“Silica dust exposure reduction and effective regulatory enforcement, along with enhanced workplace medical and public health surveillance, are urgently needed,” the report states.
In response to the report, Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, and Alma Adams (D-NC), chair of the House Workforce Protections Subcommittee, on Oct. 7 sent a
letter to Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia, urging OSHA to enhance monitoring and protections for engineered stone fabrication workers at high risk of silicosis and other silica-related diseases.
“We are calling on OSHA to issue, without delay, a new [National Emphasis Program] that focuses on engineered stone fabrication establishments,” Scott and Adams wrote. “Absent timely action, OSHA will be failing these stone finishing workers and failing in its mission.”
The researchers recommend employers control and monitor worker exposure in compliance with respirable crystalline silica standards, as well as conduct medical screenings.
The study was published online Sept. 27 in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
SOURCE: Safety and Health Magazine