Is Your Company Affected by the New Silica General Industry Standard?

OSHA’s silica general industry standard will be enforced starting June 23, 2018. Is your company affected by this new standard? Silica can be found in a number of materials. Silica is a fine particle which is a respiratory hazard.

⚡ TL;DR: OSHA’s silica standard applies to any operation generating crystalline silica dust. If your facility handles sand, abrasive blasting, metal casting, glass, ceramics, concrete, or refractory products, you must assess exposure levels and implement engineering controls, respiratory protection, and medical monitoring. Non-compliance carries significant penalties.

Industries Affected by Silica Exposure

Which industries are affected by silica, what products contain silica and which tasks generate silica exposures? See the list below:

Use of Industrial Sand in Production
Abrasive Sand Blasting
Paint and Coating Production
Chemical Production
Metal Casting and Production
Foundry Work
Glass, Pottery, Ceramic, and Porcelain Products
Dental Products
Brick and Artificial Stone
Concrete and Asphalt
Roofing
Jewelry
Clay Products
Ready-Mix Concrete
Refractory Products and Furnace Installation
Railroad Transport
Filtration and Water Production

(Source: OSHA’s silica guidance and the National Industrial Sand Association)

⚠️ Why this matters: Crystalline silica exposure causes silicosis, COPD, and lung cancer. Workers don’t show symptoms until significant lung damage has occurred. Once your facility is on OSHA’s radar for silica-generating operations, enforcement is aggressive. Non-compliance can result in citations exceeding $15,000 per violation, plus mandatory medical monitoring costs and liability exposure.

What You Need to Do

If your company produces any of these products, you need to determine your exposure levels and follow guidelines set forth by the new silica standard. Your compliance program should include:

Exposure assessments for all potentially affected employees
Engineering controls to reduce airborne silica
Respiratory protection when engineering controls are insufficient
Medical monitoring (baseline and periodic chest X-rays)
Employee training on silica hazards
Exposure records retained for 30+ years

Learn more about what these guidelines are in our previous blog post “OSHA’s Silica Rule for General Industry.”

Don’t wait for an inspection. iSi can help determine if the regulation applies to you, calculate your Potential to Emit (PTE), and build a compliance roadmap. Many facilities discover critical gaps during a professional assessment—gaps that would cost far more to fix reactively.

Frequently Asked Questions Let iSi help you pull together your beryllium compliance program!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When did OSHA’s silica general industry standard take effect?

OSHA’s silica general industry standard began enforcement on June 23, 2018. The standard applies to general industry operations where crystalline silica dust exposure occurs, requiring employers to implement engineering controls, respiratory protection, medical monitoring, and exposure assessments.

Q: Which industries are affected by the OSHA silica general industry standard?

Industries affected include use of industrial sand, abrasive sand blasting, paint and coating production, metal casting, foundry work, glass and ceramic production, brick and concrete manufacturing, roofing, jewelry production, ready-mix concrete, and refractory products. Any operation generating crystalline silica dust falls under this standard’s requirements.

Q: What does silica exposure cause and why is it regulated?

Crystalline silica is a fine particle respiratory hazard that causes silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer with prolonged exposure. The OSHA standard limits permissible exposure limits (PEL) and requires employers to identify silica sources, implement controls, and monitor worker exposures to protect respiratory health.

Q: What compliance steps must employers take under the silica standard?

Employers must determine if silica is present in their operations, assess worker exposure levels, implement engineering and administrative controls to reduce exposure, provide respiratory protection when controls are insufficient, conduct medical monitoring for exposed workers, and maintain exposure records for at least 30 years.

We Plug In. You Level Up. Get a silica compliance assessment →

Cost of a silica compliance gap: Typical fines range from $8K–$25K per violation. A single citation for inadequate exposure assessments can exceed $40K when willful disregard is found. Full remediation including engineering controls, respiratory programs, and medical monitoring typically costs $20K–$75K annually depending on facility size.