64 - Challenges Implementing the New OSHA Respirable Silica Standard – Early Tales from the Trenches
(Room 31B)
10 Sep 19
2:00 PM
-
3:00 PM
The new OSHA Silica Standard requires offering medical surveillance to workers exposed to respirable crystalline silica. OSHA rules raise challenges for employers – including what to do if employees choose not to have a medical examination and how to act on results. Challenges for examiners include what to do if employees don’t authorize their employers to receive their medical exam results, or do not want to be referred to a board-certified specialist in pulmonary disease or occupational medicine (even if recommended by the medical examiner or chest X-ray B reader). This session will review the responsibilities of employers and medical examiners, discuss actual case studies, and provide practical tips from the trenches based on thousands of exams.