Establish housekeeping procedures and provide industrial hygiene facilities (hand washing stations).Provide other protective clothing and equipment as necessary for dermal protection.Provide respiratory protection where engineering and work practice controls are not feasible or are insufficient to meet the PELs.Implement engineering and work practice controls to reduce employee exposures to Cr(VI).Establish regulated areas where exposures may reasonably be expected to exceed the PEL.Specifically relating to this standard, employers must: That makes this a good time to reconfirm that all aspects of your business are compliant. ![]() ![]() This focus on hexavalent chromium likely means that OSHA will focus on metal fabricating compliance in general. Because of these factors, welding is not separated easily into high- and low-exposure operations. These can vary in the course of a project or even during a single work shift. Welders work on a variety of base metals using different welding methods. Welding occurs in more than 40,000 establishments in the U.S. While multiple industries are affected by this ruling, welding applications account for the largest number of businesses and employees affected. How the New Standard Affects the Metal Fabricating Industry, Your Company Exposure to Cr(VI) has been linked conclusively to lung cancer, asthma, nasal ulcerations and perforations, skin ulcerations (or chrome holes), and allergic and irritant contact dermatitis. Occupational exposures to Cr(VI) can occur from inhaling its mist (such as from chrome plating), dusts, or fumes (as in stainless steel welding) and from dermal contact. Cr(VI) compounds are used most commonly as a structural and anticorrosive element in stainless steel, iron, and steel production and in welding and painting. ![]() Hexavalent chromium is prevalent in the metal fabricating industry. OSHA believes this lower PEL is necessary to reduce the significant health risks of occupational exposure to Cr(VI). OSHA has determined that the previous PEL for Cr(VI) posed a significant risk to workers' health. This new rule significantly reduces the permissible exposure limit (PEL) from 52 to 5 micrograms of Cr(VI) per cubic meter of air as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA). 28 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) amended the existing standard that limits occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium. Photo courtesy of 3M Occupational Health & Environmental Safety Division, St.
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