Workplace Health and Safety

If It’s Silica… It’s Not Just Dust!

DISCLAIMER: The resources provided on this website contain useful technical information. However, since this website was developed, the Occupational Health Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) established a new Permissible Exposure Level (PEL) of 50 micrograms of respirable crystalline silica per cubic meter of air (μg/m³), averaged over an 8-hour workday, and there are now additional requirements under OSHA’s Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard for Construction.

Silicosis Fact Sheets

• Dry Cutting and Grinding is Risky Business:
     English [pdf 142kb], español [pdf 139kb]
• Stop Silicosis in Sandblasters – Use Silica Substitutes

Silica Dust Levels

• Silica Dust-Producing Tasks
• Controlling Silica Dust
• Create-A-Plan to Control the Dust from CPWR

Respirators

Respirators should not be the primary method of protection. If engineering controls cannot keep dust levels below the OSHA PEL (50μg/m³), then respirators should be used. Always use NIOSH-approved respirators.

• What Type of Respirator Should I Use When Working with Silica?
• Interactive Online Tool for Respirator Selection (From the University of Washington)

• Free On-site Consultation Service for Employers
• CPWR: Working with Silica
• From OSHA:
  • Safety and Health Topics: Silica, Crystalline
  • Silica Advisor (e-Tool)
  • Training and Reference Materials Library

Engineering Controls

• Silica Exposure During Granite Countertops Fabrication 
• Engineering Controls for Silica in Construction 

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

• Respirators

Alerts

• NJDOH Health Alert: Stone Countertop Fabrication Workers At Risk For An Incurable Lung Disease [pdf 360k]
• OSHA/NIOSH Hazard Alert: Worker Exposure to Silica during Countertop Manufacturing, Finishing and Installation 
  [Note: This alert contains useful technical information. However, the Permissible Exposure Level for silica dust has been lowered since this publication was released and there are now additional requirements under the new OSHA silica standard]
• California Department of Public Health -- Silica Safety Resources for Stone Fabricators 
• NIOSH -- Silica Topic Page

 Workers

• NIOSH -- Inhaling Silica Dust Can Cause Deadly Lung Disease 
• California Department of Public Health -- Silica Safety Resources for Stone Fabricators 
• NIOSH -- Silica Topic Page

Other Resources

• Outbreak of Silicosis Among Engineered Stone Countertop Workers in Four States
• Silica Hazards from Engineered Stone Countertops
• NPR -- Workers Are Falling Ill, Even Dying, After Making Kitchen Countertops 
• Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) -- Severe Silicosis in Engineered Stone Fabrication Workers — California, Colorado, Texas, and Washington, 2017–2019
• Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) -- Surveillance for Silicosis Deaths Among Persons Aged 15–44 Years — United States, 1999–2015

• Best Practices for Dust Control in Metal/Nonmetal Mining:
  Quick Overview [pdf 55k] > Full Document [pdf 3m]
• Dust Control Handbook for Industrial Minerals Mining and Processing:
  Quick Overview [pdf 99k] Full Document [pdf 14m]

• Silica Dust-Producing Tasks
• What Dental Technicians Need To Know About Silicosis [pdf 114k]
• Silicosis and Silica Exposure in Dental Technicians (slide show) [pdf 104mb]
• Silicosis in Dental Laboratory Technicians -- Five States, 1994--2000

Additional Resources

• NIOSH Resources: Dentistry
• OSHA Resources: Dentistry