OSHA recently announced that they will begin enforcing certain requirements of the beryllium final rule, including the permissible exposure limits, exposure assessment, respiratory protection, medical surveillance, and medical removal provisions. Other ancillary provisions will not be enforced until June 25, 2018 or later.
In addition, a direct final rule was issued earlier this month clarifying amendments to address how the standard applies to materials containing trace amounts of beryllium in general industry. Comments are being accepted for this direct final rule until June 6, 2018. One major distinction that will be clarified by this direct final rule is the definition of a beryllium work area. Beryllium contamination is also further defined in the rule, which provides additional clarification around the use of trace materials.
If beryllium or beryllium compounds are used at your facility, be sure to review the recent updates from OSHA regarding this standard.