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Silica Table 1: what it means for the CHST

Toe Board editorial teamUpdated 3 min read

Silica Table 1 is the table of specified exposure control methods in OSHA's construction silica standard, 29 CFR 1926.1153(c). It lists common dusty tasks, such as cutting with a handheld saw, and gives each one its engineering controls, work practices and any respirator required. An employer who follows a row fully does not have to measure exposure for that task.

A simplified table with three columns, task, engineering and work practice controls, and respirator by hours per shift, with one example row for a handheld saw showing water on the blade and a split respirator column for 4 hours or less and more than 4 hours
Find the task, apply every control in its row, and read the respirator by shift length.
Use this diagram

Two routes to compliance

The silica rule gives employers a choice for each task:

  • Follow Table 1 fully. Use the listed controls exactly as described, maintain them, and provide the respirator the row calls for. No exposure assessment is needed for that task.
  • Assess and control under paragraph (d). For tasks not in the table, or where the employer does not follow the row fully, the employer assesses exposure, by air sampling or objective data, and keeps it under the permissible exposure limit of 50 micrograms per cubic meter as an 8-hour average. The action level of 25 then matters for repeat monitoring.

Following part of a row does not count as following the table. Partial use puts you on the second route.

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What a row looks like

Each row names equipment and task, then the controls. Typical controls are water delivered to the blade or bit, a shroud with a dust collection system that meets stated airflow and filter conditions, or an enclosed cab with filtered air for heavy equipment. The respirator column is split by how long the task runs in a shift, 4 hours or less and more than 4 hours, and sometimes by whether the work is indoors or outdoors. Read the row in your own copy of the rule; we do not reproduce it here.

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What else the rule requires

  • A written exposure control plan, with a competent person who makes frequent and regular inspections.
  • Housekeeping limits: dry sweeping and compressed air are restricted where they would raise dust and safer methods are feasible.
  • Medical surveillance for workers required to wear a respirator for 30 or more days a year.
  • Hazard communication and training on silica. See hazard communication.

Common mix-ups

  • Table 1 is a shortcut, not a minimum. It replaces assessment only when followed completely.
  • Water must actually reach the cut. A dry blade with a water line attached is not the control.
  • The respirator column depends on time. The same task can need a respirator after 4 hours and not before.
  • Engineering controls come first. The table builds in the hierarchy of controls: water or vacuum, then a respirator where still needed.

On the CHST exam

Silica is named in the hazard and risk identification and control domain, 36.6% of the CHST.

Practice it

Our health hazards guide sets silica beside lead and noise. Every term in this set is in the CHST terms glossary.

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