Standing up-wind and using respirators were cited as applicable controls. One stakeholder raised general issues that were not associated with any particular industry sector. The statistical variability is high for silica analysis. He further stated that, in his opinion, no feasible monitoring method that produces reliable and meaningful data exists and that a standard cannot move forward without improved monitoring methods. Stakeholders from the construction industry noted that representative sampling is problematic because the job is often finished before results come back from the laboratory.
Monitoring is done on some jobs and is used on subsequent jobs as historical data.
Intermittent operations pose the biggest obstacle in monitoring employee exposures during construction activities. Using respirators is the answer to intermittent operations. Small employers do not know anything about the risks of silica. Laboratories that conduct air quality analysis are difficult to find, and many are not well qualified. Contractors typically select a laboratory based on price alone.