SILICA TESTING & OSHA COMPLIANCE
Silica testing is required for OSHA compliance and is used to measure the level of worker exposure to airborne silica dust on your job site. Silica exposure air monitoring is vital in ensuring the health and safety of your workforce.
Trust the professionals at Titan Environmental to accurately assess worker exposure to this toxic dust. Providing your workers with a healthy environment is important. Monitoring levels of airborne silica dust on your job site to reduce employee exposure is critical.
Titan will help you stay in OSHA compliance. When collecting air samples in a worker’s breathing zone, detailed records of the following information must be kept for OSHA compliance:
- Worker’s name, social security number and job or task monitored,
- Type of personal protection equipment (PPE) workers are using,
- Number of Air samples collected including the dates taken, duration of tests, sampling method, and results.
- Info and certification of the 3rd party laboratory and analysis method used,
Titan will provide a detailed exposure assessment report to assist you with OSHA compliance. You must have these records available for review by employees, their representatives and OSHA personnel upon request.
Call Titan at 913-432-5500 today and get into OSHA Compliance!
IS SILICA TOXIC?
Yes, silica is toxic. Silica is a mineral that occurs naturally in crystalline or non-crystalline form. The most common silicate mineral found in the earth’s crust is quartz. Crystalline silica is also found in soil, concrete, sand, granite, rock ceramics, block, brick and other forms of masonry.
When building materials containing crystalline silica are used in the construction industry it can create substantial amounts of respirable toxic dust.
Silica dust exposure causes inflammation and scarring of the lungs. This can lead to silicosis, a disease of the lungs. It develops when workers inhale crystalline silica dust.
Each year, about 2.3 million workers are exposed to crystalline silica dust while at work. The most common type of jobs that are responsible for exposing workers to this toxic dust are:
- Construction & Demolition
- Concrete Drilling, Sawing, Grinding and Polishing
- Rock Crushing, Cutting, Chipping, or Polishing
- Stone Countertop Fabrication
- Brick or Tile Cutting & Sawing
- Media Blast Operations
- Mining & Hydraulic fracturing
The OSHA Standard (29 CFR 1926.1153) requires employers to take the necessary steps to protect the health and safety of their workers.
OSHA established new rules for Crystalline Silica Exposure in 2016 that fully went into effect in 2018.
The new rule lowers the permissible exposure limit (PEL) to fifty (50) micrograms per cubic meter of air averaged over an 8-hour work shift.
