OSHA updates interim enforcement guidance for beryllium standards
Posted December 18, 2018
OSHA recently updated its interim enforcement guidance for general industry beryllium standards in a memorandum sent to regional administrators and state plan designees. The memo continues previous interim guidance for the provisions that OSHA began enforcing on May 11, 2018, and adds interim guidance for certain provisions for general industry with a compliance date of December 12, 2018. OSHA says the memo will expire when superseded or when the compliance directive is issued.
The memo outlines inspection and citation guidance for permissible exposure limits (PELs), exposure assessments, beryllium work areas and regulated areas, methods of compliance, respiratory protection, personal protective clothing and equipment, hygiene areas and practices, housekeeping, medical surveillance, medical removal, communication of hazards, and recordkeeping.
On May 11, 2018, OSHA began enforcing the PELs in the general industry, construction, and shipyard standards, and the general industry standard’s provisions for exposure assessment, respiratory protection, medical surveillance, and medical removal. On December 12, 2018, OSHA began enforcing the general industry standard’s provisions for beryllium work areas and regulated areas, written exposure control plan, personal protective clothing and equipment, hygiene areas and practices, housekeeping, communication of hazards, and recordkeeping.
OSHA will begin enforcing the general industry requirements for change rooms and showers on March 11, 2019, and general industry requirements for engineering controls on March 10, 2020. For construction and shipyards, OSHA says until further notice it will only enforce the PELs and not the ancillary provisions.
While the December 11, 2018, proposed rule for beryllium is pending, OSHA says compliance with the standard as modified by the proposed rule will be accepted as compliance with the standard. Federal OSHA strongly encourages State Plans that cover the private sector to implement a similar enforcement policy.
OSHA Rules for General Industry: 1910 and Other Essential Regulations puts OSHA’s workplace safety regulations in a reader-friendly format.
J. J. Keller's FREE Workplace SafetyClicks™ email newsletter brings quick-read workplace safety and compliance news right to your email box.