OSHA Delays Beryllium Rule Compliance to December
08/16/2018
OSHA has announced that it is extending the compliance date for some ancillary requirements of the general industry beryllium standard to December 12, 2018. This change affects provisions for methods of compliance, beryllium work areas, regulated areas, personal protective clothing and equipment, hygiene facilities and practices, housekeeping, communication of hazards and recordkeeping.
It’s important to note that the compliance date for other requirements of the standard have not changed, including the new permissible exposure limits for general industry, construction, and shipyards and the general industry provisions for exposure assessment, respiratory protection, medical surveillance and medical removal that OSHA began enforcing on May 11, 2018. Any provisions for which the standard already establishes compliance dates in 2019 (change rooms and showers) or 2020 (engineering controls) also are unaffected by this rule.
Beryllium is a strong, lightweight metal commonly used in the defense industry, among others, for electronics. Overexposure to the metal can cause serious health risks, including incurable chronic beryllium disease and lung cancer. OSHA estimates that 62,000 workers are exposed to beryllium each year, and has projected that the updated regulations will save 90 lives from beryllium-related disease and prevent 46 new cases of chronic beryllium disease annually.
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The VelocityEHS Risk Analysis tool can help streamline the identification of areas where exposure to beryllium may occur, as well as assignment and tracking of follow-up actions. And if you want an easier way to schedule and conduct inspections needed to comply with the housekeeping requirements of the rule, try our Audit & Inspections solution. With the right tools, you’ll be better prepared for OSHA’s beryllium rule and take your safety performance to the next level.
