The Obama Administration released its final silica rule today that retains many of the flawed provisions AGC warned administration officials about earlier this year. Of primary concern is that the final rule sticks with the same, unattainable silica exposure limit included in the proposed rule. However, the administration did agree to remove the extremely restrictive regulated areas requirement that would have forced construction workers to seal off and restrict access to every part of a construction project where dust is being generated. For more information about the rule, click here and here. Please contact your members of Congress and urge them to block implementation of this rule until it can be proven to be technologically and economically feasible.
AGC of America released the following statement from CEO Steve Sandherr in response:
“Instead of crafting new and innovative ways to get more firms to comply with the current silica standard, which we know would save even more workers each year, administration officials appear to have instead opted to set a new standard that is well beyond the capabilities of current air filtration and dust removal technologies. Wishing firms could meet this new but unattainable standard will undoubtedly deliver many positive headlines for the administration, but it will be all but impossible for most construction firms to comply with this new rule.
“We will continue our exhaustive review of this new regulation, consult with our members and decide on a future course of action that will best serve the health and safety of millions of construction workers across the country.”
For more information, please contact Kevin Cannon at cannonk@agc.org or Jim Young at youngj@agc.org.