The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) ended years of speculation by issuing its highly-anticipated final rule on silica exposure in late March. The key provision of the rule with the greatest potential impact to roofing contractors is the reduction of the allowable exposure limit from 250 to 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air averaged over a traditional eight-hour shift.
While government officials and labor unions across the country lauded the new standards, it didn’t take long for the roofing and construction trade associations to voice their opposition. Barely a week after the rule was first unveiled, a group of organizations representing seven national trade associations — led by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) — filed a formal petition for review of the new standards with the U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans.