What is Table 1 in the OSHA silica standard?

It's the chart in 29 CFR 1926.1153(c) that pairs 18 common construction tasks with specified dust controls and respiratory protection. Following it fully makes an employer deemed compliant with the exposure limit.

Do I have to do air monitoring if I follow Table 1?

No. If you fully and properly implement the Table 1 controls for a task, you're considered compliant with the PEL requirement and are not required to measure worker exposures for that task.

What if my task isn't on Table 1?

Then you use the alternative exposure control method: assess worker exposures and implement controls that keep them at or below the 50 µg/m³ PEL, with air monitoring to verify.

Construction term · Glossary

Table 1

Verified vs OSHA sources · 2026-10-05

The chart in OSHA's construction silica standard (29 CFR 1926.1153(c)) titled “Specified Exposure Control Methods When Working With Materials Containing Crystalline Silica.” It pairs 18 common construction tasks with prescribed engineering controls, work practices, and respiratory protection. An employer that fully and properly implements the listed controls for a task is deemed in compliance with the exposure-limit requirement — with no air monitoring needed.

29 CFR 1926.1153(c)29 CFR 1926.1153(c)(1)

Also known as: silica Table 1, specified exposure control methods

Table 1 at a glance

Table 1 lists 18 tasks (subparagraphs (i)–(xviii)), from handheld saws to jackhammers to rig-mounted drills.
For each task it specifies the engineering control (e.g., water/wet method or dust collection) and the required respiratory protection.
Fully implementing Table 1 = deemed compliant with the PEL requirement — no exposure assessment or air monitoring required for that task.
It's optional: employers may instead use the “alternative exposure control methods” (measure exposures and keep them at or below the PEL).

In plain English

A ready-made “cookbook” of dust controls for 18 common silica tasks. If you follow the recipe for your task exactly — the right control plus the right respirator — OSHA treats you as compliant, and you don't have to measure the air.

What the rule says

“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.”
29 CFR 1926.1153(c)(1)

In context

A concept governed primarily by OSHA's construction standards, 29 CFR Part 1926 — the rules that apply on jobsites rather than the general-industry 1910 set.

29 CFR 1926

Where this is written in OSHA's rules

29 CFR 1926.1153(c)Read on eCFR / OSHA.gov
29 CFR 1926.1153(c)(1)Read on eCFR / OSHA.gov

Read the related guide

Example

A crew using a handheld power saw on concrete follows Table 1: the saw has an integrated water-delivery system, and they wear the specified respirator when cutting for more than four hours. Because they implement the Table 1 entry fully, they don't have to sample the air to prove they're under the 50 µg/m³ PEL.

Why it matters

Table 1 is the pragmatic path most construction employers take, because it swaps expensive, repeated air monitoring for a fixed set of proven controls. But the compliance shield only holds if the controls are implemented fully and properly — a partial dust collector or the wrong respirator collapses the “deemed compliant” status and reopens the door to citations.

Table 1 vs. the alternative exposure control method

The silica standard offers two paths. Table 1 = follow the specified controls and skip air monitoring. The alternative method = measure each worker's exposure and use whatever controls keep it at or below the PEL. You pick one per task; Table 1 is simpler but only covers its 18 listed tasks.

Two silica compliance paths (1926.1153)

Path	What you must do	Air monitoring?
Table 1	Fully implement the specified controls + respirator	Not required
Alternative exposure control	Assess exposures; control to ≤ PEL (50 µg/m³)	Required

Table 1: frequently asked questions

What is Table 1 in the OSHA silica standard?: It's the chart in 29 CFR 1926.1153(c) that pairs 18 common construction tasks with specified dust controls and respiratory protection. Following it fully makes an employer deemed compliant with the exposure limit.
Do I have to do air monitoring if I follow Table 1?: No. If you fully and properly implement the Table 1 controls for a task, you're considered compliant with the PEL requirement and are not required to measure worker exposures for that task.
What if my task isn't on Table 1?: Then you use the alternative exposure control method: assess worker exposures and implement controls that keep them at or below the 50 µg/m³ PEL, with air monitoring to verify.

Free tools for this

HazCom Audit Checklist (2026)

Governing OSHA standards

OSHA Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard (Construction)

More Construction terms

29 CFR 1910

The part of Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations that contains OSHA's General Industry standards — the default rulebook for most American workplaces (manufacturing, warehousing, healthcare, etc.) that aren't covered by the construction, maritime, or agriculture standards. It includes core rules like Hazard Communication (1910.1200) and the permissible exposure limits (1910.1000). Several 1910 standards are cross-referenced into construction via Part 1926.

29 CFR 1926

The part of Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations that contains OSHA's Construction standards — the “Safety and Health Regulations for Construction.” It governs construction, alteration, and repair work, with construction-specific rules for fall protection (Subpart M), scaffolds (Subpart L), excavations (Subpart P), electrical (Subpart K), and more. Where a task isn't addressed in 1926, some general-industry (1910) standards apply by reference.

Anchor Point

The secure attachment point a personal fall arrest system (PFAS) ties off to — the “A” in the ABC of fall arrest. Under 29 CFR 1926.502(d)(15), a non-engineered anchorage must support at least 5,000 pounds per attached worker; alternatively, it can be an engineered anchorage designed and supervised by a qualified person with a safety factor of at least two.

Atmospheric Testing

Measuring the air in a confined space (or other hazardous atmosphere) with a calibrated direct-reading instrument before and during entry. OSHA requires testing in a set order — oxygen first, then flammable gases and vapors, then potential toxic contaminants — and defines the acceptable ranges: oxygen 19.5%–23.5%, flammables below 10% of the LEL, toxics below their exposure limits.

Benching

An excavation cave-in protective system that cuts the sides into a series of horizontal steps (benches), usually with vertical or near-vertical faces between levels. It's one of OSHA's accepted protective systems under Subpart P — but it is NOT permitted in Type C (the least stable) soil.

Competent Person (Excavation)

The competent person OSHA's excavation standard (Subpart P) requires on every trenching job — someone trained in soil classification and protective systems, who can identify cave-in and other hazards AND has authority to remove workers and correct problems. They must inspect the excavation daily before work starts, throughout the shift, and after any rain or event that could increase the hazard.

Confined Space

A space that is large enough for a worker to bodily enter, has limited or restricted means of entry or exit, and is not designed for continuous occupancy. If it also contains — or could contain — a serious hazard (a hazardous atmosphere, engulfment material, an entrapping configuration, or any other recognized serious hazard), it becomes a permit-required confined space (PRCS).

Controlling Employer

Under OSHA's Multi-Employer Citation Policy (CPL 02-00-124), the controlling employer is an employer with general supervisory authority over a worksite — including the power to correct safety and health violations itself or to require others to correct them. This is typically the general contractor or construction manager. A controlling employer can be cited for a hazard at the site even if none of its own employees are exposed, because it has a duty to exercise reasonable care to prevent and detect violations by the other employers on site.

Sources & verification

Reviewed by HazComFast against eCFR, OSHA.gov, NIOSH, and the Federal Register. Last reviewed 2026-10-05. This glossary is general information, not legal advice; OSHA State-Plan states (e.g. California, Michigan) may adopt stricter requirements.

Put Table 1 into practice

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