Table 1 is a list in OSHA's construction silica standard, 29 CFR 1926.1153(c). It pairs common silica-generating tasks with a required set of controls. If an employer fully and properly implements the Table 1 controls for a listed task, the employer does not have to assess worker exposure for that task. The employer also does not have to separately show that the exposure is below the permissible exposure limit (PEL).

The table matters because it decides which of two compliance paths applies to a task. The standard was published in the Federal Register on March 25, 2016. OSHA began enforcing it in construction on September 23, 2017.

How the table works

The regulation text lists 18 task or equipment categories. Each row sets three things:

  • Engineering control and work practice. Usually a water system or a shroud with dust collection.
  • Respiratory protection for 4 hours or less per shift.
  • Respiratory protection for more than 4 hours per shift.

Respirator requirements are stated as an assigned protection factor (APF). Some rows require no respirator. Some rows require one only when the task runs longer than 4 hours in a shift. Respirators must meet the general respiratory protection standard, 29 CFR 1910.134.

The table below shows the rows described in the OSHA sources used for this page. It is not the full table. The complete list of 18 rows is in the regulation text.

Task (as listed) Engineering control and work practice Respirator, 4 hours or less Respirator, more than 4 hours
Stationary masonry saw Integrated water delivery system, operated and maintained per manufacturer specifications None None
Handheld power saw, used outdoors Water-fed system None APF 10
Jackhammer and chipping tool, used indoors Continuous water spray, or shroud with dust collection APF 10 APF 10
Handheld grinder for mortar removal Shroud with dust collection system APF 10 APF 25

Some requirements apply across rows:

  • Wet methods. Water must be applied at a flow rate sufficient to minimize the release of visible dust.
  • Enclosed cabs and booths. Where a row relies on an enclosed cab or booth, it must be kept under positive pressure. Its intake filters must be at least 95% efficient for particles from 0.3 to 10.0 microns.

For grinder dust collection, the trade publication Buildermuse describes the requirement as a shroud with HEPA dust collection rated at a minimum of 25 cfm per inch of wheel diameter. The filter efficiency and filter-cleaning provisions for this row are not given in the sources for this page. Check the exact wording in the regulation text before buying or specifying a vacuum. The sources for this page also do not include manufacturer statements that a named vacuum or shroud meets Table 1.

Where you see it

During an inspection. OSHA's Interim Enforcement Guidance, issued October 19, 2017, has compliance officers use a flow chart to decide whether Table 1 was fully and properly implemented. The law firm Ogletree Deakins summarized that guidance. If the controls were fully in place, the employer is not cited under the PEL for that task. Officers may still take personal breathing zone samples and request exposure records.

When a task runs past 4 hours. A crew cutting outdoors with a water-fed handheld saw needs no respirator for 4 hours or less. The same crew needs APF 10 protection if cutting runs longer than 4 hours in the shift.

Outside Table 1. On February 12, 2026, OSHA inspected Plant 3 of General Shale Brick Inc. (Watsontown Brick Company) in Watsontown, Pennsylvania. That site is a molded brick production plant, not a construction site. On August 26, 2026, OSHA announced citations with $496,528 in proposed penalties. The citations included 3 willful, 4 serious, 1 repeat and 1 other-than-serious violation. The findings included exposure above the PEL, no engineering controls, no annual respirator fit testing, incomplete exposure monitoring, missing regulated areas and missing medical exams. The case shows the obligations an employer carries when no Table 1 row applies.

Two things Table 1 is not

Often confused with The difference
Alternative exposure control methods This is the other compliance path. It applies to tasks not on Table 1, or to listed tasks where Table 1 is not fully followed. The employer must assess exposure by the performance option (air monitoring or objective data) or the scheduled monitoring option, and keep exposure at or below 50 µg/m³ as an 8-hour TWA.
Full compliance with 1926.1153 Table 1 replaces exposure assessment only. A written exposure control plan, a competent person, housekeeping limits, training, medical surveillance and recordkeeping still apply.

The written exposure control plan must name each Table 1 task and the controls used for it. Medical surveillance applies to an employee required to wear a respirator for 30 or more days a year, including respirator use required by Table 1.

What it means for you

For each silica task on a job, match the task to a row in the regulation text. If no row matches, the task is on the alternative path and exposure must be assessed.

If a row matches, check each element of it:

  • Is the specified control installed, working and used as the manufacturer specifies?
  • Does the work condition match the row, for example outdoors or indoors?
  • How many hours will the task run this shift? Is the respirator for that duration on hand and fit tested?

If any answer is no, the Table 1 exemption does not apply to that task, and exposure must be assessed. Under OSHA's 2026 penalty memo, the maximum penalty is $16,550 for a serious violation and $165,514 for a willful or repeated violation. The wider set of silica rules is covered in the silica standard overview.