building products manufacturing, sandblasting, and hydraulic
fracturing (fracking) of oil and gas wells.
