The following statement was released March 24, 2016, by North America’s Building Trades Unions in reaction to the issuing of a new OSHA standard for silica:<
"North America’s Building Trades Unions is pleased OSHA has issued the final silica standard. We believe that the agency has been diligent in its efforts to hear and consider all stakeholder input, and done a great job in getting the rule out. We look forward to reading it in detail.
"For twenty years, NABTU and our affiliates have been urging OSHA and the DOL to finalize this rule because reducing silica exposures will have a significant positive impact on the working conditions for all American construction workers.
"It is beyond debate that silica exposure kills construction workers. It causes silicosis — a deadly lung disease — lung cancer, and other diseases. Silica-related diseases cannot be cured, but they can be prevented.
"Put simply, the OSHA silica standard will protect construction workers from getting sick or dying due to silica dust exposure."
North America’s Building Trades Unions is an alliance of 14 national and international unions in the building and construction industry that collectively represent over 3 million skilled craft professionals in the United States and Canada. Each year, our unions and our signatory contractor partners invest over $1 billion in private sector money to fund and operate over 1,900 apprenticeship training and education facilities across North America that produce the safest, most highly trained and productive skilled craft workers found anywhere in the world.
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