OSHA Extends Beryllium Rule Compliance to December

Aug. 15, 2018

The agency wants to clarify certain provisions of the standard.

OSHA once again has pushed back the compliance date for some ancillary requirements of the general industry beryllium standard.

The new extension date, Dec. 12, 2018, affects provisions for methods of compliance, beryllium work areas, regulated areas, personal protective clothing and equipment, hygiene facilities and practices, housekeeping, communication of hazards and recordkeeping. However, the date for other requirements of the standard have not changed.

This compliance date extension does not affect the compliance dates for other requirements of the general industry beryllium standard. The agency's goal is to maintain essential safety and health protections for workers while it prepares a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to clarify certain provisions of the beryllium standard that would maintain the standard’s worker safety and health protections as well as address employers’ compliance burdens.

OSHA began enforcing the new permissible exposure limits for general industry, construction, and shipyards and the general industry provisions for exposure assessment, respiratory protection, medical surveillance and medical removal on May 11, 2018. Those requirements are unaffected by this rule.

Any provisions for which the standard already establishes compliance dates in 2019 (change rooms and showers) or 2020 (engineering controls) also are unaffected by this rule.

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeek, EHS Today, Material Handling & Logistics, Logistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor: Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.