A discussion of OSHA's proposed rule on crystalline silica exposures dominated the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy's September roundtable on labor safety and health issues, according to a new SBA newsletter.
OSHA staff, including Acting Director of Standards and Guidance William Perry, provided a background briefing to the attendees at the roundtable, in which nearly 150 small businesses and their representatives participated.
OSHA’s proposed rule, published in the Federal Register in September, would amend the agency’s existing silica standard by reducing the permissible exposure limit to 50 micrograms of respirable crystalline silica per cubic meter of air (50 mg/m3), calculated as an eight-hour time-weighted average. The proposed rule also includes an action level and ancillary provisions for employee protection, such as preferred methods for controlling exposure, respiratory protection, medical surveillance, hazard communication, and recordkeeping (see related story).
The small business advocate notes that OSHA estimates that the proposed rule would affect some 533,000 firms, with about 470,000 identified as small businesses, and 357,000 with fewer than 20 employees.
