29 CFR 1926.1153: Respirable crystalline silica
The official text is on the eCFR. This page maps how the section is organized, quotes the paragraphs our CHST practice questions are built on, and gives free questions you can try. Text below is quoted from the eCFR, current as of 2026-10-14; the section was last amended 2019-07-15.
How 29 CFR 1926.1153 is organized
- (a) Scope and application1 paragraph
- (b) Definitions12 paragraphs
- (c) Specified exposure control methods85 paragraphs
- (d) Alternative exposure control methods17 paragraphs
- (e) Respiratory protection—(1) General8 paragraphs
- (f) Housekeeping4 paragraphs
- (g) Written exposure control plan8 paragraphs
- (h) Medical surveillance—(1) General32 paragraphs
- (i)9 paragraphs
- (j) Recordkeeping—(1) Air monitoring data24 paragraphs
- (k) Dates3 paragraphs
- [Appendix A to § 1926.1153]11 paragraphs
- [Appendix B to § 1926.1153]160 paragraphs
Paragraphs our practice questions cite most
Counted across the 13 live PassCited questions built on this section. This reflects our question bank, not the real exam.
“(c) Specified exposure control methods. (1) For each employee engaged in a task identified on Table 1, the employer shall fully and properly implement the engineering controls, work practices, and respiratory protection specified for the task on Table 1, unless the employer assesses and limits the exposure of the employee to respirable crystalline silica in accordance with paragraph (d) of this section.”
“(E) The identity of the competent person designated by the employer in accordance with paragraph (g)(4) of this section; and”
“(3) Where an employee performs more than one task on Table 1 during the course of a shift, and the total duration of all tasks combined is more than four hours, the required respiratory protection for each task is the respiratory protection specified for more than four hours per shift. If the total duration of all tasks on Table 1 combined is less than four hours, the required respiratory protection for each task is the respiratory protection specified for less than four hours per shift.”
“(iii) Scheduled monitoring option. (A) The employer shall perform initial monitoring to assess the 8-hour TWA exposure for each employee on the basis of one or more personal breathing zone air samples that reflect the exposures of employees on each shift, for each job classification, in each work area. Where several employees perform the same tasks on the same shift and in the same work area, the employer may sample a representative fraction of these employees in order to meet this requirement. In representative sampling, the employer shall sample the employee(s) who are expected to have the h…”
“(iv) Reassessment of exposures. The employer shall reassess exposures whenever a change in the production, process, control equipment, personnel, or work practices may reasonably be expected to result in new or additional exposures at or above the action level, or when the employer has any reason to believe that new or additional exposures at or above the action level have occurred.”
Free practice questions on 29 CFR 1926.1153
Question 1
A laborer on a concrete crew performs three different Table 1 silica tasks during a single shift: jackhammering, handheld grinding, and drilling. The tasks add up to about 5 hours of work in total, though none individually exceeds 2 hours. Which respiratory protection must the employer require for each of these tasks?
Show answer and source
Answer: C. The protection Table 1 specifies for more than four hours per shift, for each task
When an employee does more than one Table 1 task in a shift, the durations are combined. Since the total exceeds four hours, each task requires the more-than-four-hours respiratory protection. Judging each task by its own duration is wrong because the standard totals them.
Answer C rests on
29 CFR 1926.1153(c)(3)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“Where an employee performs more than one task on Table 1 during the course of a shift, and the total duration of all tasks combined is more than four hours, the required respiratory protection for each task is the respiratory protection specified for more than four hours per shift.”
Question 2
A PLHCP's written opinion for a concrete cutter exposed to respirable crystalline silica states that the employee's chest X-ray was classified as 1/0 by the B Reader and recommends a specialist examination. The employer received the opinion on March 3 and is arranging the referral. The safety manager proposes sending the specialist only the worker's most recent air monitoring results, since those are the 'real' exposure data. Which response is consistent with the standard?
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Answer: B. Send the specialist everything the employer was required to give the PLHCP under paragraph (h)(4), and make the specialist examination available within 30 days of receiving the PLHCP's opinion
The standard requires the employer to give the examining specialist all the information it must provide to the PLHCP under (h)(4), and to make the specialist exam available within 30 days after receiving the PLHCP's opinion. Sending only air monitoring results is incomplete, and the 30-day clock runs from receipt of the opinion, not from the X-ray date.
Answer B rests on
29 CFR 1926.1153(h)(7)(ii)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“(ii) The employer shall ensure that the examining specialist is provided with all of the information that the employer is obligated to provide to the PLHCP in accordance with paragraph (h)(4) of this section.”
Where it shows up in exam prep
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Other Part 1926 sections
- 29 CFR 1926.1053: Ladders
- 29 CFR 1926.1060: Training requirements
- 29 CFR 1926.1101: Asbestos
- 29 CFR 1926.1211: Rescue and emergency services
- 29 CFR 1926.1404: Assembly/Disassembly—general requirements (applies to all assembly and disassembly operations)
- 29 CFR 1926.1427: Operator training, certification, and evaluation
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