Silica
- Contractors shall take all necessary steps to comply with the exposure limits for silica (respirable crystalline) established in 29 CFR 1926.1153. Your written Exposure Control Plan must detail how potential exposure to Virginia Tech personnel and the general public in adjacent areas will be kept below allowable limits. A copy of this plan shall be provided to Environmental Health & Safety and/or the university project manager upon request.
- Where tasks are performed indoors or in an enclosed area, exhaust shall be provided as needed to minimize the accumulation of visible airborne dust. If the exhaust is vented where building occupants or the general public may be exposed, the system must incorporate HEPA filtration.
- If the building ventilation system provides air to an area where “restricted work” is being performed, the air returns shall be blanked or closed while such work is in progress.
- A “temporary restricted area” must be established where tasks performed in accordance with Table 1 of 29 CFR 1926.1153 require that respiratory protection be used, or where tasks are performed that are not listed in Table 1, and where no historic or objective data exists to prove exposures will be below the action level.
- Temporary Restricted Areas must be designated with signs, barriers, or other effective means that will assure unauthorized persons do not enter.
- If such work is performed in occupied buildings, dust barriers shall be installed as necessary to isolate the restricted area.