Cal/OSHA Permanent Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) standard (2024/2025)

Summary: California adopted a permanent silica standard (to protect workers handling engineered stone and other silica sources). The Standards Board voted in late 2024 and Cal/OSHA action continued into early 2025.                                          Source: CalOSHA                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Sacramento—The Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board voted unanimously to make emergency regulations permanent, protecting workers from respirable crystalline silica (RCS), especially those who work with artificial, man-made stone.

The Board’s decision highlights the need to protect workers who fabricate countertops and similar products made from artificial stone and natural stone containing more than 10% crystalline silica. Without proper protection and procedures, workers breathing in silica dust are likely to get the disease silicosis—an incurable, progressive disease that can cause serious and fatal health effects.

Cal/OSHA Wildfire smoke / unhealthy air protections (emergency standard & related guidance)

Summary: Cal/OSHA’s wildfire smoke protections and guidance remain active and some emergency/regulatory clarifications were emphasized in 2025: employers must monitor PM2.5/AQI and implement controls, communicate hazards, provide training, and provide respiratory protection when trigger thresholds are met. Cal/OSHA maintains a specific emergency standard and guidance for wildfire smoke exposure.                                                                                                                                                Source: Cal/OSHA

Wildfire smoke is composed of harmful chemicals and tiny particles suspended in the air that present a significant health hazard for workers exposed to it. These particles can irritate the lungs and cause serious or even fatal health effects, such as:

• Reduced lung function
• Bronchitis
• Worsening of asthma
• Heart failure

Cal/OSHA Stricter Lead Exposure Standards (Jan. 2025)

Summary: California substantially lowered the lead PEL (to ~10 µg/m³ TWA) and tightened action levels and medical/cleaning requirements.  Cal/OSHA lowered the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for lead in general industry: from 50 µg/m³ to 10 µg/m³ (8-hour TWA). The action level also dropped from 30 µg/m³ to 2 µg/m³.                                                            Source: Cal/OSHA

Cal/OSHA clarifications on construction abrasive blasting and lead (special limits & controls) (Clarifications released May 2025)

Summary: Cal/OSHA issued clarifications on lead limits for abrasive blasting, time limits, and respiratory protection specifics (e.g., interim limits for abrasive blasting until 2030).    Source:  Cal DIR

Regulation requires employers to perform exposure assessments for employees who may be exposed to lead on the worksite, to determine their employees’ actual exposure. This includes employees who conduct dry abrasive blasting. Until the employer performs the assessment and determines actual employee exposure, the maximum amount of time an employee can conduct dry abrasive blasting is limited to five hours per day, and after January 1, 2030, the amount of time must be limited to 2 hours per day.

Hi GSJC Members,

Please review the latest Governmental Affairs update on March, 07, 2025.

Bill Introduced to Abolish OSHA
Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ) has introduced the NOSHA Act (H.R. 86), aiming to eliminate OSHA. Similar legislation has been proposed in the past. While the bill is unlikely to gain traction, ASSP is monitoring developments and will share updates as needed. Track the bill

ASSP Offers Key Insights on OSHA’s Proposed Heat Injury & Illness Prevention Standard
Informed by member input, ASSP submitted technical comments on OSHA’s proposed heat standard. Overall, ASSP supports a federal rule on preventing heat injury and illness but recommends revising the proposal to better align with ANSI/ASSP A10.50-2024. Read more

New Leaders at OSHA
Word from Washington, D.C., is that President Donald Trump will nominate David Keeling as assistant secretary for occupational safety and health. Keeling has held positions overseeing safety at both Amazon.com Inc. and UPS. In addition, Amanda Wood Laihow, a labor lawyer who served as a member of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission from 2020 to 2023, is expected to be appointed the political deputy assistant secretary. OSHA’s leadership team also includes ASSP member Scott Ketcham, who was recently promoted to deputy assistant secretary after holding leadership roles with the agency’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs and Directorate of Construction. We’ll continue to share updates with ASSP members.

Executive Order Freezes New Federal Regulations
The Trump administration has issued an executive order that suspends implementation of new federal regulations until an appointee of the administration reviews and decides whether to proceed with or retract the rule. The order pauses a range of OSHA’s rulemaking activities, including the agency’s heat injury and illness prevention and emergency response regulations. Read the order

Thanks,

Dawn Armstrong
VP of Governmental Affairs