AEM Raises Member Awareness of Proposed Silica Exposure Rule

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A dozen product committees and councils gathered to discuss industry standards and regulatory issues during the Construction Equipment Standards and Regulations Committee meeting Nov. 19-20 in Schiller Park, Ill.  AEM provided member company representatives with crucial information on a proposed rule that could adversely affect the design and application of many construction equipment products.

Members of AEM's Construction Equipment Standards & Regulations Committee heard from Henry Chajet, a partner with Jackson Lewis LLP, on the potential implications of the Occupational Safety & Health Administration's proposed crystalline silica exposure rule.

According to OSHA, about 2.2 million workers are exposed to “respirable” crystalline silica in their workplaces. Exposures occur when workers cut, grind, crush or drill silica-containing materials such as concrete, masonry, tile and rock.  Under the new rule, permissible exposure levels would be limited to 50 micrograms of respirable crystalline silica per cubic meter of air, averaged over an 8-hour day.

OSHA has extended the deadline to submit written comments and testimony on the new rule to Jan. 27, 2014. Public hearings are scheduled to begin on March 18, 2014 and are expected to continue for several weeks.

Chajet also provided members with valuable information on noise and vibration regulations, and how manufacturers should prepare and react to a government investigation.

Strong Turnout for Key Committee Meetings
More than 75 product managers, safety managers and engineers from member companies took part in the two-day CESRC event, which includes important meetings of the following committees:

  • Construction Equipment Standards & Regulations Committee
  • Manufacturers of Rough Terrain Forklifts Council
  • Manufacturers of Rough Terrain Forklifts Council Engineering Committee
  • Earthmoving & Mining Equipment Council
  • Underground Equipment Manufacturers Council
  • Trencher Equipment Committee
  • Trenchless Equipment Committee
  • Underground Electronics Committee
  • Vacuum Excavation Equipment Committee
  • Forestry Equipment Council
  • Attachment Manufacturers Council
  • Compact Loader/Compact Excavator Councils

International Truck Standards Development Foundation meetings hosted by Dan Moss from AEM and Chris Merther from the Industrial Truck Association were also held during the CESRC event. AEM co-sponsored these meetings to assist committee members in being up-to-date with ITSDF Standards.

“All committee meetings are pivotal and a main source of communication where committee members from every manufacturer come together to discuss the issues facing our industries every day,” said Mike Pankonin, AEM senior director technical and safety services.

Noted Steve Neva of Doosan Infracore Construction Equipment, “We are competitors outside these meeting rooms, but together our first and foremost product is safety.”

For more information on the CESRC, contact AEM's W.J. “Bernie” Bernhard   at wbernhard@aem.org. 

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