Control technology and exposure assessment for occupational exposure to crystalline silica: case 21 - non-residential construction.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Almaguer, Daniel ; Echt, Alan S.S ; Gressel MG ; Gunderson L
• Description:
  The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), working under an inter-agency agreement with the Office of Regulatory Analysis of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), is conducting a study to survey occupational exposures to crystalline silica and to document engineering controls and work practices affecting those exposures. The performance of a thorough industrial hygiene survey for a variety of individual employers provides valuable and useful information to the public and employers in the industries included in the work. NIOSH will be conducting approximately 30 case study assessments to document engineering controls and the associated worker exposures to crystalline silica. The principal objectives of this survey are: 1. To identify and describe the control technology and work practices in use in operations associated with occupational exposures to crystalline silica, as well as determining additional controls, work practices, substitute materials, or technology that can further reduce occupational silica exposures. 2. To measure full-shift, personal breathing zone, respirable particulate exposures to crystalline silica. These samples provide examples of exposures to crystalline silica among workers across the many industries where silica is encountered. These exposure data, along with the control data described above, provide a picture of the conditions in the selected industries. One of the industries selected for surveying was non-residential construction industry, (SIC code 1541). The field studies for this project are directed by NIOSH research personnel and are conducted by Battelle Centers of Public Health Research and Evaluation and their subcontractor, Prezant Associates. Silica is widespread in industry in the United States. Silica exposures have been identified in at least 47 different four-digit SIC codes. These SIC codes contain more than 230,000 establishments employing more than 3.5 million workers. The current OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for respirable dust containing quartz is calculated from the following formula: The current NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limit (REL) for quartz is 0.05 mg/m3, while the current American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH(R)) Threshold Limit Value (TLV(R)) is 0.1 mg/m3. A review of OSHA's Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) database shows that many workers are exposed to crystalline silica at concentrations exceeding the OSHA PEL, the NIOSH REL, and the ACGIH TLV. There is a need to understand the nature of these silica exposures, what is causing the exposures, and what steps are being taken or could be taken to reduce the exposures (e.g., engineering controls, work practices, and personal protective equipment).
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Animals Hazardous Substances Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Radiation Safety Skin
• Keywords:
  Construction Industry Control Technology Crystalline Silica Engineering Controls Exposure Levels Occupational Exposure Respirable Dust Silica Dusts
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Studies ; Control Technology
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DPSE - Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20060910
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, ECTB 233-121c, 1999 Oct; :1-8
• CAS Registry Number:
  Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2000
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  1541 - Industrial buildings and warehouses - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:352a105f11e0c5f4583c85ef5586b5e1f0a643a6e8f47eccf889ba129b367a927b77ac79889364a59b21f3fdec2a8a808f1b3bb2434b32540178b4b47f68e28f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/181883/cdc_181883_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 169.69 KB ]