Articles Tagged with ''safety''

American Floor Coverings will host the NSI Silica and Slab Safety course on Wednesday, June 3, 2026.

Fabricators need to implement a comprehensive approach to dust control that addresses all particulate hazards, which all have the potential to harm the body when inhaled.

A major investigative report published on March 12, 2026 by KFF Health News and CBS News has drawn renewed national attention to the silicosis epidemic among engineered stone countertop fabrication workers and to a federal bill that would shield slab manufacturers from worker lawsuits.

The International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA) presented a shop licensing and certification program to California workplace safety regulators, positioning the industry-led proposal as a practical alternative to a physician-backed petition calling for an outright ban on engineered stone fabrication in the state.

The peer-reviewed study published in September 2025 in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine is based on air respirator exposure data voluntarily collected from NSI member companies and represents the largest known dataset of countertop fabrication exposure data to date.

California's Silicosis Training, Outreach and Prevention (STOP) Act, the most aggressive state-level regulation targeting silica exposure in the stone countertop fabrication industry, took full effect on January 1, 2026, after Governor Gavin Newsom signed it into law on October 13, 2025.

In recent years, a wave of litigation has emerged nationwide alleging that manufacturers, distributors, and sellers of certain stone slab products bear liability for occupational silicosis suffered by downstream fabricators.

The California Stone Summit emphasized the importance of shop safety to a group of fabricators. 

In recognition of Construction Safety Week, which was from May 5 to 9, 2025, commercial stone provider GI Stone employees reviewed safety precautions, including protection from inhaling silica dust, which is generated when cutting, grinding and polishing stone.

NSI and ISFA released a new medical surveillance guidance document as well as extending collaboration with Yale School of Medicine to further study silica safety best practices.