Industrial Hygiene in Construction

I was recently forwarded an article on a gentleman who won a large sum of money ($8.75 million) for an asbestos related disease. There are many people getting these types of settlements for similar exposures.

However, what is interesting, is the attorneys argued the company knew about asbestos in 1965, but the exposure occurred in the 1970’s. Keep in mind, the asbestos rules at OSHA didn’t come out until the 1970s as well. So, exposure occurred before the regulations were in effect.

So, they knew of the airborne hazard, but continued to exposure workers before there was a rule. Does this sound like any modern day issue?   –hint– silica?!

Nowadays with the public being uber-aware of “potential” airborne hazards (mold?), with information so readily available, with OSHA rules outdated (annotated Z1 tables), and others publishing health standards like ACGIH,….the lesson is: protect your employees.

I don’t think we should be arguing about the OSHA rules. Let’s use available information and science. “More Than Just A Number” (article published by AIHA, May 24, 2016).

The new standard for material safety data sheets (MSDS) which incorporate the global harmonization system (GHS) rules are coming.

Federal OSHA has approved the rules, and in our state, Oregon, they have been proposed, with an adoption to take place in December 2013.

It’s time to panic!… No. Not really.

Most employers will have until December of 2013 to implement the rules. OSHA will be publishing additional (and hopefully, helpful) information on what to do. For most employers it will mean you need to do a few major things:

• Train your employees on the new rules
• Reclassify (rename) the hazards, mainly the flammable ones, which have changed the most.

If you really need help with this, or feel like you can’t wait until OSHA publishes more information, email or find me here and we can discuss.