A road-surfacing company based in Hingham, Massachusetts, was fined $38,100 allegedly for not protecting its employees from overexposure to silica during restoration work on a bridge on I-93 in Melrose.

U.S. OSHA reports that in July 2009, inspectors from the agency's Boston North Area Office found employees exposed to excess silica levels while jackhammering concrete. Other alleged violations included no controls to lower exposure levels, failure to evaluate employees' exposure levels, an inadequate respiratory protection program and training, and no fit-testing of respirators.

In addition, OSHA said the company had repeated violations found during an inspection in April 2009, including lack of a site-specific respiratory protection program, employees wearing respirators without having first obtained medical clearance, ineffective hazard communication training, and lack of an effective hearing conservation program.

OSHA noted that much of the construction work was being performed at night and emphasized that employers should not assume that inspections will not be conducted during night work.

The inspections are part of an effort by the OSHA area office to target highway construction worksites where silica is generated.

Crystalline silica, a basic component of soil, sand, granite, and many other minerals, can be inhaled when workers chip, cut, drill, or grind objects that contain the substance. It has been classified as a human lung carcinogen, and breathing crystalline silica dust can cause silicosis, a disabling or even fatal lung condition.

[Source: Environmental Manager's Compliance Advisor. Subscribe today!]