Statement from NAHB Chairman Chuck Fowke on Beryllium Settlement with OSHA

Chuck Fowke, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a custom home builder from Tampa, Fla., issued the following statement regarding a settlement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) involving a rule on beryllium exposure in construction:

“NAHB commends our settlement with OSHA addressing our concerns with the overly broad applicability of both the January 7, 2017, final rule and the September 30, 2019, final rule to the home building industry. The FAQ that OSHA has agreed to publish pursuant to the settlement will clarify that, with limited exceptions, when performing tasks at the typical construction site, exposure to common building materials containing trace amounts of beryllium—like rock, soil, concrete, and brick—will normally not trigger the requirements of the beryllium standard in construction, such as the requirement to assess and monitor exposures—triggered by handling, processing, or otherwise being exposed to these materials on construction worksites.”