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.
Insight into pertinent issues affecting stone industry professionals dominated the panel discussion presented by members of the Natural Stone Institute executive committee during Coverings 2026.
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 Ogun State government has sealed African Refractory and Allied Products Limited, an Indian-operated quartz processing company, following allegations that workers contracted silicosis on the job and that multiple employees have died from the disease.
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.
Law firm Brayton Purcell LLP announced Feb. 18 that it has secured nearly $200 million in verdicts and settlements for countertop fabrication workers diagnosed with accelerated silicosis linked to crystalline silica artificial stone.
Federal and state health researchers are working to build the first comprehensive national list of stone countertop fabrication companies, part of a broad effort to reduce worker exposure to respirable crystalline silica and prevent silicosis, according to a blog post published Jan. 27 by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
Massachusetts health officials issued a safety alert to stone countertop fabrication employers after confirming the state's first case of silicosis in a worker in the industry, the Department of Public Health announced Dec. 9.
A federal bill introduced in Congress would protect manufacturers and sellers of engineered stone products from civil lawsuits brought by workers who develop silicosis, shifting liability squarely onto fabricators who fail to follow safety regulations.
A House Judiciary subcommittee held a hearing Wednesday to examine the impact of civil litigation on the U.S. artificial stone industry, with Republican lawmakers and industry executives arguing that manufacturers are being unfairly targeted by lawsuits related to silicosis.
