ISO or OSHA Compliance Critical In The Battle To Protect Workers From The Dangers of Exposure To Crystalline Silica
OSHA and ISO compliance programs work to protect construction workers from the dangers associated with a dangerous component common to granite, sand and other basic soil minerals: Crystalline Silica. In it’s most common natural forms, crystalline silica is the base for cristobalite, quartz and tridymite. Human workers often deal with all three forms in some shape, manner or application. The greatest dangers occur when crystalline silica components are chipped, cut, drilled or ground into breathable particles.
Preventative protection is critical to worker health and safety. Compliance to ISO or OSHA standards ensures proper protection. Having the right tools for maintaining ISO or OSHA standards keeps workers safe.
Hazards of Exposure To Crystalline Silica
According to the OSHA Crystalline Silica fact sheet, almost two million U.S. workers are routinely subjected to serious silica exposure. It comes as a risk to brick masons, concrete workers, quarry workers and others who deal with silica-linked components. Classified as a human lung carcinogen, crystalline silica can cause a serious breathing complication known as silicosis, which in turn makes the affected person more susceptible to tuberculosis and other lung infections including Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and lung cancer.
Symptoms of Silicosis
- Accumulating weakness
- Chest pains
- Clinical signs of poor oxygen to carbon dioxide exchange
- Fatigue
- Loss of weight
- Respiratory failure
- Shortness of breath
- AND eventual death.
Silica Compliance Tracking
Knowing when and where your construction teams may come into contact with crystalline silica is critical to accurately tracking silica compliance tracking. The following basic list of exposure-related workforce activates uses no form of priority conditions:
- Abrasive blasting wherein workers use sand as the agent
- Crushing stone
- Cutting of brick or concrete blocks
- Drilling concrete
- Jack hammering
- Mixing concrete
- Rock or well drilling
- AND more.
Tracking exposure and employee safety also involves keeping records of how much time your workforce engages in contact activities associated with silica components. Yet tracking can be complex, difficult and time consuming. We suggest using a real-time digital time keeping system that:
- Enables automated monitoring of workforce schedules
- Records accurately and exposes time keeping errors
- Automates documented feedback on the accumulated data
- AND compares actual data to permissible exposure limits.
Training Silica Tracking
Where there is risk, there must be control. However, many construction firms lack sufficient tools for making certain their workforce is aptly trained in tracking silica exposure. Yet tracking begins with the simplicity of providing your Safety Team with a correct plan, followed up by the implementation of relevant and timely training processes. By using the cloud-based Assignar construction operations management software, you can:
- Deploy multiple employee training programs
- Keep track of the scheduling and compliance
- Craft join-sharable real-time documentation and training feedback processes
- AND Ensure compliance to the defined goals.
Avoid the Cost of Failed Compliance With ISO or OSHA Silica Safety Standards
Along with compliance tracking of workforce behavior, exposure and compliance, Assignar also offers license tracking for equipment. But whether dealing with people or machines, you need effective operations tracking tools. The keep your crews on track and help you avoid the cost of failed compliance.
Don’t risk your team missing out on current OSHA updates. Eliminate routine failures in basic data tracking. Ensure active use of effective silica safety training processes.
Modern contractors use Assignar Compliance Management as a whole year round automated ISO audits and complaint tracking system.
