Silica in Construction

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1. Slide 1

   A training to keep construction workers safe on the job

   • Silica in Construction
   • State Building & Construction Trades Council of California, AFL-CIO Funded by Federal OSHA, 2017
2. Slide 2

   Funded by OSHA

   • This material was produced under grant SH29642SH6 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. It does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government
3. Slide 3

   Use of Material Duplication and Photo Credit

   • Material is only to be used for non-commercial, instructional, educational purposes
   • Fees may not be charged for this material
   • Photo credits are given on each slide
   • While every effort has been made to ensure information is current and accurate, the SBCTC does not assume any liability for errors or omissions
4. Slide 4

   Acknowledgements

   • We thank the following organizations for:
   • Providing technical assistance with developing this training:
   • Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR)
   • UC Berkeley Labor Occupational Health Program (LOHP)
   • Cal/OSHA
   • Federal OSHA
   • Sharing: photos, video, training material
   • BAC –International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts
   • CA Dept. of Industrial Relations—Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation (WOSHTEP program)
   • West Virginia Archives
   • Worksafe BC (Canada)
5. Slide 5

   Silica—A High Priority for Construction

   • 2 million U.S. construction workers exposed to silica every year
   • eLCOSH images
6. Slide 6

   Course Objectives for Silica Training

   • By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
   • Understand what it is
   • Recognize hazards
   • Describe health effects
   • Identify controls:
   • Engineering/work practice/PPE
   • Understand new OSHA Standard
   • Work safely around silica
7. Slide 7

   Section 1

   • Introduction to Silica
   • eLCOSH images
8. Slide 8

   What is silica?

   • One of the most common minerals on Earth
   • Photos courtesy PDPhoto.org
9. Slide 9

   Mineral means:

   • Naturally occurring
   • Inorganic—not plant or animal
   • Solid form
   • Definite chemical composition
10. Slide 10

    eLCOSH images

    • Silica is found in rock, soil and sand
    • Silica is composed of the elements Silicon + Oxygen = SiO 2
    • Photo courtesy PDPhoto.org
    • Photo: CPWR
11. Slide 11

    Silica naturally occurs as:

    • Amorphous: no regular form
    • Crystalline: well-defined arrangement, regular crystal form
    • Which is hazardous?
    • Photo: CPWR
12. Slide 12

    3 forms of crystalline silica

    • Quartz—common, found in sand, gravel, clay, granite, sandstone and other rock
    • Photo: CPWR
    • Cristobalite and Tridymite— less common, but more toxic to workers
13. Slide 13

    Where is silica found in construction?

    • BRAINSTORM ACTIVITY
    • Based on what you just learned about where silica naturally occurs, list the building materials you think might contain crystalline silica?
14. Slide 14

    These materials may contain silica

    • Asphalt
    • Brick
    • Cement
    • Concrete
    • Concrete block
    • Drywall
    • Fiber cement products (siding, cladding panels) Grout
    • Gunite/Shotcrete Mortar
    • Paints
    • Plaster
    • Refractory Mortar/Castables Refractory units
    • Rock
    • Roof tile (concrete)
    • Sand
    • Soil (fill dirt, top soil, soil w/fly ash added)
    • Stone (granite, limestone, quartzite, sandstone, shale, slate, cultured, etc.) Stucco/EIFS
    • Terrazzo
    • Tile (clay and ceramic)
15. Slide 15

    How can you find out if material contains silica?

    • Product label
    • Safety Data Sheet
    • Published data—online
    • Analyze a sample of the material
    • wikimedia
16. Slide 16

    Websites that can help you

    • CPWR (Center for Construction Research and Training) Work Safely With Silica www.silica-safe.org
    • Federal OSHA Silica eTool http://www.osha.gov/dsg/etools/silica
    • Cal/OSHA Silica in Construction eTool http://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/etools/08-019/index.htm
17. Slide 17

    Section 1 Review and Questions

    • Name three important things you learned in this section.
18. Slide 18

    Section 2

    • Silica As a Hazard
    • How does silica become a construction hazard?
19. Slide 19

    Factors that determine potential to cause harm:

    • Route of exposure
    • Toxicity
    • Dose and duration
    • Interaction
    • Individual characteristics
20. Slide 20

    Route of Exposure

    • How does silica get into your body?
    • Breathing
    • eLCOSH images
21. Slide 21

    Size matters!

