Recognize silica and hazardous building materials

What you should be able to do

A small low-voltage installation can disturb building material. Before drilling, cutting or scraping, establish what material the task involves and what controls the approved plan requires.

Material And Activity Are Both Important

OSHA identifies concrete, brick, stone and mortar among materials associated with crystalline silica. Activities including drilling and cutting can generate respirable particles. The risk question concerns the actual material and process, not simply whether a task looks dusty. [1]

Insulation and coatings raise different questions. OSHA identifies asbestos in historical uses including pipe insulation and building products, and lead in paints and other materials. These are examples of potential sources, not a visual identification guide. [2,3] EPA explains that appearance generally cannot establish whether material contains asbestos and discourages untrained sampling. The cited EPA page concerns homes; workplace assessment and applicable requirements must be determined for the actual site. [4]

Osha Construction Context

For construction work, OSHA has material-specific standards that may apply when work can create exposure to hazardous building materials. OSHA 1926.1153 addresses respirable crystalline silica and includes requirements for covered construction activities involving materials containing crystalline silica. OSHA 1926.1101 addresses occupational exposure to asbestos in construction, including asbestos-containing material (ACM), presumed asbestos-containing material (PACM), information and training requirements, and work that may disturb covered materials. OSHA 1926.62 addresses occupational exposure to lead in construction. Which requirements apply depends on the actual material, activity, exposure potential and work setting. This introductory lesson teaches recognition and referral; it does not authorize sampling, disturbance, abatement or independent selection of exposure controls. [1-4]

What An Apprentice Can Contribute

Describe the planned task and exact location. Identify where it would disturb existing material. Ask the supervisor which building information and work plan apply. Report any discrepancy between the documents and what is actually present. Do not take a sample, brush away residue or borrow someone else's respirator to solve an unresolved question.

Worked through

A technician marks a cable-support location on a wall. The apprentice notices an older coating at that location that is not addressed in the supplied work information. The apprentice reports the location before drilling starts. The responsible team checks the assessment and determines the next action. The apprentice does not decide that one small hole will be harmless or that the coating's color identifies it.

Check Yourself

Paper Practice

Write a report containing task, location, material observation and missing information. Example: "The planned cable-anchor holes are on the west wall of room 115. An existing coating is present there, but the provided work information does not address it. Please confirm the assessment and authorized method before drilling."

Where beginners go wrong

Quick Recap

Identify the planned disturbance. Check the material information. Report unresolved conditions and follow the approved work plan.

Sources