Find out if this job crosses the dust limits, before OSHA finds out for you.
For sole proprietors and small firms cutting, grinding, chasing or drilling in silica, wood or MDF. Covers respirator selection and OSHA's silica action level and PEL.
If you take an action based on what you read here, that action is yours. We are a guide, not an advisor, and we give this away for free.
General guidance, not professional safety advice. If something's unsafe right now, stop work. Report serious risks to OSHA (www.osha.gov), anonymously if needed.
What the law actually says
- •OSHA's respirable crystalline silica standard for construction (29 CFR 1926.1153) sets a permissible exposure limit of 50 µg/m³ over an 8-hour day, with an action level of 25 µg/m³ that triggers air monitoring and medical surveillance.
- •For most common tasks you can comply by following Table 1: use the specified water suppression or HEPA dust collection plus the listed respirator, instead of doing your own air monitoring.
- •The employer must provide the required respirators, medical surveillance, and a written exposure control plan at no cost to the worker.