Henry Brick Co. Inc., Selma: OSHA silica citation

Silica dust: the findings

• Airborne respirable crystalline silica reached as much as six-and-a-half times the permissible limit for exposure, and workers breathed it.
• The employer failed to assess or adopt engineering controls and work practices that would limit silica exposure to no more than the permissible limit.
• No effective training on silica was given to employees whose exposure went above the permissible limit.
• If a worker's exposure exceeded the action level for at least 30 days a year, free medical surveillance was not offered.

More hazards in this citation

• The employer required respirators for employees who had not first gotten the required training.
• No fit testing or medical evaluation was done for workers who had to wear respirators.
• In areas where respirators were needed, employees worked with no respiratory protection program that met requirements.

The employer's time to answer the citation: Receiving the citations and penalties started a 15-working-day clock for the company. It could comply, ask OSHA for an informal conference, or dispute the findings before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, an independent body.

For people who worked at Henry Brick

Grinding and firing silica-rich materials is normal at brick and clay plants, so dust is part of the daily work. Workers' comp is where a silicosis claim usually starts for people who were employed at Henry Brick in Selma, and a lawyer can look at whether others share the blame.