    • “Respirable” silica is small enough to penetrate body’s natural defenses and get deep into your lungs
    • Crystalline Silica
    • Photo source: CDC
    • It’s 100 times smaller than ordinary beach sand
    • wikimedia
22. Slide 22

    Respirable Particles

    • A single human hair is between
    • 80 – 120 microns (µm) in diameter
    • Respirable dust is less than 10 microns (µm) in diameter
    • Slide courtesy of Construction Safety Council, Illinois
23. Slide 23

    Respirable Particles in Constructions

24. Slide 24

    Toxicity

25. Slide 25

    Dose and Duration

    • Amount of substance entering body
    • Amount of time you are exposed
26. Slide 26

    How much silica dust is too much? 3 Important terms:

    • TWA
    • Time weighted average
    • AL
    • Action Level
    • PEL
    • Permissible exposure limit
27. Slide 27

    New limits for silica

    • AL = 25 micrograms per cubic meter of air (25 µg/m 3 ) calculated as 8-hour TWA
    • PEL = 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air
    • (50 µg/m 3 ) averaged over an 8-hour
    • day
28. Slide 28

    What is a “microgram (µg) ”

    • A metric unit of weight or mass equal to 1 millionth of a gram
    • 0.000001 g
    • Too small to see with the naked eye
29. Slide 29

    Pennies and Dollars

30. Slide 30

    Cubic Meter

31. Slide 31

    Interactions

    • Some substances, in combination, will increase the chance a worker will get sick.
    • Individual Characteristics
    • Age, gender, diet, state of health, pregnancy, use of medication, drugs and alcohol can change toxic effects
32. Slide 32

    Putting it all together Silica is hazardous because:

    • Found in many construction materials
    • Silica dust travels deep into your lungs
    • Long-time exposure to small amounts causes harm
    • Airborne particles too small to see
    • Short-time exposure to large amounts causes harm
    • Effects worse if you also smoke
    • Causes lung disease, cancer, even death
    • eLCOSH images
33. Slide 33

    Section 2 Review and Questions

    • Name three important things you learned in this section.
34. Slide 34

    Section 3 Tasks and Tools that Create Silica Dust

    • Top photos: Cal/OSHA
    • Photo: OSHA
    • Photo source: elcosh
35. Slide 35
    • It’s dusty work…
    • but somebody has to do it
    • SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY
    • Look at the list of construction materials that contain silica.
    • What kind of work do you do with these materials that may create dust?
36. Slide 36

    Operations that create silica dust

    • Cutting, drilling, coring
    • Grinding, sanding, sandblasting
    • Pulverizing
    • Mixing (dry)
    • Cleaning up
    • eLCOSH Images
37. Slide 37

    Group Discussion

    • Which phases of construction create the highest exposure to silica dust?
    • Can you think of any crafts that are never exposed to silica dust?
38. Slide 38

    Tasks with high chance of exposure

    • The probability (in %) of being overexposed Based on PEL of 0.1 mg/m 3
39. Slide 39

    “It wasn’t me!”

