Atlanta Kitchen LLC, Decatur: OSHA silica citation

Silica dust: the findings

• Worker exposure to silica went past the permissible exposure limit
• Workers' silica exposure was never measured by the company.

More hazards in this citation

• The company failed to write down procedures for a hazardous energy control program, and workers faced electric shock hazards
• Machine guarding was missing from equipment, so amputation hazards were present
• Blocked emergency exits and noise above the action level were also found

The employer's time to answer the citation: Once the company received its citations and penalty proposals, it had 15 working days to act. It could comply, ask OSHA's area director for an informal conference, or contest the findings in front of the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

For people who worked at Atlanta Kitchen

Today, most new silicosis cases in the US come from shops that cut engineered stone, including quartz. Two claims may be open to you: one is workers' comp covered by the employer's insurance, the other is a lawsuit against the companies that produced the stone, if your job at Atlanta Kitchen in Decatur was cutting, grinding, or polishing slabs.