Medical Presentations and Government Hearings
As the epidemic of silicosis among engineered stone fabrication workers as surfaced, many U.S. health authorities have made presentations or given testimony:
December 14, 2023 – Emergency Temporary Standard Approved– Engineered Stone Silica
December 14, 2023 – the CAL-OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board will meet to vote on a Proposed Emergency Regulation regarding Occupational Exposures to Respirable Crystalline Silica
December 13, 2023 – Australian Government – Department of Employment and Workplace Relations – Work Health and Safety and Workplace Relations Ministers’ Meeting – effective July 1, 2024, the Australian government has banned the use, supply, importation, and manufacture of all engineered stone.
October 10, 2023 – University of Minnesota Public Health Institute – The Growing Silicosis Outbreak Among Engineered Stone Fabricators – Jenny Houlroyd, CIH, MSPH – Georgia Tech SHES
July 20, 2023 – after hearing testimony from Dr. Jane Fazio from UCLA, Dr. Robert Harrison from UCSF, and Dr. Manijeh Berenji, and Brayton Purcell LLP’s client Leobardo Segura-Meza, the Cal-OSHA Standards Board unanimously passed an emergency standard to address the epidemic of engineered stone workers suffering and dying from acute silicosis. The video of the full hearing is available at: https://videobookcase.org/oshsb/2023-07-20/ The audio recording of the hearing in Spanish is available at: https://videobookcase.org/oshsb/2023-07-20/spanish/. Click here to view the full emergency petition. The Evaluation of the emergency petition by OSHA is available at Evaluation of Petition No. 597 to Amend Title 8 Section 5204 to Prevent Silicosis in the Engineered Stone Countertop Industry.
February 8, 2023 – WHWB (Workplace Health Without Borders) – Engineered Stone Countertops: How Big is the Problem? – Part A and February 21, 2023 Part B
February 2023 – Safe Work Australia – Decision Regulation Impact Statement Managing the risks of respirable crystalline silica at work
December 11, 2019 – COEH (Center for Occupational and Environmental Health) & California Labor Lab – California Department of Public Health – UCSF – Dr. Robert Harrison – Severe Silicosis in Engineered Stone Fabrication Workers – US and Global Perspectives
October 18, 2019 – Georgia’s State OSHA Consultation Program – Engineered Stone: Fabrication and Silicosis
Have you worked as a fabricator or other worker of engineered stone countertops? If so, and you have been diagnosed with silicosis or lung cancer, or you believe you may have silicosis, to contact an attorney for a free case evaluation, we recommend that you call (866) 476-8111 or complete a contact form today.