    • Workers who are not “engaged” in the task but are working nearby may be exposed to silica hazards.
    • May be covered by Multi-Employer Worksite regulations (OSHA)
    • “Creating”
    • “Exposing”
    • “Controlling”
    • “Correcting”
40. Slide 40

    The 5 question test

    • Did your employer:
    • 1. Create the hazard?
    • 2. Have responsibility or authority to correct hazard?
    • 3. Have ability to correct or remove the hazard?
    • 4. Demonstrate that creating, controlling and/or correcting employers were notified/aware of hazards?
    • 5. Take appropriate feasible steps to protect their employees from the hazard, instruct them to recognize the hazard and inform how to avoid associated dangers?
41. Slide 41

    Section 3 Review and Questions

    • Name three important things you learned in this section.
42. Slide 42

    Section 4

    • Health Effects of Silica Exposure
    • Courtesy of: CPWR SmartMark
43. Slide 43

    Group Discussion

    • Have you personally experienced health effects from breathing silica dust?
    • Do you know someone who has?
44. Slide 44
    • Breathing crystalline silica puts you at risk for serious, life-threatening disease
    • Photo: elCOSH images
45. Slide 45

    Which body part is most affected?

    • Lungs
    • More than 6 million breaths per year
46. Slide 46

    Respirable crystalline silica causes:

    • Silicosis—a serious lung disease
    • Lung cancer–classified as a carcinogen
    • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
47. Slide 47

    And contributes to:

    • Heart disease
    • Kidney disease
    • Vascular disease
    • Autoimmune disease
    • Tuberculosis (TB) and other infections
48. Slide 48

    Watch video:

    • Silica Exposure
    • by Worksafe BC http://www.youtube.com/
    • watch?v=R_sC2wX9Uwc
49. Slide 49

    Silicosis Facts

    • Permanent
    • Irreversible
    • No cure
    • Worsens after exposure ends
    • Deadly
    • Preventing exposure is your best defense
50. Slide 50

    3 types of silicosis:

    • Chronic
    • Acute
    • Accelerated
    • Silicotic Lung
    • Normal Lung
51. Slide 51

    Silica Table

52. Slide 52

    Silicosis signs and symptoms

53. Slide 53

    Workers speak up

    • Bricklayer stories of what it’s like to live with silicosis.
    • Play audio
54. Slide 54

    Silicosis: One of oldest occupational diseases

    • Documented in 1700’s
    • Chronic effects tied to crafts
    • Increased with use of new power tools
    • Photo: wikimedia
55. Slide 55

    Hawk’s Nest Tragedy

    • 1930’s Tunneling project through rock containing 96-99% silica
    • Few records kept but historians now believe 2000-2500 workers contracted silicosis and over 700 died.
    • Photo: Google images
56. Slide 56

    West Virginia State Archives

    • Photo courtesy of: Elkem Metals Collection, West Virginia State Archives
57. Slide 57

    Impact of Hawk’s Nest

    • Revealed “Acute” silicosis
    • Directly connected exposure and illness
    • Spurred public outcry and increased demands for worker protection
58. Slide 58

    Watch video:

    • “Silica in Construction: From danger to safety” SBCTC
59. Slide 59

    Section 4 Review and Questions

    • Name three important things you learned in this section.
60. Slide 60

    Section 5

    • Controlling Silica Hazards
    • Photo source: elcosh
61. Slide 61

    Your experience on-the-job

    • BRAINSTORM ACTIVITY
    • List all actions you’ve used to control silica.
62. Slide 62

    Hierarchy of Controls

63. Slide 63

    Assessing risk—factors to consider

    • What tool is being used?
    • What is silica content of material?
    • How enclosed is work area?
    • Is dusty work constant or intermittent?
    • Does the job take the whole shift?
    • Which control methods most effective <PEL?
    • Will PPE also be needed to meet the PEL?
64. Slide 64

    Engineering controls

    • Wet methods
    • Local exhaust ventilation (LEV)
    • Substitution
    • Isolation
65. Slide 65

    Examples of wet methods

    • Concrete/masonry saws that provide water to blade
    • Water hose to wet down dust at point of generation
    • During rock drilling, flow water through drill stem
    • Photos: CPWR Silica Safe
66. Slide 66

    Silica Dust while working

    • Photos: CPWR Silica Safe
67. Slide 67

    Silica Dust while working

    • Photos: CPWR Silica Safe
68. Slide 68

    Examples of LEV methods

    • Photos: CPWR Silica Safe
    • Vacuum system captures dust close to source
    • Integrate systems onto equipment that generates dust
    • Use HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter
69. Slide 69

    Silica in Construction

    • Photos: CPWR Silica Safe
70. Slide 70

    Examples of control combinations

    • Asphalt pavement milling machines use ventilation and water-spray controls
71. Slide 71

    Silica at outdoor work places

    • Photos: CPWR Silica Safe
72. Slide 72

    Are controls working?

