On September 13, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) released a draft hazard review for wildfire smoke (89 Fed. Reg. 74960). Comments on the draft hazard review are due November 12.
According to NIOSH, wildfire smoke has become an increasingly widespread and potentially serious threat to public health in recent years. Natural fuel buildup, extreme weather events, and the expansion of urban areas into wildlands have led to more intense wildland fires, causing severe damage, according to the institute. Farmworkers and other outdoor workers spend hours in work environments where traditional exposure control measures are hard to implement.
“This hazard review will close the gap in our knowledge about how exposure to wildfire smoke impacts outdoor workers,” NIOSH Director John Howard, MD, said in a statement. “With wildfires increasing in frequency and size, it is imperative that we have the knowledge and tools to protect the health of farmworkers and other outdoor workers who must perform their jobs even if the air quality is unhealthy or hazardous.”
The institute characterized the draft hazard review as the first authoritative federal document focusing on wildfire smoke hazards for outdoor workers. NIOSH’s review acknowledges that the current knowledge of wildfire smoke impacts comes from studies of populations living near wildland fires. More research is needed into the occupational risks of wildfire smoke and effective control measures.
There’s no federal wildfire smoke standard, but California and Oregon have their own permanent state wildfire smoke standards. These standards require worker and supervisor training, engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment (PPE). They also require employers to provide disposable respirators like N95s for voluntary use. Respiratory protection is mandatory in both states when the air quality index (AQI) for particulate matter (PM2.5) exceeds 500.
California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) recently alerted California employers to smoke hazards associated with the Line Fire, which has affected air quality in the Inland Empire, the areas around San Bernardino and Riverside.
NIOSH described its hazard review as consistent with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) initiative “Protecting Farmworkers from Extreme Heat and Wildfire Smoke.” The review evaluates scientific evidence related to the impact of occupational exposure to wildland fire smoke among farmworkers and other outdoor workers.
In its review, NIOSH suggested a tiered approach to hazard assessment and recommended using the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) AQI for PM2.5 for evaluating health risks.
The institute also recommended control measures that might include the following:
- Engineering controls like providing filtered air to reduce workers’ wildfire smoke exposure. Filtered air can be provided in enclosed spaces, such as temporary or permanent structures, and vehicles.
- Education and training, as well as administrative controls, might be used to manage exposures. Administrative controls could include worker relocation, reducing shift length, rotating workers, work-rest cycles, and reducing work intensity.
- Respirators can protect workers against inhalation hazards from wildfire smoke. NIOSH-approved PPE, such as N95 respirators selected and used properly in a compliant respiratory protection program, can be effective.