Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 004A Hazard:

29 CFR 1910.134(d)(3)(i)(B)(1): The employer did not select a respirator for employee use that maintained the employee's exposure to the hazardous substance, when measured outside the respirator, at or below the maximum use concentration: (a) On or about January 13, 2022, and times prior thereto; the employer did not select a respirator for an employee performing material pouring in hoppers that maintained the employee exposure at or below the maximum usage concentration (MUC). The employer required the employee to wear a half mask negative pressure respirators. Personal air monitoring indicated that the employee was exposed to airborne respirable crystalline silica concentrations of 570.6 micrograms per cubic meter of air which exceeded the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air by approximately 11.4 times. This limit is established to prevent silicosis and lung cancer. Half mask negative pressure respirators are assigned a protection factor of 10. The airborne concentration of respirable crystalline silica exceeded the maximum use concentration for the respirator 1.14 times.