Through education and product innovation, Hilti is supporting customers as they develop and implement compliancy plans for the new Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) §1926.1153 Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) Standard for construction.
Because of Hilti’s commitment to helping contractors provide a safe working environment, the company has scheduled a series of webinars and has a whitepaper about the OSHA RCS Standard. Companies can also speak with their local Hilti sales representative for more information.
First introduced in March 2016, the OSHA RCS Standard introduces more stringent “permissible exposure limits,” moving from approximately 250 micrograms/m3 averaged over an 8-hour day to 50 micrograms/m3 averaged over an 8-hour day. All companies that engage in silica-generating applications, such as cutting, grinding, drilling or breaking concrete and/or masonry, have until June 23, 2017 to fully comply with the new standard and have a written exposure control plan on file.
OSHA will also require companies to offer medical surveillance (exams) to employees that are required by the standard to wear a respirator for more than 30 days per year.
Hilti’s U.S. team has been diligently researching the new guidelines, as well as the impact it will have on customers. In addition, Hilti is hosting two webinars (Feb. 28, March 15, and March 29) to help educate and answer customer questions about the new OSHA RCS Standard.
