What happened?

On December 19, 2024, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (Cal/OSHA) adopted a permanent standard aimed at protecting workers from silica hazards, protecting workers from respirable crystalline silica (RCS).

Overview:

• The Cal/OSHA Board adopted a permanent standard to protect workers from silica hazards, making the emergency regulations from December 2023 permanent. The Office of Administrative Law (OAL) will have 30 days to approve or deny the proposal.
• Employers must implement enhanced safety measures, training, and monitoring for high-exposure tasks, ensuring compliance with the new standard to protect workers from respirable crystalline silica.
• The Standards Board also voted to create an advisory committee regarding this topic.

Additional Details:  

• The standard aims to protect workers, especially those working with artificial stone, from respirable crystalline silica (RCS), which can cause silicosis, a serious and incurable lung disease.
• Employers must implement engineering controls, training, and exposure monitoring for high-exposure tasks such as cutting, grinding, polishing, and cleaning artificial and natural stone.
• Enhanced safety measures, improved monitoring, and a stronger reporting process are included in the standard.
• The OAL has 30 working days to review, approve, or deny the proposal.
• The Standards Board aims to adopt reasonable and enforceable standards that are at least as effective as federal standards.
• The Standards Board also voted to create an advisory committee to explore additional measures to protect workers from silica dust.
• Contact information: Employers and workers can call Cal/OSHA’s Consultation Services Branch at 800-963-9424 for assistance or reach a live bilingual Cal/OSHA representative for workplace safety and health questions at 833-579-0927 between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Source References

• DIR Silica Hazards Standards Press Release
• Cal/OSHA’s Consultation Services Branch
• RCS standard
• DIR Silica Hazard Emergency Regulation: § 5204. Occupational Exposures to Respirable Crystalline Silica
• DIR Emergency Standard 2023

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