On March 25, 2016, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a final rule on Occupational Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica (81 FR 16286). OSHA issued two separate standards, one for construction and one for general industry and maritime. The construction standard includes Table 1: Specified Exposure Control Methods When Working With Materials Containing Crystalline Silica , which matches common construction tasks with dust control methods that have been shown to be effective. In some operations, respirators are also needed. Employers who follow Table 1 correctly are not required to measure workers’ exposure to silica and are not subject to the permissible exposure limit (PEL).

OSHA published a Request for Information (RFI) in 2019 to collect information on the effectiveness of control measures, tasks, and tools involving exposure to respirable crystalline silica that are not currently listed in Table 1, along with information on the effectiveness of dust control methods in limiting worker exposure to respirable crystalline silica when performing those operations.