OSHA to Roll Back Rules on Toxic Mineral at Construction Sites<br />Shortly after President Trump’s inauguration, the agency said it might peel away some restrictions,<br />and OSHA’s proposed new rule follows a lobbying campaign by sellers of a waste product known as coal slag, an abrasive used for sandblasting in shipyards and at construction sites.<br />In the document, the agency said it was taking the step because further review indicated<br />that the ancillary safety measures provided no additional benefits in the maritime and construction industries, which had adequate additional safeguards already in place, such as the use of protective gear.<br />The OSHA proposal released on Friday would require shipyards and construction companies<br />that use coal slag to meet the same new maximum exposure limit as other industries.<br />By BARRY MEIERJUNE 23, 2017<br />The Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed on Friday a rollback of some Obama-era rules to protect workers in the maritime<br />and construction industries from beryllium, a potentially deadly mineral.<br />OSHA estimates that there are about 11,500 affected workers in the construction<br />and maritime industries, compared with 50,000 workers in other industries covered by the regulation.<br />“If this proposal to weaken the beryllium rule goes into effect, construction<br />and shipyard workers will die and be permanently disabled,” said Emily Gardner, an advocate for workers’ health and safety at Public Citizen in Washington.
