Industry Says Cal/OSHA Silica Rules Will ‘Strangle’ Complying Employers

The fabricated stone manufacturing industry is making final pleas for California OSHA (Cal/OSHA) to scale back its proposed final permanent rules to protect workers from exposure to crystalline silica, warning that dozens of onerous new requirements and poor enforcement will penalize businesses that are adequately protecting employees. “Continuing the education outreach, simplifying the permanent regulations to encourage voluntary compliance, increasing enforcement efforts, and avoiding new onerous regulations on shops complying with the [action level (AL)] and permissible exposure level (PEL)...