Prevalence of dry methods in granite countertop fabrication in Oklahoma

Details

• Personal Author:
  Johnson AC ; Phillips ML
• Description:
  Granite countertop fabricators are at risk of exposure to respirable crystalline silica, which may cause silicosis and other lung conditions. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of exposure control methods, especially wet methods, in granite countertop fabrication in Oklahoma to assess how many workers might be at risk of overexposure to crystalline silica in this industry. Granite fabrication shops in the three largest metropolitan areas in Oklahoma were enumerated, and 47 of the 52 shops participated in a survey on fabrication methods. Countertop shops were small businesses with average work forces of fewer than 10 employees. Ten shops (21%) reported using exclusively wet methods during all fabrication steps. Thirty-five shops (74%) employing a total of about 200 workers reported using dry methods all or most of the time in at least one fabrication step. The tasks most often performed dry were edge profiling (17% of shops), cutting of grooves for reinforcing rods (62% of shops), and cutting of sink openings (45% of shops). All shops reported providing either half-face or full-face respirators for use during fabrication, but none reported doing respirator fit testing. Few shops reported using any kind of dust collection system. These findings suggest that current consumer demand for granite countertops is giving rise to a new wave of workers at risk of silicosis due to potential overexposure to granite dust. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Dust Lung Diseases Occupational Health Quartz Respiratory Protective Devices Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Safety Silicon Dioxide Small Business
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Crystalline Silica Control-methods Dust-control Dust-exposure Lung-disorders Pulmonary-system-disorders Quartz-dust Respirable-dust Respirators Respiratory-system-disorders Risk-analysis Silica-dusts Silicosis Small-businesses Stone-processing Stone Dust Work Practices

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• ISSN:
  1545-9624
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Oklahoma ; OSHA Region 6
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  437-442
• Volume:
  9
• Issue:
  7
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20040855
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Hyg 2012 Jul; 9(7):437-442
• Contact Point Address:
  Margaret L. Phillips, University of Oklahoma, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, 801 Northeast 13th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104
• Email:
  margaret-phillips@ouhsc.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7) ; Silica (CAS RN 7631-86-9)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• Performing Organization:
  University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center - Oklahoma City
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• End Date:
  20290630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8daba2516463e5aecb3419d420b3be66bf98182660d1d54095f22fe4bb90c1a75d4cbbd21782ecdcb79f2d322afd82f655692e371f44b1ca06243a3bfa002218
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/193573/cdc_193573_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 141.09 KB ]