GT Stone Granite LLC, Cartersville: OSHA silica citation

Inspection reason: A follow-up inspection happened because the employer did not fix silica-related violations that earlier investigations had found.

Silica dust: the findings

• Workers breathed too much respirable crystalline silica.
• No written exposure control plan was put in place by the employer.
• Problems with silica from earlier investigations were still not fixed.

More hazards in the same citation

• Workers were exposed to too much noise.
• No hazard communication program was put in place by the employer.

The employer's time to answer the citation: Once the citations and penalties arrived, the employer had 15 working days to comply, ask OSHA's area director for an informal conference, or take the case to the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Did you work at GT Stone Granite?

Most new silicosis cases in the US now turn up in shops that cut quartz or other engineered stone. Two claims may be available if your work at GT Stone Granite in Cartersville involved cutting, grinding or polishing slabs. One is workers' comp through the employer's insurance; the other is a lawsuit against the companies that manufactured the stone.