On July 14, 2020, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a final rule to amend certain provisions of its beryllium standard for the general industry. The new rule becomes effective Sept. 14, 2020.
The current standard was adopted in 2017, though enforcement of a few portions was delayed until March 2020.
Affected Areas
OSHA says it amended the beryllium standard to simplify and improve compliance, and it believes the changes will further enhance worker safety and health protections. Affected provisions include:
- Key definitions (beryllium sensitization, beryllium work area, CBD diagnostic center, chronic beryllium disease, confirmed positive and dermal contact with beryllium);
- Compliance methods (changes to the written exposure control plan);
- Personal protective equipment (removal, storage, cleaning and replacement);
- Hygiene areas and practices (skin contact and contaminated areas);
- Disposal, recycling and reuse practices;
- Medical surveillance (timing, frequency and location for evaluation);
- Communication of hazards (labeling and employee information and training); and
- Recordkeeping (eliminating requirement to include Social Security numbers in some records).
Next Steps
Employers subject to the beryllium standard should become familiar with this new rule and be ready to comply with its requirements by Sept. 14, 2020.
OSHA amended a few provisions of its beryllium standard to simplify and improve compliance.
Important Dates
Dec. 11, 2018
Publication of beryllium standard proposed rule. Comments were accepted through Feb. 11, 2019.
July 14, 2020
Publication of final rule to amend beryllium standard.
Sept. 14, 2020
The effective date for beryllium standard final rule.
This Legal Update is not intended to be exhaustive nor should any discussion or opinions be construed as legal advice. Readers should contact legal counsel for legal advice. ©2020 Zywave, Inc. All rights reserved.