Operating Engineers: Union Trainers’ Response to the Silica Standard

Details

• Personal Author:
  Barlet G ; Betit, Eileen ; McCabe B ; Sokas R
• Description:
  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued its final silica standard for both general industry and for construction in 2016 and enforcement began in 2017. The standard includes a specified control method (Table 1) that matches 18 tasks with engineering controls and in select circumstances respiratory protection to prevent worker overexposure to silica. Table 1 permits the use of enclosed cabs with filtration systems to protect heavy equipment operators during demolition or grading and excavating tasks; however, there is a limited understanding of the availability of cab filtration systems and potential barriers to their use. This study explored familiarity with the OSHA silica standard, experiences with and perceptions of cab filtration systems, and related topics among occupational safety and health trainers from the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE). An online survey, including both closed and open-ended questions was developed using the Qualtrics program. The survey was distributed through the IUOE Training Fund leadership to all IUOE safety and health trainers. Trainers were given two weeks to complete the survey, with one reminder. Surveys were completed by 95 of the 437 trainers with valid email addresses for a response rate of 21.7%. On average, respondents worked 27.7 years in construction, 25.9 years as an operating engineer, and 9.2 years as a trainer. Most (96.8%) were extremely or moderately concerned about silica. When asked how familiar they were with the OSHA standard, 71.7% indicated having a moderate or good understanding, and 86.2% included silica in training sessions. However, only 14.6% specifically mentioned including cab filtration systems in their training, and 45.6% reported a limited understanding of this control method. Trainers identified perceived barriers to the use of cab filtration systems and recommendations for overcoming them. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Construction Industry Engineering Occupational Health Safety Silicon Dioxide Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Occupational Health And Safety Construction Industry Engineering Controls Occupational Safety And Health Administration OSHA OSHA Regulations Silica Standards Training
• Publisher:
  American Public Health Association
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  California ; District of Columbia ; Maryland ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 9 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20062962
• Citation:
  Creating the Healthiest Nation: Health Equity Now. APHA 146th Annual Meeting and Exposition, November 10-14, 2018, San Diego, California. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association, 2018 Nov; :414680
• CAS Registry Number:
  Silica (CAS RN 7631-86-9)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Performing Organization:
  CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training, Silver Spring, Maryland
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20090901
• Source Full Name:
  Creating the Healthiest Nation: Health Equity Now. APHA 146th Annual Meeting and Exposition, November 10-14, 2018, San Diego, California
• End Date:
  20240831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3153d00b1c50a6a7e00da7ef0db19ddc149ae24c7bb015fd1bd9bf8d4739c5ce06c9446af9474b55d9036f1456295047c20fa7c2eaf6b8a715fd8d5636920154
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/226115/cdc_226115_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 300.09 KB ]