OSHA Standard Subpart Q Concrete – Reinforcing Steel – 1926.701(b) – All protruding reinforcing steel, onto and into which employees could fall, shall be guarded to eliminate the hazard of impalement.
OSHA Standard Subpart Q Concrete – Working Under Loads – 1926.701(e)(1) – No employee shall be permitted to work under concrete buckets while buckets are being elevated or lowered into position. 1926.701(e)(2) To the extent practical, elevated concrete buckets shall be routed so that no employee, or the fewest number of employees, are exposed to the hazards associated with falling concrete buckets
OSHA Standard Subpart E Concrete – PPE – 1926.701(f) – No employee shall be permitted to apply cement, sand, and water mixture through a pneumatic hose unless the employee is wearing protective head and face equipment.
Additionally, OSHA’s personal protective equipment (PPE) standards require that PPE be provided, used, and maintained in a sanitary and reliable condition whenever it is necessary to protect employees from injury or impairment. The employer must provide PPE such as boots and gloves as necessary and appropriate for jobs involving exposure to portland cement and ensure these items are maintained in a sanitary and reliable condition. Employees must be able to clean or exchange PPE if it becomes ineffective or contaminated on the inside with portland cement while in use. In addition, employers are required to provide PPE at no cost to their employees with limited exceptions (1910.132(h)).
OSHA Standard Subpart Q Concrete – Washing Facilities – 1926.51 – Construction employers must make washing facilities available for employees exposed to portland cement. Washing facilities must provide clean water, non-alkaline soap, and clean towels. Such facilities must be readily accessible to exposed employees and adequate for the number of employees exposed. The sanitation requirements for general industry and shipyards are similar to those for construction.
OSHA Standard Subpart Q Concrete – Concrete Pumping Systems. – 1926.702(e)(1) – Concrete pumping systems using discharge pipes shall be provided with pipe supports designed for 100 percent overload. 1926.702(e)(2) Compressed hoses used on concrete pumping systems shall be provided with positive fail-safe joint connectors to prevent separation of sections when pressurized.
OSHA Standard Subpart Q Concrete – Formwork – 1926.703(a)(1) – Formwork which has been designed, fabricated, erected, braced, supported and maintained in accordance with Sections 6 and 7 of the American National Standard for Construction and Demolition Operations – Concrete and Masonry Work, ANSI A10.9–1983, shall be deemed to be in compliance with the provision of § 1926.703(a)(1).
OSHA Standard Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, also known as the General Duty Clause – requires employers to furnish a workplace which is free from recognized hazards that may cause or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.
OSHA Standard Subpart D Safety And Health – Limit Exposure Breathing Zone – 1926.55(a) –
Employers must limit an employee’s exposure to any substance listed in Table 1 or 2 in this code.
1926.55(a)(1) Substances with limits preceded by (C)-Ceiling Values. An employee’s exposure, as
determined from breathing-zone air samples to any substance in Table 1 of this section with a permissible
exposure limit preceded by (C) must at no time exceed the exposure limit specified for that substance. If
instantaneous monitoring is not feasible, then the employer must assess the ceiling as a 15-minute time-weighted average exposure that the employer cannot exceed at any time during the working day.
1926.55(b) To achieve compliance with paragraph (a) of this section, administrative or engineering controls must first be implemented whenever feasible. When such controls are not feasible to achieve full compliance, protective equipment or other protective measures shall be used to keep the exposure of employees to air contaminants within the limits prescribed in this section. Any equipment and technical measures used for this purpose must first be approved for each particular use by a competent industrial hygienist or other technically qualified person. Whenever respirators are used, their use shall comply with §1926.103.
Portland cement, a common construction material, caused 28,000 job-related injuries or illnesses and 42 deaths in 2021. Concrete is typically used with added reinforcements like re-bar or fiberglass, which pose physical hazards. Health risks mainly arise from skin, eye, or respiratory exposure to cement dust.
APPLICATION SUMMARY CONCRETE:
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
1. Best Practices
- Be aware of the environment for physical hazards.
- Review SDS for all cement products.
- Work in ways to minimize skin exposure to wet cement and cement dust.
- Stay dry when working with wet cement and away from dust that is created. Work in well-ventilated areas & upwind whenever possible
- No dry cutting. Require wetting the work to keep down dust when cutting, grinding, chipping, etc. masonry products.
- Practice good hygiene; wash your hands and face often, especially before eating, etc.
- Ensure provisions for eye washing are immediately available.
- Always use the proper equipment and compatible concrete systems
- Materials such as mortar, plaster, grout, stucco, and terrazzo contain cement.
2. Personal Protective Equipment
- Wear long sleeves and long pants to reduce bare skin that can be exposed.
- Wear work boots or waterproof boots if working in wet concrete.
- Gloves should be worn. Heavy leather gloves are appropriate for most jobs. If repeated direct contact with wet concrete is expected, wear water-impervious gloves, reference Table 1, pg. 9. Do not use lanolin, petroleum jelly, or other skin softening products.
- Wear safety glasses with side shields. If it’s very dusty use goggles. Avoid contact lenses.
- When dust can’t be avoided, wear respiratory protection. An N95 should be appropriate for most exposures but refer to Table 1.
- If it’s necessary to kneel on fresh concrete, use a dry board or waterproof kneepads.
3. First Aid
- Flush or wash in clean, cool water. Do not wash with abrasives or waterless hand cleaners, such as alcohol-based gels or citrus cleaners.
