PPE, Silica & Respiratory
PPE is your last line of defense — and silica is the construction health hazard examiners ask about most.
PPE cost: paid by the employer · Hard hat: where impact/falling/electrical hazards exist · Eye/face: flying particles, splash, harmful light · Noise action level: 85 dBA · Silica PEL: 50 µg/m³ (8-hr) · Respirator: medical evaluation + fit test first.
Protective equipment
- Hard hats wherever there’s a danger of head injury from impact, falling objects, or electrical contact.
- Eye and face protection against flying particles, chemical splash, or harmful light (grinding, cutting, welding).
- Hearing protection once noise reaches the 85 dBA 8-hour action level.
- A respirator may only be worn after a medical evaluation and a fit test.
Silica
Respirable crystalline silica comes from cutting, grinding, or drilling concrete, stone, and masonry. The OSHA limit is 50 µg/m³ over 8 hours. The fix is engineering controls first — wet cutting or a vacuum dust shroud — not just a dust mask.
Practice: PPE, Silica & Respiratory
Frequently asked
What is the OSHA exposure limit for silica?
Who pays for required PPE?
More Construction Safety topics
Fall Protection
Construction fall protection: the 6-foot rule, guardrail heights and strength, personal fall arrest anchorages and arresting force, and hole covers — from OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart M.
Read & practice →Ladders & Scaffolds
Ladder and scaffold safety: the 4:1 ladder angle, 3-foot rail extension, three points of contact, the 10-foot scaffold fall-protection rule, 4× load capacity, and competent-person inspections.
Read & practice →Excavation & Trenching
Trench safety: protective systems at 5 feet, the 2-foot spoil setback, egress within 25 feet, daily competent-person inspections, soil types A/B/C, and Type C sloping — from OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart P.
Read & practice →Electrical & Lockout/Tagout
Electrical safety on the jobsite: GFCIs and the assured-grounding program, the 10-foot overhead-line clearance, lockout/tagout, grounded or double-insulated tools, and treating conductors as energized.
Read & practice →Hazard Communication & Focus Four
Hazard communication and OSHA basics: Safety Data Sheets and their 16 sections, GHS labels and signal words, the Right-to-Know law, the Focus Four hazards, the General Duty Clause, and reporting deadlines.
Read & practice →