The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sent its long-delayed rules intended to protect workers from exposure to harmful silica dust to the White House, reports The Hill. The White House’s Office of Management and Budget has 90 days to review.
According to The Hill, the silica rule is intended to protect construction and manufacturing workers from exposure to silica dust, which has been linked to serious health problems such as cancer. OSHA’s proposed rule aims to cut silica exposure in half to 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air.
Labor groups say the stronger silica protections are long overdue while a number of industry advocates argue an enforced rule would result in billions of dollars in unnecessary annual costs for businesses.
“In the nearly 20 years since the fight began to win a new silica standard to protect workers, thousands have become disabled or died from exposure to silica dust,” says Peg Seminario, director of safety and health for the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. “But now the finish line is finally in sight.”
