OSHA silica standard for construction
Published 2026-10-18 · 10 min read · sources checked 2026-10-18
Cutting, drilling and grinding concrete, block, brick and stone releases respirable crystalline silica. The construction standard, 1926.1153, is unusual in one way that matters on site: for the common tasks it tells you exactly which controls to use, so you can comply without ever sampling the air.
The two numbers
25 µg/m³ is the action level and the edge of the rule: the standard applies to all occupational exposures in construction work except where exposure will remain below 25 µg/m³ as an 8-hour TWA under any foreseeable conditions. 50 µg/m³, also as an 8-hour TWA, is the permissible exposure limit in (d)(1).
“Any foreseeable conditions” is doing heavy lifting. A dry cut indoors, a dull blade, a crew that skips the water — if those are foreseeable on your job, the exemption is not yours to claim.
Two ways to comply
Path one, Table 1 ((c)). For each task listed, “fully and properly” implement the engineering controls, work practices and respiratory protection the table specifies. Do that and you do not have to assess exposure for that task.
Path two, exposure assessment ((d)). For tasks not on Table 1, or where you do not follow the table fully, you must keep exposures under the PEL and assess the exposure of each employee reasonably expected to be at or above the action level — by the performance option (any combination of air monitoring data or objective data that accurately characterises exposure) or by scheduled monitoring.
Caution
One more rule that catches crews out: where an employee does more than one Table 1 task in a shift and the total is more than four hours, the >4-hour respirator column applies to every task ((c)(3)).
Table 1, excerpted
| Equipment / task | Control (summarised) | ≤4 h/shift | >4 h/shift |
|---|---|---|---|
| (ii) Handheld power saws (any blade diameter), outdoors | Integrated water delivery that continuously feeds water to the blade | None | APF 10 |
| (ii) Handheld power saws, indoors or enclosed | Same | APF 10 | APF 10 |
| (iv) Walk-behind saws, outdoors | Integrated water delivery to the blade | None | None |
| (vii) Handheld and stand-mounted drills | Shroud or cowling with dust collection; HEPA vacuum when cleaning holes | None | None |
| (x) Jackhammers and chipping tools, outdoors | Continuous water at the point of impact, or shroud and dust collection | None | APF 10 |
| (xi) Handheld grinders for mortar removal (tuckpointing) | Shroud and dust collection, 25 cfm per inch of wheel diameter | APF 10 | APF 25 |
Six of the table’s eighteen rows, read from 29 CFR 1926.1153(c) on 2026-10-18. Every row also requires operating and maintaining the tool per the manufacturer to minimise dust.
APF 10 means a respirator with an assigned protection factor of at least 10 — under 1910.134 Table 1, a half-mask air-purifying respirator. That brings the full respiratory program with it, including a fit test and a documented selection.
The written plan and the competent person
Every employer covered by the standard needs a written exposure control plan ((g)) describing the tasks, the controls for each task, the housekeeping measures, and the procedures to restrict access — including exposures created by other employers on the site. It is reviewed at least annually and made available to employees on request.
The plan also names a competent person to make frequent and regular inspections of job sites, materials and equipment. Start from the silica exposure control plan template, and put the site-wide picture in your site-specific safety plan.
Housekeeping
No dry sweeping or dry brushing where it could contribute to exposure, unless wet sweeping, HEPA-filtered vacuuming or other low-exposure methods are not feasible. No compressed air to clean clothing or surfaces unless it is used with a ventilation system that captures the dust cloud, or no alternative is feasible. The broom and the blow gun are where a well-controlled cutting task gives its dust back.
Medical surveillance
The trigger is respirator use, not exposure: medical surveillance must be made available at no cost for each employee who will be required to use a respirator under the standard for 30 or more days per year. The baseline exam is due within 30 days of initial assignment (unless a qualifying exam was done in the last three years), and periodic exams at least every three years.
Silica also has to be in your hazard communication program, with cancer, lung, immune system and kidney effects addressed — see safety data sheets. Violations are cited like any other standard; the current maximums are in OSHA penalties and citations.
The rule text
Quoted from the current eCFR text of title 29, read on 2026-10-18.
This section applies to all occupational exposures to respirable crystalline silica in construction work, except where employee exposure will remain below 25 micrograms per cubic meter of air (25 µg/m³) as an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA) under any foreseeable conditions.
For each employee engaged in a task identified on Table 1, the employer shall fully and properly implement the engineering controls, work practices, and respiratory protection specified for the task on Table 1, unless the employer assesses and limits the exposure of the employee to respirable crystalline silica in accordance with paragraph (d) of this section.
The employer shall ensure that no employee is exposed to an airborne concentration of respirable crystalline silica in excess of 50 µg/m³, calculated as an 8-hour TWA.
The employer shall designate a competent person to make frequent and regular inspections of job sites, materials, and equipment to implement the written exposure control plan.
The employer shall make medical surveillance available at no cost to the employee, and at a reasonable time and place, for each employee who will be required under this section to use a respirator for 30 or more days per year.