Safety
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) has identified exposure to respirable crystalline silica as a health hazard to workers involved in fabricating, finishing, and installing stone countertop products. This hazard can be mitigated with simple and effective dust controls including wet cutting, dust collection methods, and the use of appropriate respiratory protection. We encourage you to review the below resources created by OSHA and the Natural Stone Institute for additional information on reducing silica exposure in countertop fabrication. We also encourage you to review the Safety Data Sheets linked below for our slab products and our on-product warnings for further information.
INFORMATION RESOURCES
News
- Sept. 24, 2023 / LOS ANGELES TIMES – California workers who cut countertops are dying of an incurable disease
- Sept. 29, 2023 / THE INDEPENDENT – Silicosis is causing men in their twenties and thirties to have severe disease and, in some cases, death
- Nov. 14, 2023 / THE GUARDIAN – Ikea joins Bunnings in banning engineered stone products linked to silicosis
- Nov. 28, 2023 / MEDICAL XPRESS – California workers died of a preventable disease: The threat of silicosis was known years earlier
- Dec. 13, 2023 / ABC NEWS – Australia makes world-first decision to ban engineered stone following surge in silicosis cases
- Dec. 13, 2023 / THE JOURNALIST’S RESOURCE – Silicosis: An explainer and research roundup
- Dec. 14, 2023 / KQED – California Regulators Approve Emergency Rules to Protect Stonecutters From Deadly Disease
- Dec. 14, 2023 / THE HERALD PALLADIUM – California embraces emergency rules to protect countertop workers from incurable silicosis
- Dec. 20, 2023 / HEALTHNEWS – California Issues Emergency Rules to Address Silicosis
- Jan. 04, 2024 / FOX 2 NEWS – California Proposes Emergency Regulation to Protect Workers From Silicosis
Downloadable PDFs
OSHA 3911-12-2023 Small Entity Compliance Guide for the Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard for General Industry and Maritime
OSHA DSG FS-3681 Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard for Construction
OSHA DSG FS-3682 Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard For The General Industry
OSHA 3902-07R 2017 Small Entity Compliance Guide for the Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard for Construction
OSHA-NIOSH HA-3768-2023 Worker Exposure To Silica During Countertop Manufacturing And Installation
Cal/OSHA Silica Standard Overview
Hazard Alert For Workers
Study Flyer
CDPH Hazard Warning: Silica Dust from Countertop Fabrication (Information for Employers)
CDPH Hazard Warning: Silica Dust from Countertop Work (Information for Workers)
CDPH Air Monitoring Employer Guide
CDPH Letter to Employers
OSHA Frequently Asked Questions (“FAQs”) for the Construction Industry
Challenges and Opportunities for Silicosis Prevention and Control
SCIF – Working Safely With Silica
Safety Data Sheets (SDS)
SDS – CERAMIC TILE
SDS – GLASS MOSAICS
SDS – LAMINATE FLOORING
SDS – MARBLE PRE-FAB / ARTIFICIAL MARBLE
SDS – NATURAL STONE PRODUCTS
SDS – Q+
SDS – QUARTZ
SDS – QUARTZITE
SDS – TERRADO
Web Pages to Visit
STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT
OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) for General Industry
LA COUNTY DEPARTMENT
OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Silica Awareness Page
NATURAL STONE
INSTITUTE
Silica Page
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
Respirable Crystalline Silica Focused Inspection Initiative in the Engineered Stone Fabrication and Installation Industries
THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH
Silica Page
UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY
Health Effects Of Inhaled Crystalline And Amorphous Silica
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT
OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Silica Safety Resources for Stone Fabricators
WORK SAFELY
WITH SILICA
A One-Stop Source of Information on How to Prevent a Silica Hazard and Protect Workers
CONSUMER NOTICE
Guide to Silica Dust
OSHA CLINICIANS PAGE
Information for Clinicians
Videos
Silica Training for the Cut Stone Industry (9 Lessons)
This training covers the identification, evaluation, and control of silica exposures in cut stone and stone fabrication industries. The training was developed by Georgia Tech’s Safety, Health, and Environmental Services group with funding from the US Department of Labor’s Susan Harwood Training Grant Program.
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