Regulatory Info

FactSheet
Workers’ Exposure to Respirable Crystalline
Silica: Final Rule Overview
More than 2 million workers gain protections from deadly dust
Background
Workplace illness takes the lives of thousands
of workers each year. Those workers and their
families rely on the U.S. Department of Labor’s
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
to set and enforce standards that reduce the
risk to those workers of contracting illnesses or
suffering injuries on the job, so that no worker
is forced to sacrifice their life or health for
their livelihood. Respirable crystalline silica is
particularly hazardous for the nation’s workers.
Workers who inhale very small crystalline silica
particles are at increased risk of developing
serious — and often deadly — silica-related
diseases. These tiny particles (known as
“respirable” particles) can penetrate deep
into workers’ lungs and cause silicosis, an
incurable and sometimes fatal lung disease.
Crystalline silica exposure also puts workers at
risk for developing lung cancer, other potentially
debilitating respiratory diseases such as chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease, and kidney
disease. Approximately 2.3 million people in the
U.S. are exposed to silica at work.
To better protect workers from dangerous
crystalline silica, OSHA has finalized two new
silica standards: one for general industry
and maritime, and the other for construction.
These rules are based on extensive review
of peer-reviewed scientific evidence, current
industry consensus standards, an extensive
public outreach effort, and nearly a year of
public comment, including several weeks of
public hearings. They provide commonsense,
affordable and flexible strategies for employers
to protect workers in their workplaces from the
serious risks posed by silica exposure.
OSHA estimates these standards will save the
lives of more than 600 workers each year and
prevent more than 900 cases of silicosis each
year once the full effects of the rule are realized.
What is crystalline silica?
Crystalline silica is a common mineral that is
found in materials that we see every day in
roads, buildings, and sidewalks. It is a common
component of sand, stone, rock, concrete, brick,
block, and mortar.
• Exposures to crystalline silica dust occur in
common workplace operations involving
cutting, sawing, drilling, and crushing of
concrete, brick, block, rock, and stone
products (such as construction tasks), and
operations using sand products (such as in
glass manufacturing, foundries, sand blasting,
and hydraulic fracturing).
Why do we need new silica standards?
• We have known about the dangers of silica for
decades. More than 80 years ago, U.S. Secretary
of Labor Frances Perkins first brought experts
and stakeholders together to determine the best
ways to protect workers from silica.
• OSHA’s current permissible exposure limits for
silica are more than 40 years old. They are based
on research from the 1960s and earlier that do
not reflect more recent scientific evidence.
• Strong evidence shows that the current
exposure limits do not adequately protect
worker health. For example, since the current
exposure limits were adopted, respirable
crystalline silica exposure has been found to
cause lung cancer and kidney disease at the
levels currently permitted.
• Many employers are already implementing
the necessary measures to protect their
workers from silica exposure. The technology
for most employers to meet the new
standards is widely available and affordable.
How will the rule protect workers?
• The rule significantly reduces the amount of
silica dust that workers can be exposed to on
the job. That means that employers will have