OSHA Inspection: QUALITY STONE INSTALLATIONS

Issued

Mar 21, 2025

Abate by

May 30, 2025

Penalty

Initial $3,547 · Current $1,773 Reduced

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.134(c)(1):  In any workplace where respirators are necessary to protect the health of the employee or whenever respirators are required by the employer, the employer shall establish and implement a written respiratory protection program with worksite-specific procedures. The program shall be updated as necessary to reflect those changes in workplace conditions that affect respirator use. The employer shall include in the program the following provisions of this section, as applicable: (Construction Reference 1926.103)  During and since January of 2025, at installation worksites; the employer did not establish and implement a written respiratory protection program when employees were provided and required to wear tight-fitting negative pressure half face respirators when employees utilized a 4-inch angle grinder to trim engineered stone (quartz) workpieces buy grinding/cutting the silica container material.  All provisions of 29 CFR 1910.134 (c) through (m) must be covered in a written respiratory protection program. Key elements include, but are not limited to the following:  1) Respirator selection 2) Filter change-out schedule 3) Medical clearance for respirator use 4) Fit testing 5) Employee information and training on use, care, storage and limitations of respirators 6) Recordkeeping 7) Program review

Issued

Mar 21, 2025

Abate by

May 30, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1926.1153(c)(1):  For each employee engaged in a task identified on Table 1, the employer shall fully and properly implement the engineering controls, work practices, and respiratory protection specified for the task on Table 1, unless the employer assesses and limits the exposure of the employee to respirable crystalline silica in accordance with paragraph (d) of this section:  During and since January of 2025, at installation worksites; the employer did not fully and properly implement the engineering controls and work practice specified in Table 1 for the task of using handheld grinders for uses other than mortal removal. Employees utilized a 4-inch angle grinder to trim engineered stone (quartz) workpieces buy grinding/cutting the silica container material. The employer did not assess the exposure of employees to respirable crystalline silica in accordance with paragraph (d) of this section.

Issued

Mar 21, 2025

Abate by

May 30, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1926.1153(d)(2)(i): The employer shall assess the exposure of each employee who is or may reasonably be expected to be exposed to respirable crystalline silica at or above the action level in accordance with either the performance option in paragraph (d)(2)(ii) or the scheduled monitoring option in paragraph (d)(2)(iii) of this section:  During and since January of 2025, at installation worksites; the employer did not assess exposure of each employee who may reasonably be expected to be exposed to respirable crystalline silica at or above the action level. The employer did not conduct personal exposure sampling to determine 8-hour TWA exposure for Installer employees who abrasively removed portions of engineered stone (e.g., quartz) products with grinding hand tools.

Issued

Mar 21, 2025

Abate by

May 30, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 9000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1053(j)(3)(i):  Employee information and training. The employer shall ensure that each employee covered by this section can demonstrate knowledge and understanding of at least the information contained in subparagraphs (j)(3)(i)(A) through (E):  During and since January of 2025, at installation worksites; the employer did not provide information and training to employees who cut, shaped, and polished engineered stone products and who were or could be exposed to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) in the workplace.  Training shall include, but are not limited to the following: 1) RCS health hazards 2) Tasks that could result in RCS exposures 3) Specific protective controls (engineering, work-practice, PPE) 4) Contents of the RCS standard 5) Purpose and description of the RCS medical surveillance program

Issued

Mar 21, 2025

Abate by

May 5, 2025

Penalty

Initial $3,547 · Current $1,773 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(e)(1):  Employers shall develop, implement, and maintain at each workplace, a written hazard communication program which at least describes how the criteria specified in paragraphs (f), (g), and (h) of this section for labels and other forms of warning, safety data sheets, and employee information and training will be met, and which also includes the following:  During and since January of 2025, at installation worksites; the employer did not develop or implement a written hazard communication program when employees were working with hazards chemicals, such as but not limited to silica and adhesives while installing engineered and natural stone products.  All provisions of 29 CFR 1910.1200(e) through (h) must be contained in a hazard communication program. Key elements include, but are not limited to the following:  1) List of all hazardous chemicals at the site 2) Complete collection of SDS 3) Labeling 4) Employee information and training

Issued

Mar 21, 2025

Abate by

May 5, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(g)(1):  Employers shall have a safety data sheet in the workplace for each hazardous chemical which they use:  During and since January of 2025, at installation worksites; the employer did not have safety data sheets (SDS) in at the worksites for each hazardous chemical they used when employees were working with hazards chemicals, such as but not limited to silica and adhesives while installing engineered and natural stone products.

Issued

Mar 21, 2025

Abate by

May 5, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(h)(1):  Employers shall provide employees with effective information and training on hazardous chemicals in their work area at the time of their initial assignment, and whenever a new chemical hazard the employees have not previously been trained about is introduced into their work area. Information and training may be designed to cover categories of hazards (e.g., flammability, carcinogenicity) or specific chemicals. Chemical-specific information must always be available through labels and safety data sheets:  During and since January of 2025, at installation worksites; the employer did not provide employees with effective information and training on hazardous chemicals in at their work areas when employees were working with hazards chemicals, such as but not limited to silica and adhesives while installing engineered and natural stone products.

Issued

Mar 21, 2025

Abate by

May 5, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(h)(2):  Employees shall be informed of; i) the requirements of this section, ii) any operations in their work area where hazardous chemicals are present, and iii) the location and availability of the written hazard communication program, including the required list(s) of hazardous chemicals, and safety data sheets required by this section:  During and since January of 2025, at installation worksites; the employer did not inform employees of the requirement of the hazard communication standard, operations in their work area where hazardous chemicals were present, and the employer did not have a written program or available safety data sheets (SDS) when employees were working with hazards chemicals, such as but not limited to silica and adhesives while installing engineered and natural stone products.

Issued

Mar 21, 2025

Abate by

May 5, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR  1910.1200(h)(3):  Employee training shall include at least the topics covered by subsections (h)(3)(i) through (h)(3)(iv) of this section:  During and since January of 2025, at installation worksites; the employer did not provide training to employees regarding: (i) how employees could detect hazardous chemicals in the work areas; (ii) the physical hazards, health hazards of the chemicals in their work areas; (iii) the measure employees could take to protect themselves from hazardous chemicals through procedures and/or personal protective equipment (PPE); and (iv) the details of the hazard commination program including descriptions of safety data sheets (SDS). Employees worked with hazardous chemicals such as, but not limited to silica and adhesives while installing engineered and natural stone products.