Nilfisk District Sales Manager Terry Oelkers was recently honored with “The Pouring Man,” a gift given to featured speakers by the Stateline Chapter of the American Foundry Society. Terry gave a presentation about how to comply with OSHA’s new silica dust standard at their chapter meeting on September 11.
Oelkers is a member of the AFS Twin Cities Chapter, which covers the Twin Cities and surrounding areas in Minnesota. Every year, a couple of their meetings feature speakers brought in to help foundries, foundry suppliers, and students understand current trends and challenges facing the industry. Oelkers’ talk focused on OSHA’s silica dust standard, which became enforceable as of June 23 of this year. He spoke about the health risks associated with silica dust exposure, the new requirements, and the housekeeping procedures and industrial equipment foundries require for compliance.
He also touched on an equally important, but often overlooked consequence of non-compliance: increased insurance premiums.
We’ve published several resources aimed at helping foundries and other general industry employers understand the new rule and what they need to do to comply. If you’d like to learn more, here are a handful of links to get you started:
- A Quick Overview of OSHA’s Silica Dust Rule for General Industry and Maritime
- [WEBINAR] Silica Dust: Practicing Proactive Housekeeping for General Industry Compliance
- Three Dangerous Misconceptions Surrounding OSHA’s Silica Dust Standard for General Industry
- Silica Dust Compliance: Has Your Insurance Company Come Knocking Yet?
- Top 10 Vacuums for Silica Dust Applications
On a related note, Oelkers was also recently interviewed by Powder & Bulk Solids about combustible dust hazards and compliance. Read the interview here: Why You Need to Think About Combustible Dust Compliance.
