🗞️ Dust to Diagnosis: Georgia Stone Shops Cited Again for Silica Dangers
OSHA cited two Cartersville, GA stone countertop manufacturers for repeat silica exposure violations, proposing over $116,000 in combined penalties after both failed to fix previously identified hazards.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited two Cartersville, Georgia stone product manufacturers — Stone Atlanta Countertops Inc. and GT Stone Granite LLC — following follow-up inspections that revealed ongoing failures to protect workers from respirable crystalline silica (RCS) exposure. Both companies had been previously cited for similar violations and had not taken corrective action.
Stone Atlanta Countertops Inc. received citations for two repeat, seven serious, and three other-than-serious violations. GT Stone Granite LLC faced eight repeat, four serious, and two other-than-serious violations. Combined proposed penalties totaled $116,306. Violations at both facilities included overexposure to silica and noise, and the absence of required written programs covering respiratory protection, silica exposure control, and hazard communication.
The citations are part of a broader federal enforcement effort. OSHA's National Emphasis Program for Respirable Crystalline Silica, active since 2020, and a focused 2023 inspection initiative targeting engineered stone fabrication facilities, have elevated scrutiny across the stone countertop industry. Silica dust — generated when cutting, grinding, or polishing stone — is a known cause of silicosis, an irreversible and potentially fatal lung disease. Engineered stone products, often marketed as quartz countertops, can contain more than 90% crystalline silica, raising exposure risks substantially compared to natural stone.
A 2023 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine documented 52 California workers diagnosed with silicosis from engineered stone exposure — 10 of whom died and 11 were referred for lung transplants. Researchers estimated that approximately 100,000 U.S. stone fabricators face potential silicosis risk. The Georgia facilities inspected in this case fall within NAICS codes targeted by OSHA's inspection initiative, which requires all programmed and unprogrammed inspections to evaluate silica hazards.
Both employers have 15 business days from receiving their citations to comply, request an informal OSHA conference, or contest findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Key Points
- OSHA conducted follow-up inspections at two Cartersville, GA facilities after prior violations went unaddressed
- Stone Atlanta Countertops Inc. was proposed $42,699 in penalties; GT Stone Granite LLC was proposed $73,607
- Violations included missing written respiratory protection programs, silica exposure control plans, and hazard communication programs
- Respirable crystalline silica causes silicosis, lung cancer, COPD, and kidney disease — conditions that are irreversible
- Engineered stone (quartz) can contain over 90% crystalline silica, far more than natural granite or marble
- OSHA's permissible exposure limit (PEL) for silica is 50 µg/m³; the action level triggering required controls is 25 µg/m³
- An estimated 100,000 U.S. stone fabricators are at risk for silicosis, per JAMA Internal Medicine research
- Australia banned the manufacture, supply, processing, and installation of all engineered stone effective July 1, 2024
- Over 370 lawsuits have been filed by U.S. workers against engineered stone manufacturers
Primary Source Author: U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Primary Source: US Department of Labor cites Georgia stone product manufacturers for exposing workers to respirable crystalline silica, other safety violations
Primary Source Link: https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osha/osha20260326
Supplemental Links
- OSHA – Crystalline Silica Overview
- OSHA – Silica Standard Fact Sheet for General Industry
- OSHA – National Emphasis Program for Respirable Crystalline Silica (CPL 03-00-023)
- OSHA – Focused Inspection Initiative: Engineered Stone Fabrication (Sept. 2023)
- OSHA/NIOSH – Hazard Alert: Worker Exposure to Silica during Countertop Manufacturing
- JAMA Internal Medicine – Silicosis Among Immigrant Engineered Stone Countertop Fabrication Workers in California (2023)
- Annals of Work Exposures and Health – Silica Exposures Among Georgia Stone Countertop Workers, 2017–2023
- CBS News – Silicosis, lung disease once linked to mining, hits workers in countertops industry
