On June 23, OSHA's Silica Rule becomes fully enforceable and on or before the 23rd, you must have implemented a total dust control solution to combat the hazards associated with respirable crystalline silica exposure.
OSHA's standard cuts the acceptable exposure limit roughly in half to 50 μg/m3 and encourages a 75% reduction for optimal levels. The rule requires you to implement the following requirements:
- Comprehensive exposure control plan
- Exposure assessment
- Engineering and work practice controls
- Housekeeping
- Medical surveillance and record keeping
- Regulated areas and PPE
- Communication of hazards
Baton Rouge Hazardous Waste and DOT Hazardous Materials Training
Register for Hazardous Waste Management and DOT Hazardous Materials Training: The Complete Course in Baton Rouge, LA on June 5-7 and save $100 or receive an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet with electronic versions of both handbooks. To take advantage of this offer, click here or call 800-537-2372.
Register for Hazardous Waste Management and DOT Hazardous Materials Training: The Complete Course in Chattanooga, TN on June 12-14 and save $100 or receive an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet with electronic versions of both handbooks. To take advantage of this offer, click here or call 800-537-2372.
Dayton Hazardous Waste and DOT Hazardous Materials Training
Register for Hazardous Waste Management and DOT Hazardous Materials Training: The Complete Course in Dayton, OH on June 26-28 and save $100 or receive an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet with electronic versions of both handbooks. To take advantage of this offer, click here or call 800-537-2372.
NIOSH and FDA Join Forces to Improve Premarket Process for Facepiece Respirators
In a collaborative effort to harmonize regulatory oversight of N95 filtering facepiece respirators, or N95s, the NIOSH and the FDA have joined forces to help reduce duplicative premarket processes for N95s used in healthcare settings.
On May 17, 2018, FDA published a final order in the Federal Register to exempt a subset of N95s intended for use in healthcare from premarket notification requirements subject to conditions and limitations. Upon publication of the final order, NIOSH and FDA entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that provides a framework for efficient and coordinated regulatory oversight between FDA and NIOSH and outlines the agencies’ mutually agreed upon review process.
Subject to the conditions and limitations of exemption outlined in the final order, certain N95s will be exempt from FDA premarket notification requirements which means that manufacturers will now be able to submit a single application to NIOSH, rather than applications to both FDA and NIOSH prior to marketing their product. Previously, all N95s intended for use in healthcare needed clearance/approval from both agencies.
“The FDA action is the first step in streamlining an approval process that was redundant and burdensome,” said Maryann D’Alessandro, director of NIOSH’s National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory. “NIOSH will continue to ensure these respirators provide the expected performance levels and are safe for their intended use.”
In accordance with the MOU, NIOSH will now evaluate the manufacturer’s test data for biocompatibility, flammability, and fluid resistance for conformity to relevant standards during its approval process, tasks previously performed by the FDA.
As part of the conformity assessment process, NIOSH will conduct post-market audits that will involve tests for flammability and fluid resistance for a sample of products in accordance with the appropriate federal and consensus standards. This will ensure the products continue to conform to the approved conditions.
NIOSH will begin accepting applications to implement this process on July 2, 2018 for those manufacturers intending to submit N95 filtering facepiece respirators for approval in healthcare settings. Consistent with current practices, respirators reviewed under this process are intended to be used in accordance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) respiratory protection standard requirements.
NIOSH has published related research on respirator filtration on the NIOSH Science Blog and fluid resistance in the American Journal of Infection Control.
NIOSH is responsible for approval of N95s intended for occupational use. The authority is granted to NIOSH in accordance with standards established in 42 CFR Part 84. NIOSH also addresses quality assurance requirements for the manufacturing of respiratory protective equipment.
The Places in the U.S. Where Disaster Strikes Again and Again
In the last 16 years, parts of Louisiana have been struck by six hurricanes. Areas near San Diego were devastated by three particularly vicious wildfire seasons. And a town in eastern Kentucky has been pummeled by at least nine storms severe enough to warrant federal assistance. These places are part of a small fraction of the United States that has sustained most of the damage from major natural disasters, forming a pattern of destruction concentrated in particular areas.
New Studies Confirm A Surge in Coal Miner’s Disease
More coal miners in central Appalachia have suffered the advanced stages of the deadly disease black lung than previous government research has found, and more miners working in the region have earlier stages of the disease. Those are two of the findings in a bundle of studies just released, which focus on the epidemic of black lung disease first reported by NPR in 2016.
Toxic City: Botched Jobs
As part of its “Toxic City” series, the Inquirer and Daily News investigated environmental hazards in Philadelphia district schools. It found that the district can take months, even years, to address reported hazards that can make children sick — peeling lead paint, deteriorating asbestos, mold, rodent infestations, leaking roofs and pipes. This article focuses on recent issues with carbon monoxide poisoning among students at a Philadelphia school.
Calls Impersonating CSB Investigators
Law enforcement officials have become aware of a recent wave of scams where callers identify themselves as a federal officer and instruct people to provide confidential information to avoid fines. These phone calls are fraudulent. Federal agencies do not call or e-mail individuals threatening them to provide personal information or send money. If you have been contacted by someone claiming to be a representative from the CSB, please contact public@csb.gov.
You can learn about other common scams by visiting https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-fraud-schemes and learn about ways to reduce your risk of being scammed: http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/fraud/internet_fraud.
Chemical Safety Board Chair has Resigned
Three years into her five-year term as chairwoman of the Chemical Safety Board, Vanessa Allen Sutherland announced she will step down from the independent investigatory agency at the end of June. Southerland was named by President Obama in March 2015 having served as chief counsel for the Transportation Department’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Her temporary successor will be selected by the remaining three board members, unless and until the White House nominates and the Senate confirms a new chairperson.
Chair Sutherland released the following statement, “I am saddened to leave the wonderful mission and incredible work of the CSB. This mission is unique and critically important because we are the only agency conducting independent, comprehensive root cause chemical incident investigations. As we continue to recognize the agency’s 20th anniversary of operations, we still have much work to do to achieve our vision of a nation safe from chemical disasters. And I️ am absolutely certain that this team, and future hires, will both excel in execution and outshine our prior efforts. I’m fortunate to have been a part of the work.”
Read more on New Silica Rule Begins June 23rd.
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