Silica Exposure Control Plan

Silica can become airborne anytime employees impact various silica containing materials. Silica can be found in concrete, cement, bricks, mortars, clays, abrasive blasting agents, and others. Mechanical demolition, wet or dry cutting or drilling, grinding, blasting, or otherwise generating dust from a silica containing material can generate an exposure.

Contacts

Adam Jones, Environmental Services Manager (P) 541-346-8397

Scope

This program will apply to all University owned, rented, or leased buildings and all campus department staff, including Campus Operations and the Housing Department.  The asbestos abatement projects conducted by contractors at the University will be coordinated and managed under this program and the contractors will be required to comply with all applicable regulations.  This program covers all aspects of training, asbestos inspection, maintenance, labeling, repair, emergency response, and removal of asbestos-containing materials in University buildings. 

Responsibilities

Campus Departments - Departments are responsible for ensuring training  is made available to applicable employees and bearing all costs assocaited exposure assessments, required annual medical evaluations and clean-up.

Employees - Employees will be responsible for reporting potential exposures to their supervisors prior to completing work, following written processes as provided by EHS and supervisors, and promptly communicating project issues with EHS and supervisors.

Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) - EHS will be responsible for maintenance of this program, collaborating with departments, supervisors, contractors, and employees to promote compliance with this program, conduct hazard assessments as requested, provide annual training the employees and supervisors, and all recordkeeping associated with the program. 

Supervisors - Supervisors will be responsible for identifying activities that may result in silica exposures, collaboration with EHS to create work processes for exposure control during work, and coordinating exposure assessments as needed. Refer to the Appendices associated with the written plans for exposure guidance by work type.

Capital Construction -The capital construction staff are responsible for ensuring that contractor working on projects under their responsibilitymaintain a written Silica Exposure Management Program and comply with all aspects of 29 CFR 1910.1053 - Respirable Crystalline Silica.

Trainings

Silica Awareness Training - EHS will provide Silica awareness training annually to potentially exposed University staff, as identified by their supervisors. This training is provided to cover the following topics:

  • The health hazards associated with exposure to respirable crystalline silica
  • Specific tasks in the workplace that could result in exposure to respirable crystalline silica
  • Specific measures the employer has implemented to protect employees from exposure to respirable crystalline silica, including engineering controls, work practices, and respirators to be used
  • The contents of 29 CFR 1910.1053 - Respirable Crystalline Silica.
  • The purpose and a description of the medical surveillance program required by paragraph (i) of this section. 

Information and Resources

Full Silica Exposure Control Program

Compliance

This program will remain in compliance with OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1053 - Respirable Crystalline Silica.