Development of an ACGIH Construction Industry Silica Exposure Database Overview

Details

• Personal Author:
  Akladios M ; Becker P ; Flanagan ME
• Description:
  Silica dust exposures are greater in construction than in any other American industry. Air samples taken at construction sites in 1995 and 1996 exceeded the permissible exposure limit (PEL) 37 percent of the time, with exposures over the PEL muc hmore frequently for construction (29.9%) than any other industry including metal mining (1.2%), foundries (2.2%), and coal mining (0.8%). Although some studies have reported exposure ranges for activities including Blutte on sawing and grinding in highway construction, Chisholm on concrete and masonry work, and Lofgren on a variety of tasks, information for many other construction activities is unavailable. OSHA is currently developing a new regulation for silica exposure, and has sought specific information on silica exposures in the construction industry. Contractors, safety technicians, and professionals frequently lack data on which to base exposure and risk assessment because regular air sampling is rarely conducted in the construction industry. Information on exposure levels is needed to predict future exposures, to evaluate the efficacy and need for controls, and to determine appropriate respiratory protection as required by OSHA's Respiratory Protection Regulation. The fact that no comprehensive source of exposure data exists does not indicate that air monitoring on construction sites is not being conducted. Both private parties (contractors, consultants, and insurance carriers), and public entities (regulators and research institutions) are certainly evaluating the hazard. However, much of this data is not available publicly, nor is it organized in a manner that would assist the construction community in predicting and controlling exposures to workers. There is increasing recognition of the need to compile data and utilize it more effectively within the occupational health community. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Construction Industry Database Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Silicon Dioxide
• Keywords:
  Construction Industry Databases Exposure Assessment Exposure Limits Occupational Exposure Risk Assessment Silica Dusts Surveillance
• ISSN:
  1047-322X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 3 ; Washington ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  16
• Issue:
  8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20057498
• Citation:
  Appl Occup Environ Hyg 2001 Aug; 16(8):781-783
• CAS Registry Number:
  Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2001
• NORA Priority Area:
  Research Tools and Approaches: Exposure Assessment Methods
• Performing Organization:
  West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  19940701
• Source Full Name:
  Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• End Date:
  20050630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6462a073ab9fcb8f42f063a0fa46295990b7c9ca9fbd4ee0c242daf23c20b958802d3072d9cef6f09b0f0425dc92a4a789525d9c0112694f84343b8494b6e6f4
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/214837/cdc_214837_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 283.93 KB ]