An introduction to compliance with OSHA's respirable crystalline silica rule for precast concrete plants. The video outlines what employers can do to prevent overexposure.
Here is an example of how you can interpret air sample results of respirable crystalline silica (RCS) under the new rules so you can use the engineering and control methods to capture or cut back the RCS. For this, the acronyms PPE (personal protection equipment) and PEL (permissible exposure level) are used. Suppose you take air samples at 4 areas of a construction site, and you get the results. The results could be labeled like this: Quadrant 1 - 12-18 mg/cm of RCS (no danger; levels are below PEL, no PPE required) Quadrant 2 - 500-1500 mg/cm of RCS (dangerous levels beyond PEL, PPE required) Quadrant 3 - 2000-4000 mg/cm of RCS (very dangerous levels, levels are beyond PEL, PPE required) Quadrant 4 - 20-33 mg/cm of RCS (no danger, levels are below PEL, no PPE required)
This is incorrect. The measurement is not in mg/cm (milligrams per cm). OSHA's PEL for silica is µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter of air) Additionally, OSHA has a established action level of 25µg/m3. This means that if silica is at or above 25µg/m3 the employer is required to take action to reduce employee exposures. If you have questions about Silica compliance, please PM. I specialize in this line of work and can bring your business into OSHA compliance. Thanks, Scott
