Silica

California OSHA’s (Cal/OSHA) standards board is granting a petition to launch a rulemaking to prohibit the fabrication and installation of artificial stone products containing more than 1 percent crystalline silica -- a move to protect workers after hundreds have contracted the deadly lung disease silicosis in recent years and more than 30 have died.

New analysis from a coal miners’ advocacy group, using data collected by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), finds that 20 percent of surface and underground mines sampled for silica exposure in 2025 had levels of silica dust above the standard set in a now-paused Biden-era MSHA rule.

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has begun reviewing proposed changes to a Biden-era rule that set first-time respirable crystalline silica standards for coal mines and halved a prior limit for other types of mines, although it remains uncertain how the Trump administration may seek to change the limits.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) recently confirmed that a judicial stay of Biden-era silica standards remains in effect while the agency engages in “limited rulemaking” to reconsider the 2024 rule, although legal experts note uncertainty over MSHA’s future actions remains.

California OSHA’s (Cal/OSHA) standards board is requesting district attorneys (DAs) in seven counties expand enforcement and bring criminal charges against engineered stone fabrication shop owners who are violating crystalline silica worker-protection standards, as the state continues to see a rise in cases of the deadly lung disease silicosis.

The Labor Department Office of Inspector General (OIG) in its annual report of the department’s top management challenges is highlighting the need for OSHA to address workplace violence, ensure employers report injuries and illnesses, and inspect as many worksites as possible with a limited number of inspectors.

House Judiciary Committee Republicans are championing legislation that would prohibit lawsuits against manufacturers and sellers of artificial stone slabs for injuries caused by exposure to respirable silica during third-party fabrication, arguing hundreds of lawsuits in California courts are threatening to put American companies out of business.

The International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA) is proposing to develop a nationwide program to certify and license shops that cut fabricated stone containing crystalline silica to ensure the practice is performed safely and prevents the lung disease silicosis, countering advocacy groups in California that are seeking a total ban on the products.

A petition to California OSHA’s (Cal/OSHA) standards board seeking a ban on artificial stone slabs containing more than 1 percent crystalline silica to prevent more cases of the deadly lung disease silicosis is sparking new debate over whether a ban is appropriate or if state officials should substantially ramp up enforcement of worker-safety standards.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has announced plans to revise the Biden-era silica rule, drawing cautious optimism from industry groups that are challenging the rule in court that the changes could resolve their issues, although the groups say MSHA has not yet provided any details to be certain.