Crystalline silica as a common mineral that can be found in materials such as sand, stone, concrete, and mortar. Respirable crystalline silica can easily become airborne during the cutting, sawing, grinding, drilling, and crushing of these materials. Exposure can lead to lung cancer, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), kidney disease, and other life-altering and debilitating disorders.
Crystalline silica is regulated by OSHA's general and construction industries, 29 CFR 1910.1053, and 29 CFR 1926.1153, respectively. These standards require employers to limit worker exposure to respirable crystalline silica and take additional steps to protect workers. Such limitations include assessing employee exposures at certain action levels (AL) and permissible exposure limits (PEL) over the course of an 8-hour workday. In addition, these standards include employers are to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to workers, offer medical exams every 3 years, train workers on work operations, and recordkeeping of exposure measurements.
“The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reports that at least 1.7 million U.S. workers are exposed to respirable crystalline silica in the workplace,” said Frank Selamie, President of CTSI. “This is why government agencies, including OSHA, have put increased emphasis over the last several years on protecting workers from exposure risks in the construction and general industries. At CTSI, our industrial hygiene professionals assist companies with compliance strategies that include air testing, monitoring, engineering controls, record keeping, respiratory mask fit testing, and employee hazard communication training. These services help to protect employees from exposure risks and are instrumental for keeping companies in regulatory compliance to avoid costly fines.”
To learn more about this or other industrial hygiene, air quality, environmental, health, and safety services, please visit www.ctsiweb.com, email contactus@ctsiweb.com, or call (212) 971-7016.
About CTSI
Established in 1992, Consulting & Testing Services, Inc. (CTSI) was founded on one strong commitment: to provide efficient and expert services to clients based on professionalism, innovation, and cost-effective expert solutions. This commitment has been furthered with CTSI's reputation in fostering client relationships in all sectors of the Environmental, Health, Safety, and Construction industries. CTSI prides itself in utilizing a high quality service based on its diverse team of staff and professionals' concise recommendations and solutions to the most pressing dilemmas. The company operates offices in New York and Florida that service clients across the United States.
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