    • Follow manufacturer’s instructions/specifications
    • Use tools properly
    • Do required maintenance and cleaning regularly
    • Test the air for contaminants
73. Slide 73

    Air monitoring

    • Done by professionals
    • Personal monitoring of workers
    • Identifies/ quantifies contaminants
    • Specialized, calibrated equipment
    • General ambient air monitoring
74. Slide 74

    Air sampling equipment

    • Personal Air Pump with Cyclone
75. Slide 75

    Personal Monitoring

    • Determines individual worker exposure
    • Done during a specific time period
    • Pump pulls air through a filter or tube, which traps the dust or toxin.
    • Slide courtesy of Construction Safety Council, Illinois
76. Slide 76

    Examples of substitution

    • Eliminate the hazard
    • Use silica-free materials when feasible
    • Paints/coatings
    • Abrasive blasting
    • Coal slag
    • Steel shot
    • Corn cob
    • Garnet
77. Slide 77

    Examples of isolation

    • Separate the worker from the dust
    • Enclosed cab with ventilation/filtered air
    • Separate dusty operations from non-dusty areas
    • Abrasive blasting containment
    • Photo: eLCOSH Images
78. Slide 78

    Administrative controls

    • OSHA standard
    • Written plan
    • Job/task planning
    • Air monitoring
    • Training
    • Best work practices
    • Photo source: elcosh
79. Slide 79

    Best practices for contractors

    • Use controls to eliminate dust
    • Assign competent person
    • Provide proper respirators when needed
    • Substitute materials
    • Create a plan
    • Photo source: elcosh
80. Slide 80

    Best practices for workers

    • Use equipment and controls properly
    • Be aware
    • Participate
    • Don’t bring dust home
    • Give your doctor silica info
    • Don’t eat, drink, smoke, or apply cosmetics while near silica dust—wash hands/face
    • Photo source: elcosh
81. Slide 81

    Personal protective equipment

    • Only if engineering and work practice controls aren’t enough
    • Must be NIOSH approved
    • Employers must comply with OSHA silica and respiratory protection standards
    • Medical evaluations
82. Slide 82

    NIOSH-Approved Respirators

    • Full Face APR
    • PAPR
    • Slide Courtesy of CPWR
    • ½ face APR
    • N 95
83. Slide 83

    Why is PPE less effective than engineering controls?

    • Doesn’t eliminate hazard
    • Can be uncomfortable
    • Hard to communicate
    • Limited vision/movement
    • Workers must know how to use properly
    • Difficult to maintain
    • Photo source: elcosh
84. Slide 84

    Watch video:

    • Eliminate the Hazard: McCarthy Drilling Project By: SBCTC
    • DISCLAIMER: This is a case study that illustrates the implementation of engineering controls for silica dust and is for educational purposes only. References to a specific employer or brand of equipment do not imply endorsement by either OSHA or the SBCTC and its affiliates.
85. Slide 85

    Section 5 Review and Questions

    • Name three important things you learned in this section.
86. Slide 86

    Section 6

    • The New OSHA Standard
87. Slide 87

    New Federal Silica Standard

    • Final rule published by OSHA—March 25, 2016
    • Timeline courtesy of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers
88. Slide 88

    Scope of Coverage

    • Quartz, cristobalite and tridymite
    • All occupational exposures to respirable crystalline silica in construction work unless below Action Level
    • Photo source: elcosh
89. Slide 89

    Compliance Date

    • Construction employers must comply with all requirements by June 23, 2017
    • (except requirements for laboratory evaluation of exposure samples, which begin June 23, 2018)
90. Slide 90

    What does the new standard do?

