Training

Respirable crystalline silica training: It’s HazCom and then some!

By Abby Ferri, CSP

Did you know that OSHA’s new Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) standard adds to your Hazard Communication training requirements? It requires your training to be a bit lengthier than usual by specifying topics to be covered in training for employees who are exposed to RCS.

The standard requires that OSHA’s existing Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) training requirements be adhered to as well as new items related to RCS hazards and exposure. Section 1 of Appendix B of the new standard provides insight into what exactly should be covered in the RCS training.

  • Personnel with RCS exposure in their work must learn about effects that RCS can have on various body systems including the immune system and kidneys.
  • Lung effects, like silicosis, COPD, and lung cancer must also be discussed.
  • Inform personnel of specific tasks in the workplace that involve exposure to RCS.
  • Provide access to labels on containers of substances containing crystalline silica and ensure personnel know where to find the Safety Data Sheets.
  • Ensure personnel understand the specific control measures they will be using in their workplace to combat RCS including engineering controls, work practices, and respirators.
  • Introduce affected personnel to the workplace Competent Person for RCS tasks.
  • If it applies, inform personnel of the company’s medical surveillance program specific to their expected RCS exposure. The purpose of the program should be described to the workers.

The health impacts of RCS are the most important part of the training for personnel who will be exposed to RCS. In fact, OSHA recommends smoking cessation counseling. This is described in further detail in Appendix B of the standard. In the preamble to the standard, OSHA discusses how they have “preliminarily concluded” that the risk of silica-related disease in workers in strongly influenced by smoking. The preamble goes on to state that OSHA “opined that the effects of smoking and silica exposure may be synergistic.”

 

Join Abby Ferri on September 21st for a free webinar on OSHA’s Crystalline Silica Rule: Answers to your training questions & how to devise a proper employee training plan.

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