California takes major step toward banning deadly quartz countertop work
California’s Cal/OSHA Standards Board voted to advance a first-in-the-nation ban on quartz countertop fabrication and installation to curb a silicosis epidemic, with 562 workers diagnosed and 31 dead since 2019. The advisory committee and rule-making process will now study whether partial restrictions could suffice, despite industry claims of overreach and worker advocates praising the move as a potential nationwide precedent.
California workplace safety officials took a major step Thursday toward banning the fabrication and installation of quartz countertops, aiming to halt a deadly silicosis epidemic among workers exposed to toxic dust. The Cal/OSHA Standards Board voted during an all-day hearing in Sacramento, directing the agency to form an advisory committee with health experts, worker advocates, and industry representatives to study the issue alongside rule-making for the proposed ban. The move follows the California Department of Public Health’s classification of silicosis cases as an epidemic, with 562 workers diagnosed and 31 deaths since 2019. Nearly 50 patients required lung transplants, a procedure offering only a few additional years of life. State officials estimated in 2023 that up to 850 of the 4,000 workers in stone-fabrication shops could develop silicosis, with 160 potentially fatal cases. Cal/OSHA Board Chair Joseph Alioto called the agency’s 2023 emergency temporary standard on artificial stone a failure, citing 94% non-compliance among fabrication shops. The ban, while not immediate, would prohibit on-site processing of quartz slabs, effectively eliminating their use in California. Legal experts suggest companies may shift to selling pre-made countertops with recycled glass instead. Industry representatives, including Matt Thurston of Spanish artificial stone manufacturer Cosentino, argued the ban was excessive, claiming many shops already comply with safety measures. Thurston criticized the decision as a response to enforcement failures rather than a necessary precaution. Worker advocates, however, praised the move, with lawyer James Nevin estimating the ban could save about 1 million lives globally by setting a precedent for other states and countries. The advisory committee and scientific subcommittee will now examine whether less restrictive measures could adequately protect workers. Cal/OSHA lacks authority to ban quartz slab sales outright, but prohibiting fabrication and installation would functionally eliminate their use in the state.
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