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Portland Cement Excluded From Proposed OSHA Rule on Hexavalent Chromium

A proposed rule by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on hexavalent chromium does not extend to Portland cement, a building material that contains trace amounts of the chemical.

The NAHB Board of Directors advocated that policy at its fall meeting in Columbus, OH, in early October, only days before the Federal Register published the rule excluding Portland cement.

NAHB has urged OSHA to exclude Portland cement from any proposed rulemaking, because it has not been shown that the small trace amounts of hexavalent chromium found in wet cement cause contact dermatitis.

At a meeting this year of the Advisory Committee for Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH), NAHB member Mike Thibodeaux commented that studies show there is no inhalation hazard associated with the chemical in cement and that contact dermatitis from handling cement most likely comes from the alkalinity and abrasiveness that are properties of the material.

NAHB has said that OSHA’s outreach and education efforts offer a better strategy for addressing skin contact with Portland cement and wet concrete. Current OSHA regulations already require personal protective equipment for handling wet cement.

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OSHA was ordered by the U.S. Court of Appeals to develop a proposed rule for hexavalent chromium by Oct. 4 and it must finalize its standard by Jan. 18, 2006.

Some trade unions are lobbying to have cement included in the regulation, but NAHB will remain engaged in the rulemaking process until a final standard is issued.

For more information, e-mail George Middleton, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8590.

NAHB Alliance With OSHA on Safety

NAHB has been working with OSHA to provide its members and others in the residential construction industry with information, training opportunities and guidance that will help them protect the health and safety of their employees. To learn more about this comprehensive alliance, click here.

For information on the many OSHA standards that apply to the residential construction industry, hazards in home building and their solutions, and developing and implementing a safety program, click here.

For publications on safety and OSHA available from BuilderBooks.com, click here. Included among these titles is NAHB and OSHA's "Construction Safety Program Manual," which is a practical guide to designing a comprehensive safety program.

For further information, e-mail Rob Matuga at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8507.
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