While I would think everyone in the stone industry agrees that safety is a top priority when it comes to running a stone fabrication shop, everyone might not agree on the new Silica Rule, which was recently announced by the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) and scheduled to go into effect on June 23, 2016. The rule establishes two standards, where only one existed previously, and reduces the permissible exposure limit (PEL) from 100 µg/m3 for an eight-hour time-weighted average to 50 µg/m3.
You can read in detail about the new rule in the article that begins on page 38 of this issue, but I will provide a few highlights. OSHA’s Silica Rule is broken into two standards: one for construction and one for the general industry. When installing and restoring stone in the field, stone companies should follow the construction standard. When cutting stone in a fabrication, cut stone or production facility, the general industry standard applies. Companies that fall into the general industry category must comply with all requirements by June 23, 2018, while companies in the construction category must comply one year earlier, with all requirements by June 23, 2017.