Association Sues OSHA To Block New Silica Rule

by, Robert Box

On April 4^th, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) Louisiana chapter filed a challenge to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) final rule on respirable crystalline silica in U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The AGC’s website quotes Stephen E. Sandherr, the national association’s chief executive officer as saying, “Our members are deeply committed to taking every possible step to reducing silica exposure on your worksites.  However, we have significant concerns about whether this new rule is technically feasible, given that the agency’s final permissible exposure limit is beyond the capacity of existing dust filtration and removal technology.”

“Filing the petition today starts what is likely to be a lengthy legal challenge to this measure,” Sandherr added.  Sandherr said, while the new Silica rule is flawed and should be repealed, the victory in the courtroom is possible but not likely. That is why he said the AGC would work with the next presidential administration and Congress to seek meaningful improvements to the silica rule “that truly benefits the health and safety of our workforce.”

See more about OSHA’s recent publishing of the Silica rule here.

Safety First Consulting helps businesses identify OSHA compliance issues in their workplaces, manage their safety programs, and we become accountable for the results.  In addition to offering custom written safety programs for companies, Safety First Consulting provides required safety training, industrial hygiene sampling, noise sampling, and workplace inspections.