Masonry Magazine July 2006 Page. 56
News
Silica Task Force Update
Mark Kemp
MCAA Region D Vice President.
Superior Masonry Inc.
On Feb. 23, 2006, Michael Adelizzi, MCAA executive director, Jessica Johnson Bennett, MCAA director of government affairs, Rashod Johnson, MCAA director of engineering and I met with Bill Perry of the OSHA Office of Standards and Guidance and his staff to discuss the proposed OSHA silica standard.
In this meeting, our group presented OSHA with a copy of the draft Silica Task Force document that we have been developing over the past two years. Perry requested this document two weeks earlier as he said it is important to OSHA to have as much input from the actual end users when a proposed standard is released.
OSHA is definitely looking at a task based approach and agreed to review our document and provide us with their comments and feedback.
Perry also approved of our approach of setting a time-based exposure by task. This would help OSHA administer a standard if and when one is developed.
The OSHA risk assessment for a proposed silica standard is scheduled to be completed soon. After the risk assessment is completed, a public comment period will be held. If the risk assessment determines the need for a standard, the final rulemaking could take anywhere from six months to several years.
We suggested that a formal standard may not be necessary, and that a strong educational program on silica may work. We also suggested that our document could be used as a best practice or guideline.
Our work on the document is far from complete. We will continue to collect data on tasks and exposure limits while incorporating new strategies and technologies as they become available.
For more information, visit www.masoncontractors.org.
New PCA Codes and Standards Website
Recognizing an opportunity to help professionals and public alike, PCA has created a new area on its website to cover codes and standards, located at www.cement.org/codes.
PCA's Building Codes and Standards website is arranged by the following areas of interest:
* National model codes development-Local jurisdictions start with the model code and modify as they see fit.
* National reference standards development-Industry and society groups supplement the codes process with technical documents on specific subject matters.
* National guide development- Guides, which are in non-mandatory language, often lead the codes process.
* State and local code development-Model codes serve as examples for states and other jurisdictions. A useful feature here is a map that allows visitors to click on a state to view its codes, PCA and local contacts, code development entities and industry statistics.
* Fire safety in multi-family buildings-A specific area of focus talks about the important technical aspects of residential buildings and fire protection.
* Technical support-There are people behind these activities, and they can answer questions and provide other help.
For more information, visit the PCA Building Codes and Standards website at www.cement.org/codes.