    • AL trigger
    • 25 µg/m 3 (8-hr TWA)
    • Lower PEL
    • 50 µg/m 3 (8-hr TWA)
    • Engineering controls and work practices to limit exposure
91. Slide 91

    What does the new standard do?

92. Slide 92

    What is “Table 1”

    • Matches 18 tasks with effective dust control methods and respirator requirements
93. Slide 93

    Table 1 Tasks/Equipment

    • Stationary masonry saws
    • Handheld power saws
    • Handheld power saws for fiber cement board
    • Walk-behind saws
    • Drivable saws
    • Rig-mounted core saws or drills
    • Handheld and stand-mounted drills
    • Dowel drilling rigs for concrete
    • Vehicle-mounted drilling rigs for rock and concrete
    • Jackhammers and handheld powered chipping tools
94. Slide 94

    Table 1 Tasks/Equipment con’t

    • Handheld grinders for mortar removal (tuckpointing)
    • Handheld grinders for other than mortar removal
    • Walk-behind milling machines and floor grinders
    • Small drivable milling machines
    • Large drivable milling machines
    • Crushing machines
    • Heavy equipment and utility vehicles to abrade or fracture silica materials
    • Heavy equipment and utility vehicles for grading and excavating
95. Slide 95

    Must fully/properly implement controls

    • Presence of controls not sufficient
    • Employers required to ensure:
    • Controls present and maintained
    • Employees understand/use properly
96. Slide 96

    Option 2: Alternative Exposure Control

    • If employers do not follow Table 1, they must comply with section (d) of the standard
97. Slide 97

    Section (d) requires:

    • Action Level and PEL apply
    • Must do exposure assessment using either:
    • Performance option
    • Scheduled monitoring option
    • Use engineering and work practice controls
98. Slide 98

    OSHA Compliance Guides for Silica

    • Available from OSHA website https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3902.pdf
99. Slide 99

    All employers must comply with these sections of new standard:

    • Housekeeping
    • Create written plan
    • Medical surveillance
    • Recordkeeping
    • Haz Comm & training
100. Slide 100

     Housekeeping: workers need to know

     • If contributes to silica exposure:
     • --Dry sweeping or brushing --Use of compressed air for cleaning surfaces or clothing
     • Photo source: elcosh
     • NOT allowed unless used with ventilation
101. Slide 101

     Employers must have written plan for managing silica exposure

     • Available to each employee
     • Describes tasks, controls, PPE, procedures, housekeeping, restricted access to work areas
     • Designates a Competent Person
102. Slide 102

     Duties of competent person

     • Identify existing and foreseeable hazards
     • Authority to take prompt corrective measures
     • Frequently/regularly inspect job sites, material and equipment
     • Photo source: elcosh
103. Slide 103

     Medical exam available at no cost

     • If you wear a respirator 30 or more days/year for silica exposure
     • Exam includes:
     • Medical/work history
     • -Physical exam
     • -Chest x-ray
     • -Pulmonary function test
     • -Tuberculosis test
     • Photo: wikimedia
104. Slide 104

     Exam results within 30 days

     • Physician provides the following written reports:
     • To employee—medical report
     • To employer—medical opinion
105. Slide 105

     Hazard communication and training Workers must have:

     • Access to:
     • Labels on material containers
     • Safety Data Sheets
     • Photo source: elcosh
     • And receive:
     • Hazard information
     • Training
106. Slide 106

     Section 6 Review and Questions

     • Name three important things you learned in this section.
107. Slide 107

     Review Game

108. Slide 108

     Work safely with silica and enjoy a healthy career in the trades

     • Thank you for attending this training.
     • Photo source: elcosh