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Silica Resources

NEW! Fabricator Guidance for Workplace Silica Exposure Assessment (English)
NEW! Fabricator Guidance for Workplace Silica Exposure Assessment (Spanish)

NEW! Sampling Firm/Consultant Guidance for Workplace Silica Exposure Assessments (English)
NEW! Sampling Firm/Consultant Guidance for Workplace Silica Exposure Assessments (Spanish) 

Silica Dust Exposure Prevention Training

ISFA is excited to introduce our groundbreaking new training series, designed to empower business owners, supervisors, and employees with the safety skills and knowledge needed to build strong safety cultures. Partnering with Ving, a nationally renowned safety training content and technology provider, we've created a comprehensive curriculum that addresses critical industry needs.

LEARN MORE TODAY!

About the New Silica Guidance Documents Brought to You by ISFA and NSI

In partnership with the Natural Stone Institute, the International Surface Fabricators Association is proud to introduce two guidance documents for workplace silica exposure assessment assembled by the Yale School of Medicine. A recent survey and data collection project with Yale researchers revealed that there is little consistency of information gathered in professional sampling reports. These two new documents define best practices in air monitoring for RCS and give a better understanding of expectations to those companies who haven’t started air monitoring. 

These documents are available in both English and Spanish and can be found at the top of this page.

The Fabricator Guidance Document provides resources for sourcing workplace air monitoring for respirable dust and crystalline silica. It also includes best practices for when sampling should be scheduled, what information should be provided to the consultant, and how long reports should be retained.

The Sampling Firm/Consultant Guidance Document shares general requirements, sample strategies, minimum documentation, and laboratory results. It also details what should be included in a final consultant report, including both regulatory and best practice-based recommendations for the client.

Respirable Crystalline Silica: Educate Your Customers With This Customizable Flyer 

At the International Surface Fabricators Association, we’re committed to supporting our fabricator members with tools and resources that help them excel in their businesses.

That’s why we’ve developed a Consumer Silica Safety Flyer — an easy-to-understand resource you can provide your customers. This flyer helps explain the importance of silica safety in countertop and surface fabrication, showcasing your commitment to adhering to best practices for a safe and healthy fabrication and installation process.

Silica Safety Consumer FlyerWhat the Flyer Covers:

  • What respirable crystalline silica is and why it matters.
  • The steps you take to reduce dust and protect air quality during fabrication and installation.
  • Your adherence to industry-leading safety standards.
  • How these precautions protect both your team and the customer’s home.

By sharing this flyer, you educate your customers on the materials being used and reinforce their confidence in your safety practices.

Download the flyer today and start giving your customers the peace of mind they deserve while elevating your reputation as a premier fabricator who operates with honesty, integrity and responsibility.

DOWNLOAD THE CONSUMER SILICA SAFETY FLYER

Note: Once downloaded, this flyer can be customized to input your logo, phone number, email address and company website.

To add your company’s information, open the document in Acrobat or Acrobat Reader and click the white space in the lower right corner of the first page below the photo. A prompt should appear that enables you to upload and place your logo. Click the spaces to the right of the phone, mail and web icons to input your company’s contact information.

Once saved, you can print or otherwise distribute however you see fit.

Need help with customization? No problem! Drop us a line at [email protected] and we'll create a customized version for you. 

Caesarstone Master of Stone Training Center

ISFA members have another opportunity to expand their understanding and knowledge of silica related safety through Caesarstone's Master of Stone Training Center. FREE for ISFA members, the online learning platform is dedicated to making information and working guidelines accessible to fabricators worldwide.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CAESARSTONE'S MASTER OF STONE TRAINING CENTER

Silica Overview & OSHA Regulations

Crystalline silica is a common mineral found in many naturally occurring materials and industrial products. RCS consists of very small silica particles, 100 times smaller than ordinary beach sand, and can be generated by operations like cutting, sawing, grinding, drilling and crushing stone, rock, concrete, brick, block, and mortar and when abrasive blasting with sand. Exposure to RCS can also occur during manufacture of products such as glass, pottery, ceramics, bricks, concrete, countertops and artificial stone and as a result of foundry and hydraulic fracking operations. Inhalation of elevated levels of RCS is a health hazard that can cause diseases including silicosis, an incurable lung disease, and lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and kidney disease.

OSHA's Silica Rule
Resource credit: Natural Stone Institute

OSHA released its long-anticipated rule reducing the permissible exposure level (PEL) for crystalline silica for general industry and construction.  The rule cuts the respirable silica PEL from 100 µg/m3for an 8-hour time weighted average to 50 µg/m3. The rule was broken into two separate standards—one for the General Industry & Maritime (affecting employees in stone fabrication shops), and one for Construction (affecting employees working at jobsites in the field). OSHA’s Silica Rule went into effect on June 23, 2016. 

Since a portion of the stone industry will be covered under the “construction” standard and others under the “general industry” standard, the following documents and links are provided for quick reference:

Employers covered by the Construction Standard had until September 23, 2017 to comply with most requirements outlined in the standard. Employers covered by the maritime and General Industry Standard will have until June 23, 2018 (two years from the effective date) to comply. 

Companies are encouraged to assess their current silica exposure risks and safety efforts to ensure they are compliant with the new OSHA ruling.  In fabrication shops where no monitoring has occurred, it is recommended to conduct breathing zone sampling. Continue to utilize wet cutting and other best practices that limit silica exposure whenever possible.