Items Tagged with 'silica'

This time next year, the nation will be electing a new president, who could move OSHA in a different direction. What can the agency accomplish in the remaining months of the Obama administration? OSHA-watchers weigh in.

Washington – Although the number of silicosis deaths has declined in the past decade, the occupational lung disease still kills about 100 people every year, according to a new study from NIOSH.

Silicosis is a disabling, deadly and incurable lung disease. It often is caused by breathing in the dust of crystalline silica, which can be found in concrete, sandstone, rock, paint and other abrasives, according to NIOSH. Although crystalline silica dust may seem harmless (sometimes it is too small to even see), it is not.

Washington – OSHA will be forced to conduct additional reviews and research before updating its Silica Standard, under a funding bill that passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee June 25.

Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez tells congressional critics that OSHA must strike a balance between compliance assistance and enforcement.

Arlington, VA – OSHA’s proposed silica standard will cost employers billions of dollars more than the agency has estimated, according to a report from the Construction Industry Safety Coalition.

Washington – Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez defended OSHA’s forthcoming silica standard to members of the House during a March 17 hearing convened by the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Washington – A new NIOSH document outlines best practices for minimizing the risk of crystalline silica exposure during asphalt pavement milling.