A+ Marble & Granite LLC, Burlington: Washington L&I silica citations

Findings on silica dust

• One worker polishing stone was exposed to respirable crystalline silica at 207 micrograms per cubic meter. That's over the 50 microgram limit for 8 hours. No engineering or work practice controls were used by the employer to bring this exposure down.
• The employer had no written plan for controlling silica exposure. Respirators also weren't required by the employer where exposures went over the limit.
• The employer offered no silica medical surveillance to two employees who were exposed. Training on silica hazards wasn't given either, and they were never told about the dangers.
• The earlier Citation 317968247, a final order since 8/17/22, was the reason most silica items were cited here for failure to abate.

More hazards from this citation

• Employees exposed above the limit had no respiratory protection program that was complete, written, and specific to the worksite.
• Repeat serious and repeat general violations were cited as well.
• During the inspection, several items got marked as corrected.

The employer's time to answer the citation: Once cited, the employer had to post the citation, fix every violation, with many deadlines set for 08/28/2024, and submit written proof of correction. An appeal was allowed within 15 working days. The employer had 15 working days from receipt to pay, unless the citation was appealed.

If A+ Marble & Granite was your employer

Today, shops cutting quartz and other engineered stone account for most new silicosis cases in the US. If your work at A+ Marble & Granite in Burlington included cutting, grinding, or polishing slabs, you may have two claims: workers' comp through the employer's insurance, plus a lawsuit against the stone's manufacturers.

A+ Marble & Granite has drawn silica citations from Washington L&I more than once. Burlington was the site both times, in August 2022 and July 2024.