OSHA cites two stone product manufacturers for respirable crystalline silica exposure

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited two Georgia stone manufacturers for a variety of workforce safety violations March 26. Both companies’ violations were related to exposing workers to noise and respirable crystalline silica dust, which, when inhaled, can cause lung cancer and other serious conditions.

Stone Atlanta Countertops, Inc. faces $42,699 in penalties for two repeat, seven serious, and three other-than-serious violations, OSHA said, while GT Stone Granite LLC, which operates out of a facility owned by Stone Atlanta Countertops, is liable for $73,607 for eight repeat, four serious, and two other-than-serious violations. Stone Atlanta, OSHA said, failed to develop a written respiratory protection program or a written exposure control plan for silica, while both companies had failed to produce a written hazard communication program for hazardous materials.

Both companies have 15 days to respond to the citations.

According to an OSHA fact sheet on respirable crystalline silica, the mineral is commonly found in stone, artificial stone and sand. Workers exposed to crystalline silica — which can happen when stone is cut, ground, or drilled — can be exposed to small particles that, when breathed in, can embed in workers’ lung tissues and cause silicosis, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or kidney disease.

OSHA standards require that employers of workers exposed to silica bear a responsibility to determine if their workers are exposed to 25 micrograms of silica per cubic meter of air over an 8-hour workday and, if they expect workers to be exposed to 50 micrograms of the same measurement, protect workers with dust controls, respirators and limited access to areas containing silica dust. OSHA also expects such employers to establish exposure control plans, medical examinations, and worker trainings to prevent serious diseases in workers exposed to silica.

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