Do OSHA Controls Prevent Silicosis in Engineered Stone Workers?

As Australia already learned the hard way, while strict OSHA controls for engineered certainly help to reduce the rate of silicosis, they do not prevent it.  First, the OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) is a compromise between health authorities and industry, it does not equal a safe level.  No amount of exposure to silica dust is safe.  Second, the controls were created for natural stone, which has low concentrations of normal sized silica.  However, engineered stone has high concentrations of nanosized silica.  As a result, studies show that without strict OSHA controls (wet equipment, exhaust ventilation), exposures range from 1,7000 to 2,3000 ug/m3 (fibers per cubic meter), which is 34 to 46 x the PEL of 50 ug/m3.  But, even with OSHS controls, exposure still ranges up to  370 ug/m3, which is almost 8 times the PEL.  The take home message is that water and ventilation during engineered stone fabrication do not reduce silica exposures below the PEL, and therefore in addition to water and ventilation, and air-feed respirator for everyone in the building is required at all times in order to prevent disease.

Contact us today if you have been diagnosed with silicosis.