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Contractors who already take steps to reduce exposure to crystalline silica would need to ramp up their efforts if were to become law.

The proposed federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration standards have passed through a lengthy public comment period and would have a sweeping effect on the construction industry, stakeholders say. Dry sweeping of silica – a natural mineral present in rocks that becomes dangerous when airborne – would be one explicit construction activity requiring major precautionary steps. Others would be grinding on concrete and cutting on block.

Currently, Oregon’s standards are more stringent than federal ones; however, that would change under the proposed rules, which would cut in half the amount of allowable exposure. Oregon allows exposure to 0.1 milligrams per cubic meter of air averaged over an eight-hour period. OSHA is proposing to allow exposure to only 0.05 milligrams per cubic meter of air averaged over eight hours.

To meet the proposed federal standards, contractors would need to ramp up their preventive measures, including use of respirators when other measures cannot control the dust.

“The costs are going to be so expensive I don’t know how I’m going to get a handle on it at this point,” said Brandon Sirois, safety director at Whitaker/Ellis, a Portland-based specialty concrete contractor. “We will put everyone in a respirator if that’s what it will take.”

Industry professionals don’t expect the proposed rules to take effect for at least a year. OSHA is responding to health-related concerns tied to silica; its tiniest particles cannot be filtered by humans and can form scar tissue on lungs, causing diseases such as silicosis and lung cancer over time.

The proposed rules would require employers to measure workers’ exposure to silica, limit workers’ access above a permissible limit, increase dust controls, mandate respirators in certain settings and require medical training and medical exams for people exposed to high amounts.

“Oregon OSHA’s requirements are totally realistic now,” Sirois said. “If you’re in a non-open space and chipping, grinding or drilling, you don’t need to wear a respirator. But once you’re in a closed building, you will need to under current levels. What they’re trying to get mandated is that basically any location would require using a respirator.”

Oregon OSHA, which enforces state laws, would have six months to adapt federal laws once they were enacted, said Chris Ottoson, statewide health enforcement manager for the agency. The state includes silica as part of its Emphasis Program, which allows enforcement officials to stop and inspect whenever dust is visible in the air. In a typical inspection, Ottoson said, an air monitoring pump is set up next to a worker to take in any floating particles.

“We do inspections where we focus on this,” he said. “When we see workers doing paving work on the highway and there is so much dust you couldn’t see through the air, we would stop and initiate an inspection.”

The proposed rules would require preventive steps, such as watering down dust or using a respirator instead of sweeping a dry floor, Ottoson said.

“The difference would be right now our rules don’t have a prohibition of sweeping a floor dry,” he said. “Under the proposed standard, they would not be allowed to do that at all if it exceeds the standard.”

Contractors’ main concern is how they would comply with stricter rules, said Alden Strealy, a certified industrial hygienist with Associated General Contractors’ Oregon-Columbia chapter. Water or ventilation can be used to control the dust, but sometimes those methods simply move the silica to another area or turn it into slurry, which is still harmful when it dries. Administrative controls can include performing potentially hazardous activities when people are not around, scheduling tasks for shorter duration or moving them to another end of the building. Correct use of personal protective equipment, such as masks or tight fitting respirators, also are possibilities.

“What they’re proposing is that you either provide air monitoring to validate control methods are effective or create a detailing account of how you will protect your workers,” Strealy said. “This might be a big cost for at least smaller contractors.”

Homebuilders cutting cement residential siding also would be hard-pressed to meet the proposed rule changes, said David Davidson, safety management consultant for the Home Builders Association of Marion & Polk Counties. Currently, they reduce silica exposure by using a shear saw on a drill motor instead of a skill saw, which stirs up more dust, he said; however, stricter exposure limits would make compliance difficult.

“They are meeting them now when they do the cuts because it’s currently over an eight-hour period, but once the rules are set, it will be harder to (do) that,” he said.