On Friday, September 5, 2014, the Portland Cement Association met with OSHA staff to discuss issues related to the classification of Portland cement under the Hazard Communication standard (HCS), 29 CFR 1910.1200.  The Portland Cement Association stated that Portland cement contains less than 1%, but sometimes more than .1%, silica, and recommended that OSHA change the HCS requirement that chemicals containing .1% or more of a Category 1 carcinogen (e.g., silica) to a 1% threshold.  The Portland Cement Association provided a Safety Data Sheet from a British Portland Cement manufacturer and several empty bags of Portland cement with HCS labels.  

The Portland Cement Association also reiterated the position stated in its prehearing and post-hearing comments to the silica rulemaking that the silica rule should not apply to materials containing less than 1% silica and that hazard communication requirements only be triggered if a chemical contains more than 1% silica. 




