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WASHINGTON – The
U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and
the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health today jointly issued
a hazard alert about protecting workers from significant crystalline silica
exposure during manufacturing, finishing, and installing natural and manufactured
stone countertops.
The hazard alert follows reports of 46 workers in Spain and
25 workers in Israel who developed silicosis – an incurable, progressively
disabling and sometimes fatal lung disease – as a result of exposure to
crystalline silica in their work manufacturing stone countertops. Ten of the
workers in Israel required lung transplants as a result of their condition. OSHA
and NIOSH have identified exposure to silica as a health hazard to workers
involved in stone countertop operations in the United States, both in
fabrication shops and during in-home finishing/installation. The alert jointly
issued by OSHA and NIOSH explains how this hazard can be mitigated with simple
and effective dust controls.
Crystalline silica is found in granite, sandstone,
quartzite, various other rocks and sand. Workers who inhale very small
crystalline silica particles are at risk for silicosis. Symptoms of silicosis
can include shortness of breath, cough and fatigue, and may or may not be
obviously attributable to silica. Workers exposed to airborne crystalline
silica also are at increased risk for lung cancer, chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease and kidney disease.
The hazard
alert details what can be done at stone countertop fabrication and
installation worksites to protect workers from exposure to silica. This
includes monitoring the air to determine silica exposure levels; using
engineering controls and safe work practices to control dust exposure; and
providing workers with respiratory protection when needed, training, and
information about the hazards of silica.
For more information on silica hazards and how to prevent
them, visit OSHA’s Web page on crystalline
silica.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970,
employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their
employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working
men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training,
education and assistance. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.
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