# OSHA rule pertaining to concrete



## CONCRETE MIKE (Jan 11, 2010)

Has anyone been approached or fined by OSHA for not having wash stations ,or not having your work boots and tools stored in a air tight bag for transportation?


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## Anti-wingnut (Mar 12, 2009)

No. Wash station seems resonable, although by its strictest definition it would have to be a complete eye (?) wash station, and not just a hose laying on the ground. Am I correct in this way of thinking?

The air-tight bag has me baffled. Whats the issue?


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## CONCRETE MIKE (Jan 11, 2010)

Anti-wingnut said:


> No. Wash station seems resonable, although by its strictest definition it would have to be a complete eye (?) wash station, and not just a hose laying on the ground. Am I correct in this way of thinking?
> 
> The air-tight bag has me baffled. Whats the issue?


Yes you are correct. Per the new osha rule, any hand tools and boot must be stored in a air tight bag to keep in free silica when transporting or storing.


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## Anti-wingnut (Mar 12, 2009)

Got a geology degree, and took a lot of chemistry. I gotta ask, what silica? I would think that after everything is washed down, all that could be left would be the cement, which is a calcium product. Silica would be confined to the aggregate, and even then, after the wash down, I would think that it wasn't fine enough, or prevalent enough to cause any danger. How about road crews? Dusty roads can be high in silica dust?


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## Anti-wingnut (Mar 12, 2009)

The fly ash constituent of cement could also be a source of silica, but I would think that the occupational danger of air-borne silica for concrete tools and gloves is negligible


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## JumboJack (Aug 14, 2007)

Anti-wingnut said:


> The fly ash constituent of cement could also be a source of silica, but I would think that the occupational *danger *of air-borne silica for concrete tools and gloves is *negligible*


The same could be said for many of the "dangers" the government is "protecting" us from.


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## CONCRETE MIKE (Jan 11, 2010)

Anti-wingnut said:


> Got a geology degree, and took a lot of chemistry. I gotta ask, what silica? I would think that after everything is washed down, all that could be left would be the cement, which is a calcium product. Silica would be confined to the aggregate, and even then, after the wash down, I would think that it wasn't fine enough, or prevalent enough to cause any danger. How about road crews? Dusty roads can be high in silica dust?


 It is a very touchy situation, some of our buildingtrades here in ohio were fined. I understand the argument, but tell osha that.


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## CONCRETE MIKE (Jan 11, 2010)

There is an appeal to the rule I found out and a interpretation letter being made on this subject. Also a new rule is being made on soft cut saws, that they must have a hepa vac system connceted to the saw itself.


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## CONCRETE MIKE (Jan 11, 2010)

I would also like to add that any person saw cutting,grinding and or patching must be medically evaluated and fit tested for a respirator to perform these duties. It will be mandatory for the company to have this done, not optional.


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## christrahan (Apr 15, 2010)

OSHA was sued after it excluded portland cement from its hex chrome rule. They settled the lawsuit, but I cannot post the settlement agreement link because this is my first post! OSHA has a link to it on their web page, and also to their enforcement procedures related to portland cement exposure.

Contact dermatitis is a disabling diseases that cement (especially the hex chrome in it) causes. We don't know how many workers or their families leave the cement trades because of the disease, but an overwhelming majority of cement mason apprentices have symptoms of skin disease (according to a scientific national survey of apprentices).

Since I cannot post links yet, you can email me for them at ctrahan ~at~ cpwr.com if you would like.


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## Anti-wingnut (Mar 12, 2009)

http://osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=14111 

http://osha.gov/dep/hexchrom/BCTD_settlement_memo_20070416.html

http://elcosh.org/en/browse/19/cement.html

Still don't understand the concern about airborne materials from concrete working tools. If everything is washed down, can't see issues with silica or chromniun. And the Cr problem seems confined as a skin disorder.


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