Chicago Manufacturer Faces $1M Fine for Exposing Workers to Silica Dust

Federal information inspectors became alert that a 31-year-old worker of a Chicago countertop shaper needed a treble lung transplant aft suffering accelerated silicosis ‒ an incurable lung illness – and the U.S. Department of Labor instantly alerted the institution of the imaginable imminent information and an inspection by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration recovered workers exposed to silica levels up to six times greater than permissible limits.

When inspectors arrived successful February 2024 to behaviour aerial sampling astatine Florenza Marble & Granite Corp., they recovered employees laboring successful a haze of particulate passim the workspace and workers utilizing required respirators improperly. They besides determined the institution had fewer controls successful spot to trim silica vulnerability arsenic employees chopped engineered and earthy chromatic countertops for residential and commercialized projects.

OSHA learned that, successful summation to the 31-year-old successful request of a treble transplant, his 59-year-old begetter and co-worker besides awaits a silicosis-related lung transplant and a 47-year-old worker has been treated for unresolved work-related lung illness for much than 3 years.

Further probe recovered the institution and proprietor Brad Karp did not make a information programme to support oregon show the wellness of its six employees, adjacent though 2 workers compensation security carriers refused to insure the institution successful 2022 and 2024 for not providing aerial sampling oregon proving it protected its workers.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the beingness expectancy for radical diagnosed with silicosis is reduced by astir 11 years and the chances of surviving 15 years aft lung transplant are little than 11 percent.

OSHA cited Florenza Marble & Granite Corp. for 8 egregious willful, 4 willful and 20 superior information and wellness violations and projected much than $1 cardinal successful penalties.

The 2 workers suffering from silicosis person constricted English proficiency and received nary accusation from their leader astir the dangers of silica vulnerability oregon grooming successful the usage of idiosyncratic protective instrumentality oregon precautions to support their information and health.

Specifically, OSHA recovered the pursuing willful violations:

• Failing to found a baseline of employees’ aesculapian wellness to show silica exposure.
• Not performing aesculapian surveillance to show exposure.
• Lacking engineering and administrative controls to trim silica particulate to harmless levels.
• Exposing workers to unsafe levels of silica dust.
• Failing to person a respiratory extortion programme successful place.

In addition, the bureau identified 20 superior violations related to its deficiency of housekeeping, respirator deficiencies, deficiency of a silica vulnerability power program oregon hazard connection program, not grooming employees successful the usage of compressed aerial and allowing its improper use.

Topics Manufacturing