The IHSA Safety Podcast is a free podcast from the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association that seeks to improve the lives of workers in Ontario; one thought-provoking discussion at a time.
<p>We engage with professionals and industry influencers to help them implement and improve health and safety solutions for workers and the workplace. Each episode explores best practices, resources, and training to control and eliminate safety hazards in work environments involving high-risk activities in the industries that IHSA serves: construction, transportation, and electric utilities
Silica is a primary component of many construction materials. CAREX Canada estimates that approximately 380,000 Canadians are occupationally exposed to silica, and approximately 570 lung cancers are due to exposure to crystalline silica each year. Exposure to silica dust, produced during work processes such as digging, grinding, and drilling, can lead to serious health issues including lung cancer, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and chronic kidney disease.
On this episode of the IHSA Safety Podcast, Jasmine Kalsi, IHSA’s Occupational Hygienist, and Shirly Yan, Occupational Hygienist at the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW)—Toronto Clinic, discuss the hazards posed by silica in construction, addressing topics such as:
· How a worker can get exposed to silica
· Legal limits to which a worker can be exposed to silica
· The responsibilities of workplace parties to ensure the health and safety of workers
· The Silica Control Tool™ (SCT), a new tool from Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety System that collects details about a company, the jobsite, and planned work activity, estimating and analyzing the risk of silica dust exposure
Beginning in November 2023, workers and employers in the Ontario Construction Industry will receive full access to the Silica Control Tool™ to help assess silica exposure levels in the workplace.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
